Utah Valley Parade of Homes
Stefani Thatcher
Thursday, April 24, 2025
What’s trending in 2023 for new home design?
Named the best parade of homes in the nation
Setting the trends
This isn’t the first time the Utah Valley Parade of Homes has been recognized as the best of the best in new home design and construction as well as interior and landscape design. From floor plans to pool designs, this parade covers it all.
What’s Trending in 2023?
Having attended the UV Parade of Homes four years in a row now, I’m finally starting to recognize some yearly themes. It’s interesting to pay attention to. There is, undoubtedly, no group decision or voting as to what features will be highlighted in each year’s parade.
New Trends
Here are the common themes I noticed in the 18 of 31 homes I personally visited this year:
- Smaller mud rooms
- More double kitchen islands
- Windows extending to the floor
- Full length, fully functional (and operational) draperies
- Wallpaper - and lots of it!
- Full length, fully functional (and operational) draperies
- Single room vaulted ceilings
- More beige color schemes
- Cane, wicker, rattan, fluted, and reeded furniture, decor, and finishes
- Pools and outdoor spaces (including exterior sidewalk ribbons around the perimeter of the property)
- Round dining tables
- Galley-style Primary Ensuite bathroom configurations (two vanities and freestanding tub on one side with the “party” shower and water closet on the other side of the bathroom)
- Closet organization systems
While I didn’t see much in the way of the Pantone 2023 color of the year, most color schemes aligned fairly well with Behr's 2023 color palette.
Continued Trends
Other trends still going strong include:
- Wet rooms in the Primary Ensuite (freestanding tub enclosed inside the shower space)
- 2-story great room ceiling heights
- Dark, moody home offices
- Fireplace/TV focal point wall in great rooms
- Bunkrooms
- Basement kitchenettes
- Working, walk-in pantries (aka: Butler’s Pantry)
- Theater rooms
- Indoor gyms / romper rooms / basketball courts
Good and Bad
Amazingly, there is still an abundance of problematic placement of refrigerators. (NOTE: When a refrigerator is directly adjacent to a side wall extending beyond the front doors of said fridge, the door(s) will NOT open beyond 90 degrees and the crisper drawers WILL NOT be able to be removed from the fridge.)
Additionally, I did find a few powder bathrooms with a terrible line of sight directly to public areas (not my fave).
View from toilet (not kidding - you could literally watch a movie while sitting on the ‘throne’) vs. view from stairs / family room
Meanwhile, I was ecstatic to see IRL the ‘catwalk’ design I have tried to talk clients into in the past, but they usually just couldn’t grasp the vision. These homes executed the design flawlessly.
Cohesive & Comprehensive Design
One of the top reasons I enjoy attending the UV Parade of Homes is the great attention to detail by so many spectacular builders and homebuilding companies.
Gone are the days when homes are stand-alone projects with no thought or consideration given to the finished landscaping or furniture space planning. One of my all-time favorite homes in this year’s parade was #27 by Millhaven Homes. Truth be told, several homes could make similar claims, but for this home, Millhaven Homes, featured (and called attention to) the fact that they oversaw the home design, construction, interior design, AND landscape design and installation.
It was simply beautiful.
It was cohesive and fully comprehensive, from inside to out.
I always appreciate the homes that have been built with a mind centered around the final, intended use. As many homes paid attention to that extension of livable space (with the flow to the outdoors), I was continually surprised to see so, many, homes with secondary refrigerators in the pantries that won’t be 100% fully functional. Even my kids who now go with me are able to immediately spot the offending refrigerators, lol.
Who should attend any Parade of Homes?
- In short, anyone interested in building a new homes within the next few years
- Builders - to stay current and valid in the marketplace (know what clients are seeing and what they’ll be asking for)
- Designers - Residential Designers, Interior Designers, Landscape Designers
- Kitchen and bath designers
Get out and Enjoy!
If you’ve never attended a parade of homes before, I highly recommend it! It’s not just for the designers and builders. We ALL call somewhere home. That connection between our souls and our built environment is a strong, invisible force. Pay attention to the details that inspire, uplift, and nurture your well-being. Then do what you can to infuse those details into your everyday life and your own personal built environment (aka: home).
Looking for more resources and/or support in your personal home design or career as a residential designer? Drop a comment below with your burning questions or feel free to follow us on your favorite social media channel (we’re on IG, FB, and LinkedIn) @domanihomedesign.
Learn more at www.dostudios.co or @squarefootsuperhero on IG, FB, Pinterest, and YouTube.
The Ultimate Residential Designer Resource - insider secrets to create stand-out custom home designs.
Education
Navigation
Legal
Domani Studios © designed by Coral Sky Designs
