Island-Friendly Design Trends as Inspired by the Portland Street of Dreams

The Pacific Northwest will always hold a special place in my heart. Born in Tualatin, raised in Vancouver, WA until I was in the 7th grade, and finally settling in Wilsonville as a young adult with my new husband, you could say I know the PNW pretty well.

One of my favorite things to do every year is attend the Street of Dreams. I grew up touring the homes with my mom as a little girl and now that I am older, I can really appreciate the architecture, design and construction detail. The Street of Dreams has become a yearly tradition for my mom and me, and our move to Hawaii hasn’t stopped us from continuing to return year after year. This year was no exception.

After moving to Hawaii, I have noticed that homeowners and builders have a much harder time with home design than in Oregon and Washington. Access to tools and materials is understandably more difficult on an Island, so I have put together a list of five of the latest design features as inspired by this year’s Street of Dreams. Along with all of these latest trends are links to websites and companies that either have the materials in stock, or can ship them to Oahu for a reasonable price.

1. Yes, Wallpaper is in Again (Yay!)

Don’t get me wrong, installing wallpaper is another feat in itself, however, I have always loved wallpaper and the ability to transform a room with it. A local company called Waihona Surfaces has a great selection of wallpapers with tons of texture just like the ones pictured below from the Street of Dreams.

The wallpaper is on the ceiling!

This is a linen-colored grasscloth wallpaper behind the mirror. These tiles are also super popular and can be found in stock at Lowe’s in Iwilei.

2. “Shou Sugi Ban” Japanese Charred Wood Technique

Shou Sugi Ban is a Japanese technique that preserves wood by artistic burning. While this technique can be both expensive and daunting for large surfaces such as pictured in the fireplace from the Street of Dreams below, many hardware stores are carrying porcelain tile that mimics the look. In fact, this fireplace in the Street of Dreams is actually constructed with porcelain tile, too! Lowe’s in Iwilei will order this tile for you, and you can pick it up within two weeks of your order.

Notice the wall to the left of the fireplace…this is a special ombre technique done by the painter!

3. Black Stainless Steel Appliances

While stainless steel appliances have been popular for a while now, I am so excited to see some new looks for appliances. As pictured in this Street of Dreams Kitchen, black stainless steel appliances are gaining in popularity. I especially love the black because those annoying fingerprints aren’t nearly as noticeable on black stainless steel as they are on traditional silver. Lowe’s Iwilei can order this refrigerator and have it ready for pick up within a month of placing the order.

All appliances in this kitchen match with the stainless steel black finish.

4. Gold is Good!

For the longest time, gold hardware was an instant flashback to the ’80s. Now, it is trendy again and it makes me so happy. I have always been a gold girl and it creates such a warm and expensive feeling. I do have to note, polished brass still hasn’t made a comeback, its the brushed brass that I am referring to, more specifically. These pretty brushed brass cabinet pulls can be found here at Lowe’s in Iwilei and will be ready for pickup within one week!

In addition to the gold hardware, there are those pretty tiles again!

5. Black-Framed Windows

Not even kidding, every home in this year’s Street of Dreams donned black-framed windows and it was gorgeous. Discount Windows and Doors in Kaneohe has a good selection of aluminum-framed windows. Their “Makai Range Elite Series” has the black color pictured in the homes below.

Limiting my top five favorite new trends was difficult. As was selecting only a few of the photos that I took from the Street of Dreams. If you are curious about more, contact me!