A look ahead: 2017’s Crystal Ball

Well, that was a doozy.

As 2016 winds its way to a close, I’m sure I’m not the only one eager for a fresh start. During the past 12 months, we’ve endured a painfully divisive presidential election, a water crisis in Flint, too many iconic stars’ deaths to count and much more.

If news events could cause whiplash, many of us would need medical treatment.

But as challenging as 2016 was, there were definite bright spots, especially in Detroit. The city continues to reinvent itself as a mecca for artists, designers and young professionals.

Construction started in early December on a massive housing project in Detroit’s Brush Park neighborhood. Considered the city’s largest residential development in decades, the $70 million project spearheaded by Quicken Loans’ Dan Gilbert will include 410 townhomes, duplexes, carriage homes and apartments.

Also near Brush Park, work continues to plug along on the Red Wings’ new arena, which is scheduled to be completed by next fall. And come spring, Detroit’s first streetcar line in decades — the QLine — is scheduled to roll on Woodward this spring between downtown and the New Center area.

Detroit seems to be so hot right now Elle Decor named the city one of the top trends for 2017. Yes, Detroit isn’t just a city anymore — it’s a trend.

In our homes, meanwhile, we want spaces to unwind and relax in today’s ever-busy, tech-savvy world. Everyone’s favorite neutral, gray, seems to finally be giving way to other soothing hues such as taupe. In fact, Sherwin-Williams named Poised Taupe its Color of the Year for 2017.

Pantone, meanwhile, named one of its cheeriest colors in years, Greenery, a lime green hue, as its Color of the Year.

Susan Todebush, general manger of the Michigan Design Center in Troy, says while open concept floor plans may still be the rage on HGTV, local designers are reporting that homeowners are asking to create private nooks and retreats “away from the television and kitchen activity, where they can read or take a break from technology.”

“Open floor plans are good in theory, but they are difficult to decorate and pose challenges, like sound travel and privacy,” says Todebush.

Still, in many homes, multifunctional rooms with a high level of organization and minimal clutter will continue to be key in 2017, especially as people retire.

“Empty-nesters are downsizing and are often choosing to live in a very different type of home than the one in which they raised their families,” says Birmingham interior designer Amy Weinstein of AMW Design Studio.

Local interior designer Kevin Harrison, who owns Harrison’s in downtown Clarkston, says he sees traditional style making a comeback in 2017, but a new kind of traditional.

“Not the highly polished mahogany, but rather a ‘sun-faded’ traditional,” says Harrison. “We also see beige, khaki and wheat colors beginning to return.”

Maybe in this crazy world — where a former reality star will be sworn in next month as the nation’s president — we need soothing colors and spaces at home. But let’s hope there is a little less whiplash in 2017.

mfeighan@detroitnews.com

(313) 223-4686

Twitter: @mfeighan

IN

1 Sherwin-Williams’ Poised Taupe

2 Terra cotta

3 Modern macrame

4 Reusable materials such as cork

5 Downsizing

6 Velvets

7 Vinyl wallcoverings

8 Geometric casegoods

9 Mixed patterns and textiles

10 Navy as the new go-to neutral

11 Pantone’s Greenery

12 Matte gold hardware

13 Pewter and mixed metals

14 Waterfall counters

15 X-shaped cabinets

16 Full wall mural wallcoverings

17 Indoor outdoor fabrics

18 Muted pastels

19 Benjamin Moore’s Shadow

20 Faux finishes and woods

21 Mudrooms

22 Control rooms

23 Authenticity

24 Black stainless steel appliances

25 Hygge (the Danish concept for coziness)

26 Autonomous cars

27 Little Caesars Arena

28 Woodward Square

29 Detroit’s IHOP/Applebee’s hybrid

30 The new “ANTM”

31 “50 Shades Darker”

32 The new “Wonder Woman”

33 Virtual Reality headsets

34 Augmented reality books

35 U2’s “Songs of Experience”

36 President-elect Donald Trump

OUT

1 Gray everything

2 Quote Walls

3 1970s Macrame

4 Sliding barn doors

5 McMansions

6 Generic barnwood

7 Plain walls

8 Chevrons

9 One pattern only

10 Black

11 Rose Quartz and Serenity

12 Silver hardware

13 Copper

14 Plain counters

15 Bland cabinets

16 Small murals

17 Nonresilient fabrics

18 80s pastels

19 Benjamin Moore’s Simply White

20 High maintenance materials

21 Stuffed front closets

22 Overflowing kitchens

23 A nonauthentic look or style at home

24 Mismatched appliances

25 Minimalism

26 Manually driven cars

27 Joe Louis Arena

28 The old Cass Corridor

29 St. Cece’s Food & Spirits

30 Tyra Banks’ “America’s Next Top Model”

31 “50 Shades of Gray”

32 The old “Wonder Woman”

33 Old-style headsets

34 Plain books

35 U2’s “Songs of Innocence”

36 President Barack Obama