Smaller houses? Bigger condos? The death of chocolate brown kitchen cabinetry and the triumph of tangy tangerine wallpaper? We chat up experts near and far for what to expect on the home front in 2012.

STEADY AS SHE GOES, SORT OF

"I know it doesn't make much of a trends story to say it's status quo, but that's what it's going to be [this] year," says Scott Parkes, vice-president of Tamarack Homes in Ottawa.

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation calls for a slight drop, about three per cent, in housing starts this year compared to 2011, when starts declined about 11 per cent. Resale rates are also expected to remain moderate. Continuing low interest rates is one of the factors that will keep housing markets relatively stable this year.

John Herbert, executive director of the Greater Ottawa Home Builders' Association (GOHBA), concurs with CMHC that condos and townhouses will continue to outsell detached homes, in part because of affordability.

In fact, CMHC predicts that single-family, detached construction in 2012 will shrink to just one-third of overall housing activity, the lowest level in three decades.

CHANGES ARE COMING

Greg Graham, regional president of Cardel Homes and past president of GOHBA, says lot sizes are shrinking as a result of escalating development charges and intensification requirements in Ottawa. That's nothing new in Victoria and Vancouver, where lot sizes have been shrinking for years.

Graham also predicts more condo projects in the suburbs as cities struggle to limit urban sprawl.

Parkes thinks that, barring a jump in interest rates, home sizes won't shrink much.

Single-family homes are still around 2,200 to 2,400 square feet. There's not much demand for anything smaller because once you're talking 1,700 or 1,800 square feet, buyers are more likely to take a townhome, get almost as much space and save tens of thousands of dollars.

DETAILS, DETAILS

Builders, ever conscious of their price points, will be more conservative this year when it comes to offering pricey upgrades such as better cabinetry as a standard feature, says Graham.

Parkes says buyers will continue to expect hardsurface countertops such as granite. The quality of ceramic tiles is improving, he says, and carpeted areas are still shrinking as builders respond to buyers' demands for everhigher quality.

BUILDING FOR BOOMERS

Despite the avalanche of aging boomers, we haven't yet managed to turn their housing wants into a trend.

Most developers still chant the mantra "build and they will come," according to Brian Card, president of Ottawa's Corporate Research Group. "Most projects have a variety of people living in them. Builders have tried segmentation, but it doesn't work."

Card says that although condo builders, for example, are continuing to construct oodles of 700-to 1,000-square-foot units with kitchens and master bedrooms that sizzle with design features, they are not targeting any specific demographic.

Herbert says building for boomers will continue to be a niche market pursued primarily by smaller builders.

CONDO CENTRAL

Not only will condo sales continue to soar, we can expect to see units getting both bigger and fancier this year, says Marnie Bennett of Bennett Real Estate Professionals. Bennett is popularly known as Ottawa's Condo Queen for her extensive knowledge and sales acumen.

Boomer demand for more space will drive unit size back up after steadily shrinking over the past several years, she says. She predicts builders will see greater demand for twobedroom units or for condos with a decent-sized den than for the one-bedroom with one-bath entry-level suites.

Demand for a "pampered lifestyle" will result in more condo projects with luxury hotel-style features, says Bennett. "Gone are the days of just a party room and fitness area. We'll see places with wine cellars, workshops."

Rental guest suites in complexes are also popular with older buyers who like to have family come to visit.

Look, too, for more pet washing areas.

Other condo trends: more kitchens with furniture-like cabinetry, hidden appliances and grander islands; higher ceilings; more windows.

GREAT ENERGY CLAMPDOWN

New building codes are coming into effect this year in four provinces, including B.C. and Ontario, and that includes a substantial upgrade in energy-efficiency standards. Building homes to the new EnerGuide rating of 80 - roughly the Energy Star standard - could leave some builders scrambling to upgrade windows, insulation and other construction features.

Herbert says the new energy-efficiency requirements will add about $5,000 to $8,000 to the cost of constructing a home. Builders like Tartan and Tamarack, however, have long been building to the new standard and have already worked the higher cost into pricing.

Those who are already building above the new code are rethinking their design strategies. "We'll have to change our specifications if we want to stay ahead of the game," says Matthew Sachs, general manager of Ottawa's Urbandale Construction, which builds to R-2000 standards. New, more exacting R-2000 standards have already been announced in response to the new building code, he adds.

Herbert says we'll also see builders spending more money this year - about $1,000 a unit - on the management of construction waste as provinces clamp down on waste control.

RENOVATE? MAYBE YES, MAYBE NO

CMHC forecasts a modest growth in renovation spending in 2012, from a projected $58.7 billion nationwide in 2011 to $61.4 billion this year. That increase is based in part on expectations of improved employment.

That may not translate into more work for professional renovators, says Mike Martin. The vice-chair of the Canadian Renovators' Council and owner of Ottawa's Michael J. Martin Luxury Renovations says the trend in most areas of the country is to smaller reno jobs. In Ontario especially, hard hit by unemployment and the lingering effects of the HST, spending on professional renovations as opposed to those done by moonlighters or DIYers continues to be frugal, says Martin.

