FIRST PERSON
S
eptember marks the 25th year in
private practice for Thomas Baio at
his architectural firm in Millburn.
Tom was president of the MillburnShort Hills Historical Society, where
he is now an advisor and trustee.
“My love of this town’s historic fabric is woven
into my DNA,” says Tom. “I consider myself one
of the keepers of the flame in this town.” Tom sits
on the Design Trends Council of the American
Institute of Architects and sees four major design
trends driving housing styles of today.
DESIGN TREND #1 – COLOR SHIFT
The world has moved from earth tones to neutrals.
After a nearly 20-year dominance of everything tan or
taupe, we are now expressing ourselves with shades
of gray. You see it from the cars we drive, which are
nearly all black, white or gray, to the colors we paint
our rooms and house exteriors. From the 1960s to
1980s, pastels took center stage. Earth tones were the
color of choice from the 80s to the mid 2000s, with
the current shift toward neutrals or shades of grays.
This “Neutral Period” is here to stay.
DESIGN TREND #2 – OPEN LIVING
DNA
Local architect Thomas
Baio talks preserving
history and shifts in trends
“ I consider myself one of the keepers
of the flame in this town.”
THOMAS BAIO
DESIGN TREND #3 – EMERGENCE OF
UBER-ORGANIZED FAMILIES
Pantries, walk-in closets, mudrooms with builtin cubbies and finished garages top the list for
home-buyers. New homes are being designed with
mudrooms that equate to 5 percent of the floor
plan. Recreational elements are moving indoors.
Basements are turning into basketball courts and
garages into multi-purpose space for storing your
car, as well as becoming an office.
DESIGN TREND #4 –
EMBRACING THE ECLECTIC
Long gone are the days of matchy-matchy. All four
walls of a room need no longer be the same color.
The feature wall – one wall highlighted in a bold
color, wallpaper or other material – is alive and
kicking. My conference room features a wall that is
dominant. It prompts debate, highlighting the real
purpose of a boardroom. ■
– AS TOLD TO NANCY COHEN
24
MILLBURN • SHORT HILLS MAGAZINE FALL 2016
BAIO: COURTESY OF THOMAS BAIO; BLUEPRINT: THINKSTOCK
Short Hills
The walls are coming down in homes. It started as
a vaulted foyer or an open kitchen and morphed into
floor plans with vast open areas and nearly no walls.
Houses are going from room-based to open, actual
living space. Open layouts make a smaller home feel
larger and promote relaxation and casual living. Today’s
kitchen is a sitting area and family room where buyers
can watch their little ones and interact with guests
while preparing a meal.