Favorite 2016 Design Trends

2016 is nearly in the books! Before we sing Auld Lang Syne and toast with a glass of bubbly, we wanted to pause and reflect on this past year's biggest style moments once more. Trends have always shaped design, but they seemed to explode in 2016! Thanks to the internet's treasure trove of information and ideas, elevated taste is more accessible than ever. Wondering which interior design styles set our hearts aflutter the most this year? Read on below for a recap of our top 6 favorites!

1. Floating Shelves
Open, airy, and elegant, the popularity of floating shelves continued to rise in 2016. We love how open shelves pair form with function. They're the best of both worlds, offering greater accessibility and a spot to showcase your personal style!

2. White Spaces
Minimal design has made a major comeback in recent years; as a result, white rooms have drastically increased in prominence. While not for everyone, white spaces provide a clean and crisp environment, they also showcase pops of color and texture beautifully.

3. Gallery Walls
The methods for displaying artwork in homes have undergone a massive transformation. Much like a playful and provocative art gallery, there simply aren't rules anymore. Scavenged pieces to maps to fine art adorn walls. The stuffy hallway of family portraits has also gone by the wayside for flowing and asymmetrical gallery walls - we love the character this trend brings!

4. Industrial Design Accents
Certainly, industrial design accents have been making their way into everyday interiors for quite some time. However, these clean and modern finishes seemed to reach peak popularity in 2016. Any room in the home could be punctuated with sharp industrial accents. From mirrors to lights, railings to fixtures; industrial elements are popping up everywhere!

5. Bold wallpaper
Perhaps the most fun trend of the year, bold wallpaper patterns sustained their comeback in 2016. While most people wouldn't cover their entire home with it anymore, wallpaper has become a fun way to add bright bursts of pattern and color. We love using wallpaper to spice up forgotten places like laundry rooms and bathrooms - it's the perfect shot of energy in these more practical spaces.

6. Subway Tile
Last, but certainly not least, we couldn't write about 2016 interior trends without mentioning subway tile. This clean, classic look enjoyed a major style moment this year, and it doesn't seem to be disappearing anytime soon. Undeniably timeless and sophisticated, subway tile comes in endless colors and varieties. It's the perfect trend that can be personalized to your individual taste!

Making Spirits Bright: Hosting Holiday Visitors

Everyone celebrates the holidays differently. From treats to decorations to traditions, each family puts their spin on what makes the season feel meaningful to them. While we may never agree on which movie version of The Grinch reigns supreme, there's one aspect of the holidays that remains almost universal; gathering with family.

Traveling from near and far to spread Christmas cheer isn't always easy, but spending time with loved ones is the highlight of the holidays. Whether crowded in a tiny city condo or scattered throughout a spacious country cabin, all that matters, in the end, is being together. Gracious hosting isn't defined by square footage or resources. Real hospitality means making your guests feel sincerely welcomed. It's in the details, the thoughtful touches that show your guests how much they matter.

If you're opening up your home to family or friends this December, we want to help you start planning! Read on below to discover our favorite ways to put your guests at ease. We'll have you making spirits bright faster than you can say, jingle bells!

Cozy Bedding
When hosting guests overnight, your greatest concern is their bed. Freshly wash your nicest linens. Make the bed as if you're running a cozy B&B. Pile it high with extra pillows and blankets - especially during chilly weather! The last thing anyone wants is to stumble through someone else's home searching for extra bedding in the middle of the night. Make things easier on everyone involved and plan ahead!

Reading Material
It may sound trivial, but nothing helps people decompress more than a little light reading before bed. Stock each bedside table with your favorite novels, coffee table reads, magazines, and kids’ books. It's a small gesture that invites your guests to take time out for themselves too - especially if they're introverted!

