Lennar Resource Center

Whether you’re designing a home for the first time or redecorating, there are always new styles, trends and do-it-yourself projects to try.

Design Center Director Sheila Tomlinson heads up WCI’s model home designs and creates looks that homeowners can duplicate.

Sheila’s on the forefront of the latest home designs and is sharing the newest trends in wall and ceiling treatments.

Wallpaper

Everything comes back in style. This old saying not only applies to clothing, but to home décor. The trend of wallpaper has resurfaced, and this time around, it has big and bold patterns, geometric shapes, and watercolor art. In fact, some wallpaper is now designed by artists.

Interior designers are finding interesting new uses for wallpaper, such as framing it behind a nightstand to bring color into a room without using paint. It’s a good way to add an accent wall in a kid’s room or make a “wall mural.”

WCI’s Sanctuary Cove model homes located in Palmetto use this technique as accent walls in the hallway and master bedroom, and on some of the ceilings.

Just about any type of wallpaper can be purchased online – from whimsical flowery patterns to textured patterns, such as faux brick or embossed styles. Some websites will send you a small sample of the wallpaper so you can visualize the colors and pattern in the room.

Wood pallets

Decorating with wood pallets is very popular for those who want a “barn industrial feel.” This can be accomplished through reclaimed wood, or even faux wood.

At the model homes at Estancia in the Wiregrass area, WCI is installing a whole wall feature with peel-and-stick faux wood made of foam that looks just like reclaimed wood. In the waterfront community of Southshore Yacht Club in Ruskin, the model home has wood features on the walls of the open-concept living room and dining room area, as well as in a bedroom.

Patterned tile

Patterned tile is one of the latest trends in bathrooms and kitchens. This feature can add more character to those rooms. Depending on the style of your home, patterned tile can enhance farmhouse chic décor, while a Spanish tile design with bold colors can add a wow factor as a backsplash behind the stove.

Ceiling treatments

Decorating a ceiling isn’t often top-of-mind for homeowners, but it’s a growing trend in new homes. The styles vary, and can include painted bead board, Victorian wallpaper, or an embossed ceiling.

There’s even a comeback in tin ceilings (actual tin or even wallpaper made to look like tin), which originated in the late 1800s and can still be found in some historic buildings.

Select homes in Sanctuary Cove come with coffered ceilings and thick crown molding, which can be painted a different color to give the room more dimension.

If you want to see the latest design trends, visit WCI’s Welcome Home Centers in Sanctuary Cove in Palmetto, Southshore Yacht Club in Ruskin, Estancia in Wiregrass, Promenade at Lake Park in Lutz and Cordoba Estates in Lutz.