Last week I had the opportunity to tour the House Beautiful Whole Home tour located in Hinsdale, IL. The house is a 13,000 square foot historical landmarked mansion built in the 1900’s. House Beautiful rounded up an all-female team of designers from across the country to revamp the home and showcase their design talent. The end result did not disappoint! What was disappointing however, was seeing how long my list of home improvement projects grew after touring the house. It’s not pretty!

While there was design inspiration oozing out of every corner of the house, there were definitely some trends that seemed to be taking center stage. Some of these elements we’ve been seeing for awhile, while others seem to be newer on the scene. Below are some of my takeaways after touring the house.

2. COLOR!: Bring it on! From moody jeweled tones to cheery primary colors to pretty pastels, we saw it all. What we didn’t see - a blah white ceiling. It was so refreshing to see the injection of color and the way it was unapologetically used in every way possible.

3. Adding Architectural Elements: There are so many ways to jazz up walls and ceilings. While wallpaper is still hotter than ever, adding depth and dimension through millwork such as lattice, moldings and framing really gives a space character and charm. It can also be used to divide spaces and create cozy nooks within a room.

4. Hand Painted Embellishments: I learned that not only can I fill my shelves with blue & white ginger jars, I can also paint them all over my walls! Game Changer. It’s the little details and artistic touches that make certain spaces stand out. From full scale painted artwork on the walls to small floral borders around the fireplace mantle, we loved seeing the talent of artists as they added in these unique elements.