Design Forecast: CFD in Chapel Hill Magazine
In the latest issue of Chapel Hill Magazine, Cat is featured with her take on the Design Forecast for the upcoming year. She’s talking about our greatest love: color (including why gray on gray is on the way out). We also chat about why we love to see all your unique personal treasures and heirlooms, and why we love making them part of your home design.
When Chapel Hill Magazine approached us about this feature, we were so excited to be included. This is a special issue celebrating the magazine’s 20th anniversary. It happens to fall on the same year that we are celebrating our 10th anniversary, and it felt like perfect timing that these milestones should coincide. The Chapel Hill Mag team has supported and championed our business over the years. We both share a deep love of community and creativity. We are excited to partner with them again this May to sponsor the Women of Achievement Event for the third year in a row!
The 2025 Chapel Hill Magazine Women of Achievement Event.
Cat introducing the honorees of the Women of Achievement Award.
Fresh Design for a New Year
In this feature, local industry experts are weighing in on the fresh design changes they anticipate seeing over the next year. We were thrilled to open up the issue and see a scene from one of our favorite projects as the feature image! The vignette below is from a Chapel Hill townhome we designed. The sideboard was a family heirloom that we integrated into this color-rich, art deco inspired sitting room. You can view the full design on the blog, or on our portfolio.
From Shades of Gray to Color
It felt fitting to have this color-forward room design featured alongside Cat’s quote about color! She talks with Chapel Hill Magazine about the transition from layering shades of gray to embracing color as a foundational element in home design. The gray-on-gray trend that dominated much of the 2000’s, is now making it’s way out of home designs- which is not to say we don’t value gray. It can be a beautiful part of many different design options. However, the “gray on gray” interiors (think gray walls, furniture, and floors all in varying gray tones) are fading out and making way for a new era of more expansive and creative color combinations. This is exciting, because more color flexibility allows for more options to create warm, inviting homes that feel uplifting, bright, and interesting.
This sitting room design features an antique sideboard (above) which was a family piece inherited by our client mid-way through the design process. We were thrilled to weave it into the design plan to make the space even more meaningful and personal.
Enduring Design
And what about enduring design facets- those elemental pillars of home design that we expect will never go out of style? Cat weighed in above talking about one of our favorite parts of our work- creating homes that are not just beautiful, but full of personality. There are many rooms that are lovely to look at, but we like to create a deeper meaning in the homes we design for our clients. A space that is a true reflection of who you are is where we find that sweet spot: the warm, joyful spaces that feel elevated and effortlessly comfortable for the flow of daily life. Infused with personal details and charm, those are the design elements that are truly timeless.
If you’d like to view the entire feature, you can find it by clicking here.
We are so grateful to the team at Chapel Hill Magazine for including us in this beautiful issue.
We’re so glad you came over to hang out with us on the CFD blog today. We’ll be back on the blog with more design goodies soon! Until then, if you’re looking for more CFD design work, take a tour around our Portfolio page. Check out more about our full-home design process here. Curious about our team? Read about out our group of creative professionals and their decades of design experience here.
Have questions about designing your home? We’d love to help. Start here at our contact page. Or, feel free to just give us a holler at hello@catfrenchdesign.com.
And, if you’d like to follow along for more in-the-moment happenings and goings-on of this bustling design team, you can also find us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Pinterest!
