Home Decorating Trends of 2012

Rebecca Kolls, the consumer strategist of home and garden for Iconoculture—a leading consumer trends advisory firm—has been getting a lot of attention talking about the most anticipated 2012 home decorating trends.

She says 2012 will not be about flashy, over-the-top design; but rather, about decorating for real life—a home that's smaller, more well-equipped and custom-made for its owners' lifestyles.

Kolls says 2012 trends highlight practicality, rightsizing, style-telling and universal design. She says despite a decrease in average overall square footage, kitchens are growing, homeowners are adding more porches, ditching the conventional living room concept and embracing fewer—yet larger—rooms.

Instead of one purely decorative element, Kolls says homeowners are springing for more affordable luxuries with experiential benefits.

In the bedroom, these purchases include new mattresses for increased comfort and a better night's sleep, plus items like improved lighting and window coverings that facilitate a gentle transition from sleeping to waking. Bathroom remodels include items like towel warmers, steam showers and multiple body spray outlets that promote relaxation and spa-like indulgence.

Furthermore, Kolls says homeowners in 2012 will be looking to tell a story through their decorating, with pieces that put a personal stamp on their spaces. People are stylizing the most-used room in the home—the kitchen—by adding workstations, artwork, photography and more furniture-like cabinetry enhanced by decorative cabinet knobs and pulls.

And since baby boomers are caring for their parents, their children, and sometimes even grandchildren, all while making plans for their own future, Kolls says more will want to spend the rest of their lives in their own home.

That also means homes with several generations under one roof will be utilizing technology to help keep all members of the family safe and well. In fact, Kolls predicts that wireless home health monitoring technologies are expected to grow by $4.4 billion by the year 2013.