This is What a Dream Home in 2017 Looks Like

It’s not enough to build yourself a spa bathroom in 2017. To truly appreciate the art of zen and relaxation, you need a Japanese spa within your home, complete with a traditional soaker tub. Fill your tub to the brim, and let the water spill over as you fully submerge up to your chin. Bathtime will never be the same again.

When it comes to kitchen style, less is definitely more, but for anyone who actually uses their kitchen for cooking, they know full well that it comes hand-in-hand with lots and lots and lots of stuff. To happily marry kitchen taste with cooking taste, homeowners are opting for pantries off the kitchen, where a counter designated to small appliances can keep all of those unsightly pieces and plugs hidden away.

Homeowners are taking their swimming pools up a notch with ornate landscaping and the creation of a true outdoor oasis in their backyard. Think Slim Aarons glamour, with lush trees and gardens, water features and dramatic lighting for evening pool parties.

Walk-in closets are so 2016. This year, it’s all about the dressing room, a space complete with custom shelving, jewellery displays and a vanity. No space for a dressing room? No problem. Create the look and feel of one with a beautiful long mirror beside your closet, and decorative features, like an updated glam doorknob and chic hangers.

You know the old saying, “It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey.” Well, the same applies for stairs. It’s not about where you’re going, it’s about how you get there, namely, on a chic, statement staircase. Hear us out. This once practical element of a home’s design is now having it’s time in the spotlight, with unique banisters, floating steps and glass walls. Stairs have become a design feature in their own right.

You can never have too many windows in a home, that’s nothing new, but more and more homeowners are paying extra attention to what’s exactly in view. With extra trees, plants and flowers enveloping windows, you can add a little extra privacy, and the feeling of being one with nature.

Families want homes they can easily move through, and feel connected in. A main floor with a sectioned off kitchen, living room and dining room doesn’t allow for family members to maintain communication while focusing on separate tasks. With an open concept home, kids can hang out in the living room, while parents prep meals in the kitchen. Plus, it makes for an easier space to entertain in.

This dream home feature (emphasis on the dream) will surely pick up steam as electric cars become more and more affordable. Until then, file a personal charging station in your garage under “maybe someday.”

Homeowners can’t make up their minds! They want they outside brought inside and the inside brought outside. Backyards are now being utilized as outdoor living areas, with a more formalized take on the outdoor room. Expect to see outdoor living rooms with fireplaces and projectors for movies under the stars, and dining areas with outdoor kitchens and bars.

This small but mighty feature is the difference between a totally minimalist room and a sorta, almost, nearly minimalist room with lots of unsightly outlets. A true dream home has outlets placed specifically to fit a room’s arrangement, from half-way up the wall on either side of a bed for your nightstand, or outlets on the floor, so a side table lamp can sit in the middle of a room.

No dream home is complete without a luxury living room, with racks, shelves, baskets and bins, everything you could possibly need for laundry day. Add a steamer to the mix and you’ve got #laundryroomgoals right there!

You only get one chance to make a first impression, and no matter how gorgeous your home is, your driveway sets the stage in the eyes of your guests. More and more homeowners are investing in landscaping to flank their entry, and intricate stonework to lead the way.

For homeowners who love to entertain by the pool, a pool house is a perfect extension of the home. It offers a space where guests will feel comfortable to change into their bathers or run to the loo (without traipsing through your actual home) and offers an area for hosts to stock food and drinks for get togethers. Load up on towels and sunscreen and your pool house is all set!

What’s dreamier than a home that brews your coffee, automatically adjusts your lighting and temperature and drafts a grocery shopping list for you? Smart homes may be the ultimate indulgence now, but ten years from now, they’ll be the norm. (Until then, we’ll just have to do our own grocery shopping.)

Sometimes, all a homeowner really wants is a little peace and quiet in their own home, away from kids, partners and pets. Enter: the secret room! Tucked around a corner, or accessed through a secret door, these private spaces are one of those features your friends will gush over.