Speakers passed out design trends like Halloween candy at this year’s International Builders’ Show. Some were new; others were notable for gaining momentum. Here’s a list of 10 noteworthy trends for 2015.

1. Indoor-outdoor spaces become one

As glass window walls proliferate, interior designers and landscapers are consulting to merge indoor and outdoor spaces. They aren’t just bringing flooring patterns from inside to outside but are also extending ceiling treatments, paint colors, and furniture arrangements. The outdoor living-room trend has migrated from warmer to colder climates, says Tara Ryan of Ryan Young Interiors in San Diego. “You can recess heaters into the ceilings, allowing use of the space for eight months of the year.”

2. Copious glass raises concern about glare

As architects and builders spec more glass to bring the outdoors inside, glare has become a problem, especially in homes with bright interior colors and stainless-steel kitchen appliances. Interior designers are increasingly looking to matte surfaces to mitigate the impact, especially for older homeowners who are more sensitive to bright light, says MaryJo Camp of DesignCamp in Denver, N.C. The interior designer highlighted a new slate color on a few General Electric appliances, noting that some homeowners are growing tired of cleaning stainless-steel finishes.

3. Universal design gains traction

Universal-design elements are creeping into mainstream housing as builders target older baby-boom buyers. Some elements–such as a no-threshold doorway that makes it easy to schlep baggage and bikes into the house–make sense no matter how old the buyer. “Zero-step entries can be done easily,” says William Owens, a builder in Powell, Ohio, who always tries to incorporate at least one in the homes he builds.

Other elements–such as putting a toilet in the corner to provide extra access in case someone needs to use a walker or wheelchair–are becoming more common as designers find ways to make the spaces look less institutional. Still others–such as the big circular display on the Nest programmable thermostat that turns red when the heat is on–just make sense.

4. Modern design gets a makeover

Designers are employing wood patterns and color accents to soften the impact of modern architecture, a trend that is finding its way into production housing. “Modern design doesn’t have to be cold,” says Janelle Brulotte, a design studio manager for Quadrant Homes in Bellevue, Wash., which has rolled out a new line of contemporary homes. Brulotte advises clients to accent otherwise monochromatic modern home designs with brightly colored exterior doors and then bring the color inside on backsplashes or cabinets.

5. Nooks become fixtures

Nooks–those convenient spaces by the back door for dropping off backpacks, briefcases, and boots–used to be nice-to-have features in new homes. Now, as home interiors grow more contemporary, and presumably less cluttered, they have become must-haves. They are also growing more elaborate, as designers create cubby space for backpacks, mail holders, racks for shoes, and even stations for pets.

The need for storage space grows more important with the gradual disappearance of dedicated office space for family business off the kitchen, says Todd Hallett of TK Design & Architecture in Howell, Mich. Family business can be transacted anywhere with the rise of smartphones and wireless home-computer systems.

6. Big ranges give way to wall ovens

Could six-burner cooktops and hulking commercial ranges become ancient history? Probably not, judging that exhibitors continue to feature them prominently on the IBS show floor. Even so, large fixtures are giving way to wall ovens, says Mike Hetherman of Willis Corporation in Burlington, Ontario.

One advantage to wall ovens is that they can be raised to a height that makes them easy to use. Manufacturers are stepping up with matching oven systems–-including induction, convection, and microwave varieties–that can be stacked or lined up on the wall to create a pleasing horizontal line.

7. LED lighting demands special attention

LED lighting is showing up everywhere: inside shelves and dark base cabinets, under kitchen cabinets, and in bathrooms, where it may be triggered by motion detectors, says Todd Roy of Progress Lighting in Greenville, S.C.

But several speakers at the show emphasized that some LED bulbs render colors more accurately than others. That’s problematic when different bulbs shine on, for example, the same countertop, making it appear green in one place and brown in another. Also, different color temperatures are better for different rooms, says MaryJo Camp of DesignCamp in Denver. She believes that 3200 K may be the best color temperature for kitchens.

That same lamp may not be appropriate for the bathroom or dining room, however, because of the way it renders skin tones. “LED is very white,” says Mark Thee of Mark-Michaels Interior Design. “Soft, golden lighting is way more flattering.”

8. Islands grow even more elaborate

Now that islands have become a fixture in the kitchen, their design is growing more elaborate. The key to a successful island design is determining upfront how the island will be used: for breakfast meals, for entertaining, for cutting and chopping, for washing dishes, for all of the above. The potential uses are so extensive that many homes now incorporate a second island, often just for eating meals. Moreover, designers now vary countertop material on the same island. The same goes for countertop heights, since lower countertops are often better for rolling dough and are easier for kids to reach. And when kitchens contain more than one island, they may take different shapes.

9. Cabinets open up

Hetherman, who recently had returned from a kitchen design show in Europe, treated attendees to a preview of future trends. Cabinets that open up, rather than sideways, are increasingly common on the other side of the pond. In some kitchens, the press of a wall switch opens several cabinets at once, giving cooks instant access to storage.

The configuration obviates the need for cabinet hardware and creates a long horizontal line that’s integral to contemporary design. On the IBS show floor, Blum demonstrated sleek, Euro-style upper cabinets that open upward with the push of a finger.

10. New neutrals draw attention

Many new-home designs these days include neutral color palettes–often whites and grays–with accent colors that pop. These neutral palettes are shifting to colors found in nature–in sand, sky, and sea, says Thee. The trend is confirmed by paint manufacturers, who see stark whites giving way to creamier palettes with hints of gold, lavender, blue, and green.

Color accents, meanwhile, are moving from the walls to the ceiling, says Thee, noting a trend toward ceilings painted sky blue, lavender, and buttery yellow. Meanwhile, furnishings and fabrics are losing stripe and floral patterns to blend with neutral color schemes.

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