Extra Toiletries
Even if you don't have a dedicated guest bathroom, there are still ways to make your home a little more like a hotel. Before your company arrives, prepare them a basket of mini toiletries. Include fun things like favorite lotions, bubble bath, and scented candles, along with more practical items like extra toothbrushes, q-tips, and kleenex. Above all, make sure to layout freshly cleaned towels for each person!

Breakfast Menu
Another charming touch to make guests feel spoiled is letting them request their breakfast! Create a menu of brunch offerings and ask people to put their order outside the door before going to sleep. That way, the next morning you'll be ready to cook as soon as you hear people start stirring.

Snack Stash
Help people avoid midnight cravings and leave a small snack stash in each room. Include something sweet, something savory, and something healthy. Pack a few extra napkins and water bottles with each supply. Add in kid-friendly options is applicable, along with any well known local favorites or delicacies!

Giving Thanks: Elegant Dining Rooms

Though it may be hard to believe (seriously - where did the fall go?), Thanksgiving is only mere days away. As we daydream of mountains of mashed potatoes accompanied by rivers of gravy, we can't help but also think about where all of this feasting takes place: the dining room. Often forsaken for less formal settings, the dining room is the star of the show come November and December.

Formal dining rooms may warm the bench most of the season, but they're the team MVP once the playoffs hit! The winter holidays all revolve around large elaborate meals, don't they? From Thanksgiving feasts to Christmas buffets, each event centers around families gathering together at the table. There is something undeniably magical about hitting the pause button on everyday life and enjoying a meal together. No devices, no distractions, no outside world, just real face-to-face time with the people you love.

When we take the time to gather, to invest in sharing genuine community with our people; the dining room isn't just a backdrop, it's a sanctuary. In this sacred place, dinner transforms from a simple meal to precious memories. In celebration of the traditional formal dining room, we decided to feature some of our clients' loveliest spaces on our blog this month. Browse through them below and bask in these beautiful takes on this spot for classic family occasions.

Faces of Pamela Park: Physical Culture(v)

The unique community that surrounds your home plays a vital role in shaping your family's life. From amenities to schools to culture, a multitude of factors impact your everyday lifestyle. One such variable? A thriving small business scene. A distinct small business landscape is the icing on the cake. The magic ingredient that transforms an assembly of adjacent addresses into a neighborhood. To celebrate the innovative small businesses that make Edina feel like home, we decided to highlight a few of our favorites on our blog. The first lovely business that we're excited to feature is Physical Culture(v)!

A cutting-edge group fitness studio created by the intrepid team of Angie Bartness and Mike Collins, the desire to create a community of support is the heart of Physical Culture(v)'s mission. Seeing clients transform their lives, chase their dreams, and achieve their fitness goals is what motivates their entire staff. Co-owner Angie states it best, "We are helping people become healthier, happier, and [more] confident human beings while creating [opportunities for] connection. What could be more important than that?" Amen to that, Angie!

Ironically, although Angie's background is in personal training, her and Mike's original vision was to open a pizza and wine bar. As fate would have it, their restaurant plans never came to fruition. However, they remained committed to helping revitalize the strip mall Physical Culture(v) calls home. They saw the storied Edina location as a true diamond in the rough and respected the integrity, honesty, and generosity of the property's landlord, Fred Allis.

Physical Culture(v) officially opened its doors on July 25, 2015! Angie credits their devoted group of fitness fanatics with the business's success. She insists that both the instructors and clients are on another level compared to other fitness studios, stating they are, "hands down the most loyal, dedicated and high-class group of people I have ever had the pleasure to know." The instructors push their clients to pursue their goals with vigor but accompanied by equal measures of compassion and warmth.

A day in the life of this bustling studio begins at the groggy hour of 4:45 am. Indeed, the morning crew's devotion is so hardcore that classes typically amass waitlists the day they're posted! Throughout the day, clients and instructors can often be found greeting each other and catching up on each other's lives. The club truly inspires a culture of connection and support. If you live in the area, we highly encourage you to give this Edina gem a try - you'll never enjoy wearing yourself out more!