Is Your Sofa In - Or Out?

Hot looks we want to see more of (and tired ones that we're ready to forget).

Kitchen Cabinetry

WHAT'S OUT Lots of upper cabinetry, especially those with ornate moldings and highly embellished details like pilasters.

WHAT'S IN Kitchens that more closely resemble living spaces, with flat-fronted cabinetry, often without hardware, in finishes popular in Europe, like wood veneers and polished lacquer. Designers are doing away with upper cabinets, so storage is happening in the base cabinets, and there's more attention being paid to floor-to-ceiling pantries. Varenna by Poliform's Alea line (starting at $1,500 per linear foot at Showroom, 240 Stuart Street, Boston, 617-482-4805, showroomboston.com) is available in wood veneers, laminate, and polished lacquers. For a gentler price point, try IKEA's Perfekt Solar door fronts (shown above) in beech veneer (IKEA, 1 IKEA Way, Stoughton, 781-344-4532, ikea.com).

Wall Color

WHAT'S OUT Opinions vary, but designer Gerald Pomeroy says that he and other designers have seen enough dark brown walls "to last us until we retire," especially when paired with light blue, pink, or sea-foam-green accents.

WHAT'S IN Gray is the season's "it" neutral for walls, and the color feels particularly fresh when combined with off-white trim. Rather than making a bold statement, says Pomeroy, walls are now just "a piece of the puzzle" - a backdrop for the cleaner lines of today's furniture. Pair gray walls or couches with shots of saturated color, like raspberry, fuchsia, and violet. Designer Kristine Irving recommends Benjamin Moore's Plymouth Rock (shown on wall at left), which is what she just painted her Beacon Hill store.

Bathroom Sinks

WHAT'S OUT Vessel sinks on clunky vanities; washing your face in a bowl that sits atop a counter is actually incredibly messy.

WHAT'S IN Streamlined wall-mounted units like those in Antonio Lupi's Materia collection (shown above, starting at $4,800 at Italian Interiors, 19 Spring Street, Watertown, 617-926-2344, italian-interiors.com) are gaining prominence. Michael Tcherniavski, a designer at Italian Interiors, says that he's seeing more people mount vanities with 12 to 24 inches of "wasted space" between the floor and cabinet, which used to be "unheard of."

Tile

WHAT'S OUT Overly elaborate glass mosaic murals.

WHAT'S IN An aesthetic that takes its cues from the natural world. Tiles that are textured to resemble natural elements, like plants, wood, and oxidized metal, are replacing the intricate designs of mosaics, as well as the classic white subway tile. We love the earthy look of Walker Zanger's Sobu collection (starting at $31 per square foot), which is actually made of bamboo (shown here in espresso), or Groove (starting at $11 per square foot), which has subtle ridges like wood grain (all available at Tile Showcase, 291 Arsenal Street, Watertown, 617-926-1100, tileshowcase.com).

Tubs

WHAT'S OUT Jacuzzi-style bathtubs that are, as designer Jean Verbridge says, "large enough for a Girl Scout troop." The jets are nifty, but nobody really uses them.

WHAT'S IN Deep, sculptural soaking tubs that make a master bath feel like an in-home spa. Try Duravit's Happy D line (shown at left, starting at $1,300 at Splash, 244 Needham Street, Newton, 617-332-6662, splashspritzo.com) or Urban Archaeology's Marble Bathtub, carved from a single block of stone (starting at $15,015 at Urban Archaeology, Boston Design Center, 617-737-4646, urbanarchaeology.com).

Sofas

WHAT'S OUT What most of us probably own - large, overstuffed sofas packed with pillows.

WHAT'S IN Tailored sofas with tight backs and no skirts, which lend a neater, less fussy look and work well with many types of furniture and interiors, be they modern, antique, or transitional. Designer Heather Wells recommends the Charles sofa by B&B Italia (shown above, starting at $10,630 at Montage, 75 Arlington Street, Boston, 617-451-9400, montageweb.com).

Kitchen Countertops

WHAT'S OUT Thick slabs of polished granite, which have become the ubiquitous instant upgrade in every builder's kitchen.

WHAT'S IN Thinner countertops (3/4-inch-thick slab or less) that are flush with drawers and cabinets, rather than jutting out an inch or two - a look that's often seen in German and Italian kitchens. Many designers are incorporating green countertops like Coverings Etc's Eco-Terr, manufactured from reclaimed materials like crushed glass, porcelain, and stone ($1,045 for a 3/4-inch-thick, 100-inch-by-50-inch slab at EcoModern Design, Boston Design Center, 617-378-2550), and the same manufacturer's Bio-Glass (shown at right), polished 100 percent recycled glass, available in blues, greens, and white (starting at $5,985 for a 3/4-inch-thick, 110-inch-by-50-inch slab, also at EcoModern Design).

Flooring

WHAT'S OUT Glossy, overly finished wood floors. They're high-maintenance and not always environmentally friendly.

WHAT'S IN Natural-looking rustic wood floors that are practical and planet-sensitive. Goodwin Heart Pine ($7 to $15 per square foot, depending on the grade of lumber, at EcoModern Design, Boston Design Center, 617-378-2550) offers 200- to 400-year-old pieces of old-growth timber, including cypress, pine, and cherry, culled from the bottom of rivers and then dried, cured, and milled. Natural cork - whose introduction is widely credited to Bauhaus designer Walter Gropius in Lincoln in 1937 - is getting a lot of attention today. Cork tiles by APC Cork (shown on floor, above left) can be used as a floating floor or can be glued down, and they come in all sorts of finishes, including metallics (starting at $2.96 per square foot at EcoModern Design).

Writer Marni Elyse Katz's home has elements that are both "in" and "out." Send comments to magazine@globe.com.