Design Trends in Luxury Real Estate: Howard County Edition

Howard County, Maryland, a part of the greater Washington-Baltimore area, is notable for the exclusive lifestyle that many of its luxury homeowners lead, its natural beauty, and the county’s ideal location on the Eastern seaboard. Yet there is much more going on in the world of luxury real estate than you first might expect in this part of the country.

High-end real estate is in the midst of a major shift in interior and exterior design. And Howard County is taking a leading role as one of the country’s most forward-thinking districts. Follow along with this insider’s guide to luxury home design trends in Howard County below.

The first entry on the list of current designs in Howard County luxury homes and condos has to go to the many trends and patterns popular in the world of high-end furniture. In Howard County in particular, it’s the materials and sophistication of each piece that have become more significant for homeowners in recent years. Luxurious furniture textures like marble, brass, and leather are on the rise, adding a bit of opulence to the home.

Plush velvet sofas and chairs (especially armchairs) of an oversized variety are also popular. Delicate fabrics can allow you to showcase a sense of refinement and comfort at the same time. Above all, homeowners in Howard County emphasize the functionality of each room in the house and let their furniture choices follow.

Luxury lighting and lighting fixtures are two of the hallmarks of high-end real estate. It’s essential to create a welcoming atmosphere for houseguests as soon as they enter the door, and your choice of lighting can have a big impact on a visitor's first impressions of the home. Statement lights with a bold and artistic flair are increasingly on the radar among Howard County’s most exclusive homeowners for that very reason.

These kinds of fixtures include crystal chandeliers with embellished finishing details, pendant lights, and wall sconces that allow you to have more flexibility when it comes to illuminating all areas of the house. Lightbulbs are also taking on a more central role in the interior design of Howard County real estate, as luxury homeowners opt for more naturalistic warm tones that destress the eye and create a more inviting feel to the house.

Another design trend that has taken off among homeowners in the Howard County area has to do with the paint colors and special textures and patterns that people are using to decorate their house’s interior. Your choice of color palette will always have an immediate effect on anyone who comes to the property, so it’s important to make an educated decision when it comes time to paint the home.

Harmonious and bold color combinations of deep blue, cream, eggshell white, and tones that resemble jeweled surfaces are especially popular at the moment, showing little sign of falling out of fashion. The texture of your hardware and finishing features all over the house are also vital to get right when designing your home. Metallic accent pieces have been a mainstay for years, and they continue to be a classic way to create contrast and brightness anywhere in the home.

The next item on our roundup of luxury home design trends in Howard County continues the discussion about metallic hardware and accent pieces above. Metallic materials like brass, copper, and stainless steel have a timeless feel, and luxury homeowners all over Howard County are taking the theme of “timelessness” further. Exposed details such as brickwork, exposed concrete ceilings, and raw industrial-scale metal beams are a few basic ways to introduce an even deeper sense of authenticity and character to the home.

When paired with sumptuous overstuffed chairs and sofas, these hard-edged design features make the luxury home more balanced and more visually interesting for all. Plus, they can often clear up more space to experiment with other bold design choices like large hanging light fixtures and wide marble countertops.

Home offices, state-of-the-art kitchens, custom gyms, and even at-home film sets for content creators are coming into vogue more and more every year.

Even traditional rooms like the bedroom and bathroom are now parts of the house where people are installing personal libraries, baths, and showers for two, and floor-to-ceiling windows that allow you to blend the outdoors with the indoors and get inspired. Wine cellars, infinity pools, and home theaters are also a few other design choices that Howard County residents have chosen to bring home to better define the functions of each room.

Sustainability is a serious concern for many people in Howard County, not least of which include the many high-end homeowners in the area with the means to introduce green equipment and ecologically friendly devices into the house. From solar panels to energy-efficient appliances and smart home systems which can optimize your energy consumption throughout the year, your options are nearly endless. Many residents have invested in heated flooring and electronically monitored HVAC systems to further reduce their impact on the environment.

Luxury home design trends in Howard County have never been more forward-thinking or opulent. Now is the perfect time to consider renovating or redecorating some or all of your home to match the most up-to-date trends and patterns in interior design in Howard County.

If you have any questions or comments to share, or you’d like to learn more about buying or selling luxury real estate in Central Maryland, get in touch today! Contact VSells & Associates for more information.