5 Of Sydney’s Hottest New Premium Home Trends

If you’re looking to build your own dream home, no doubt you’ll be interested to know what the exciting new premium property trends are.

Homes are our personal sanctuaries — we want them to be absolutely perfect. But there’s been some recent seismic shifts in home design that are taking new homes to new levels.

Developer Stockland has partnered with a suite of Sydney’s leading builders — including Fowler Homes and GJ Gardner Homes — on a limited range of design-approved home and land packages.

Their collaborations at The Gables — a masterplanned community in Sydney’s desirable Hills district — feature some of the most exciting and on-trend home design features.

So, we asked what are the ‘must haves’ they’re including in their premium homes right now.

1. Indoor outdoor entertaining spaces

Bringing the outside in is one of the hottest design principles of our time. It should be a key consideration in any new home, according to Charmaine Shutte, from GJ Gardner Homes Sydney West.

“Opening dining and family rooms seamlessly into outdoor entertaining areas has become a huge trend,” Charmaine says. “Outdoor living and entertaining is part of our Australian way of life.”

“One of my personal favorite home designs that highlights this integrated living is the Pine Rivers,” Charmaine says.

“It has a relaxed Hamptons feel and, at the back of the home, there is a 5.4m glass stacking door that integrates the indoor family and dining area with the outdoor alfresco.

“It’s just perfect for entertaining when friends and family drop around.”

2. Built-in luxury

Lifestyle is at the front of mind for buyers — and so too for home designers.

Elements once considered deluxe — like striking black tapware or stunning mosaic tiles — have now become must-haves, shares Helena O’Brien, sales manager at Fowler Homes.

While some luxe touches can be added on later, others en vogue style choices, like entryway voids, require structural forethought.

“One thing that we’re seeing is that a lot of people want high ceilings, which was once considered a luxury add-on but has now become the norm,” Helena says. “But if the design has low ceilings and you want to make high ceilings, that’s something that the council needs to approve.”

However, the designed-approved homes at The Gables have luxury elements like high ceilings, walk-in wardrobes, entertainers’ kitchens with walk-in or butler’s pantries and oversized master bedrooms all included — and preapproved by the council.

3. Separated living spaces

With changing demographics and economic situations, the demand for flexible floor plans is increasing.

Helena says some of the design-approved homes at The Gables have flexible interior designs, giving buyers the opportunity to create spaces for multigenerational living or working from home.

“We have a house design at the Gables called The Envy,” explains Helena. “It’s about 235sqm. It has five bedrooms, but it has a large bedroom downstairs with a separate ensuite.

“If someone wanted to, they could put a doorway up the hallway and it became separate from the rest of the house.”

These separated living spaces are great for live-in adult children or grandparents who want a bit of personal privacy, as well as professionals who work from home, Helena explains.

However, changes to the building and uses other than residential may require approval from council or other authorities.

4. Zoned spaces

For the last few decades, open-plan living was the big design buzzword. But with spaces around the home needing to transform to serve different purposes, zoned living spaces are in-demand.

Helena says the secret to zoning is having an open-plan home that can be sectioned off easily using strategic walls or doors. This will help create “maximum privacy and comfort”, she says.

Cutting-edge home designs will include things like a media room or rumpus room that can be closed off with a sliding door to stop noise from traveling, a kitchen that can be cordoned off to contain smells and hallways with doors to conserve heating and cooling.

5. Home offices

Before the pandemic, having a dedicated workspace at home was on the way out. Now, that’s changed very much.

With working from home becoming the norm for many, a proper home office setup has become an integral part of new home design.

“The home office is important and people want a dedicated space — they don’t want to be working at the kitchen table with the kids around,” Helena says.

Helena says to have a separate room set up for work and consider study nooks for kids’ bedrooms.

If you’re pushed for space, create a multifunctional room that can double as a home office, for example, a guest bedroom.

If you want to check out a great community and see the latest in premium design up close, check out The Gables by Stockland.

Stockland is responsible for the sale of the land only. Images are provided by the builders. Refer to builders for full details of the buildings and inclusions.

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