As we settle into the new year, we’ve got home design trends on the mind. From Los Angeles and Calabasas to Palm Springs and Los Cabos, we touched based with our resident real estate experts to get the inside scoop on the top design trends and biggest selling points for homes in 2018.
In Los Angeles, land of perpetual sunshine and palm trees, it may come as no surprise that buyers set their sights on homes that embrace the indoor-outdoor lifestyle. “In Los Angeles, it’s all about that indoor-outdoor flow,” says David Parnes, who represents 1041 Laurel Way, a transitional contemporary estate in Beverly Hills. “Pocket and bi-folding doors that integrate indoor and outdoor spaces are a huge selling point, along with open, airy floor plans and double height ceilings.”
Equally of-the-moment? Kitchens that double as informal living and dining spaces. Anyone who’s ever thrown a party knows guests always gravitate toward the kitchen, 
so builders are making it part of the living experience. “Large kitchens that open to the family room are a huge plus for the functionality of the modern family,” David adds. Home builders are taking heed, designing expansive, open kitchens that provide family members and guests a place to congregate without disturbing the chef. 916 N. Serrano Ave., a newly reimagined 1927 home in Los Feliz represented by Josh Myler, echoes this sentiment. While the home still offers a traditional formal dining room, its open kitchen and family room with sliding pocket doors to an outdoor lounge embrace a more laid-back, modern lifestyle, encouraging movement and conversation.
Over the hill in Calabasas, neighborhood expert Emil Hartoonian has noted similar trends. “Most of the homes in Calabasas are built on a very Mediterranean platform. To keep up with the times, builders are transitioning to the look and feel of a more updated lifestyle that favors clean lines and open living spaces,” he says, referencing his new listing at 25571 Prado De Azul, a reimagined contemporary estate behind the guard gates at The Oaks. The five-bedroom home boasts an open floor plan and remodeled chef’s kitchen that flows to a light-filled family room, seamlessly integrating with the outdoors through a series of oversized French doors.
When it comes to the desert lifestyle, midcentury modern architecture is always in style, but buyers favor updated designs and 
features not unlike those agents are seeing in L.A. Says Gregg Fletcher, who represents 18 Jill Terrace, a fully updated, custom contemporary in Rancho Mirage, “The biggest trends we’re seeing in the desert are open floor plans and sliding walls of glass for effortless indoor-outdoor living. Walls and gates—long a touchstone of midcentury architecture—are a desirable feature, adding privacy and security for residents.”
As temperatures drop and buyers set their sights on warmer weather, Los Cabos is on everyone’s minds. “Home design in Cabo is becoming more simplified. Indoor-outdoor living is a touchstone of effective design and outdoor spaces are all about finding your private getaway,” says Janet Jensen, who represents one of the region’s most esteemed luxury retreats, Caso Grillo. The newly designed, ocean-view home was built with geometric lines and extreme precision by one of Mexico’s foremost architects, Jacinto Avalos. “Colonial design is being replaced by light, modern design while staying true to the great color, texture and design accents Mexico has to offer,” she adds. “Ceramic tile is coming back, along with avante garde Mexican art and design, indigenous woods and natural stones.”