"Everyone around the table says to watch yourself and sharpen your pencil, that [this] year is going to be lean."

In B.C., a lot of people are putting off renovation plans until the HST is replaced by the old PST. That will cut the tax from the labour component of any work done.

Martin expects kitchens and bathrooms to be the renovation leaders this year. Other trends: transforming segmented living and dining rooms and kitchens in older homes into larger open areas, and a resurgence in basement makeovers as homeowners opt for spaces such as media rooms.

Customers are also ordering toys like Servo Drive motorized systems that open and close kitchen cupboards and drawers with just a nudge. Also popular: high-end, long-lasting appliances and fixtures.

KITCHENS AND BATHROOMS

It's no surprise to learn that when it comes to kitchens and bathrooms, 2012 will spotlight contemporary style. Modern has been gaining on traditional in all aspects of home design for the past couple of years and was noticeable in the 2011 Housing Design Awards sponsored by GOHBA.

However, it will be modern tempered with the warmth of some traditional elements.

In cabinetry, expect to see the ubiquitous chocolate brown of the recent past nudged aside by pairings such as rustic, grey-brown finishes combined with a polished white quartz countertop or even high-gloss white or glassfronted cabinet doors, says Gina Godin, a designer with Ottawa's Deslaurier Custom Cabinets.

Horizontally grained woods will continue to shine in both the kitchen and bathroom. However, she says bamboo has run its course and is being overtaken by zebrawood or even wood-grained thermafoil, a vinyl-like product.

Godin says to watch also for lighter-coloured floors, such as wide-planked natural maple to replace the dark woods we've become used to. "People are tired of the same old, same old and just want a change."

In bathrooms, floating vanities - affixed to the wall but open underneath - will continue to add a streamlined, contemporary look like that of Chuck Mills Residential Design and Development's award-winning entry in Ottawa's Housing Design Awards.

FEMININE AND REFINED

The big news for 2012 is that femininity, refinement and romance are back, says Suzanne Dimma, editorinchief of Canadian House & Home.

"Scalloped edges on slip covers; big, bold chintz fabrics; soft pastel colours are in. For the last few years, we've been getting back to nature and considering the environment with trends like weathered wood. That interest is still there, but now people want to pair it with some glamour. People want happiness and joy."

Glamour is showing up in gold cabinet hardware and kitchen faucets, she says, while femininity extends to wallpaper with oversized floral patterns and soft pastel colours. Metallic inks add refinement to wallpaper, strong primary colours echo the 1970s, and wild animals such as zebras - already big in men's and women's fashion - are high on the wall-covering hit parade.

The 1970s, which informed much of last year's trends, are also back in plants, according to Dimma. To stay au courant, consider one big plant - a ficus benjamina maybe (remember them?) - with large, soft leaves displayed prominently in a striking basket. Warning: unless watered judiciously, they'll shed those leaves faster than a politician abandons campaign promises.

Dimma also forecasts a surge in classic art like paintings and sculpture. Hyper-realistic paintings with large images will be popular, possibly a spinoff from the continuing craze for blowups of homegrown photographs.

COLOUR

Greys, teal blue, deep purples and coral will be evident in the best-dressed homes this year, according to Susan V. Phillips, an interior decorator, home-staging consultant and owner of Ottawa's Spotlight on Decor. "It's really very similar to last year," she says.

Paint manufacturer Farrow and Ball says unexpected combinations will bring a fresh look to homes. Pairing strong greys with warm yellows and clean blues, for example, gives a modern but welcoming look.

Pantone Inc., considered the authority in matters of fashion, home and beauty colour, has declared reddish-orange Tangerine Tango the top colour for 2012. Tangy and vital, it's apparently a colour to spur us to action - not a bad thing in a moribund economy. Designers say it can be paired with blue-greens and works well as an accent. It's turning up in everything from bedspreads to wallpaper.

But trend predictions, warns Phillips in an email, can be totally out to lunch. Acid yellow and effervescent turquoise were among the top colours forecast for 2011, but while those colours look great in a magazine spread, "try living with that on walls day in and day out and I guarantee your eyes will start to water and your brain start to fizz."

FABRICS AND MORE

When it comes to fabrics, natural fibres - wool, cotton and linen - are what we really want, but synthetic lookalikes will win out because of cost, says Phillips. The raw linen look of last year is also being replaced by dyed products, which adds softness and variety to the palette.

In fabrics, she says to expect textures and metallic colours including gold, silver and copper. Co-ordinating colours in those fun animal prints and organic designs will also be big.

And while hardwood still trumps carpeting, when wood flooring is combined with simple panelled draperies rather than pleated, sound-absorbing window treatments, your home can sound like an echo chamber. Phillips says rugs, throws and toss pillows can help muffle the sound.

Southwestern-style rugs are back, often with matching throw pillows. So, too, are shag rugs, says Phillips, but in myriad colours and textures.

"The new ones are gorgeous and deep. You could lose the cat in them."