Barn board is perhaps the biggest trend of the decade. We’ve fallen in love with the natural warmth and texture of this material. The reason this trend has stuck around for so long is because every piece is different and we love the idea of upcycling waste. These feature walls are still beautiful, but it’s a bit over-saturated in my opinion. So much so that new wood is being used to mimic the upcycled ideal, in turn defeating the green motivation behind the trend. My best advice is to continue enjoying the wall you have but avoid installing it in your future projects. <a href="https://www.hgtv.ca/decorating/photos/expert-tips-sourcing-from-salvage-1915741/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">See here for 10 must-know tips about sourcing from salvage</a>.

Accent walls have gained maturity and require more thought than rolling a coat of contrast onto your wall. The best feature walls combine texture, shadow and pattern. With some good-quality painter’s tape and imagination, you can create the illusion of texture and impact right over top of your existing painted accent wall (plaid, pinstripe, pattern repeat – you name it). <a href="https://www.hgtv.ca/decorating/photos/expert-paint-secrets-to-sell-home-1914452/">PS: These 10 painting secrets will help sell your home faster</a>.

Geometric shapes are everywhere in home decor. Advancements in tile fabrication have brought an array of affordable shapes and sizes to the masses. While geometric shapes will continue to be a part of mainstream, they will shift to diamond and triangle patterns before they flat line. <a href="https://www.hgtv.ca/decorating/photos/design-trends-youll-never-regret-1911933/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">See here for 10 design trends you’ll never regret!</a>

Gloss finishes have taken a backseat to popular matte, flat, honed and chalked finishes. High-gloss cabinets in particular will continue to phase out gradually. If I’m being honest, my own kitchen is high-gloss white and I have no plans of changing it any time soon, but my current projects feature more sophisticated matte selections. Want more? <a href="https://www.hgtv.ca/kitchens/photos/kitchen-trends-2019-1922348/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Here are 10 kitchen trends that will be huge in 2019 (and 3 to forget)</a>.

Remember a couple of decades ago when everything was beige? Then everyone started painting everything a bluish shade of grey. Fast forward and the two got mixed together to make ‘greige’ (grey/beige). The most common neutral being used in the last few years is white – hard to believe that the most popular neutral is actually not a colour at all. So where does that leave us? I’d say beige feels very dated, blue-greys are phasing out while warm greys, greige tones and whites will feel current for a while to come. <a href="https://www.hgtv.ca/living-rooms/photos/grey-living-room-design-ideas-1918870/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Check out these 15 grey living room ideas for inspiration!</a>

Turns out, three is a bit of a crowd. When it comes to island pendants, wall frames and art, they feel more contemporary when presented in pairs. Odd rows of three and five have begun to feel excessive. Stick to even numbers over odd numbers, but don’t forget to go a bit larger in scale. That said, if you are going for a cluster or collage, all rules are out the window and the more random – the better. <a href="https://www.hgtv.ca/decorating/photos/lighting-trends-transform-a-room-1917503/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">PS: These are the 8 coolest lighting trends that will transform any room</a>.

U-shaped kitchens are unavoidable at times and are arguably one of the most convenient kitchen layouts for single cooks. However, modern-day couples tend to cook together, and our kitchens take up more square footage than they ever have before. Having two access points into a kitchen increases the space-sharing convenience, making the island (stand-alone combination) a favourite over the peninsula (attached to a wall). Couples that cook together, eat together. <a href="https://www.hgtv.ca/kitchens/photos/small-kitchen-design-ideas-1916131/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Here are 18 small kitchen design ideas to try.</a>

Saturated red, orange and yellow wood tones haven’t been on trend for a while. I am sure they will come back in another decade or so, but for now, muted tones with a bit of a washed out look rule the market. On the other end of the spectrum, overly saturated grey tones can also feel dated. For a contemporary look, wood should bring warmth to a space but still be neutral.