I am having a house built too but have finished the design stage. We had almost nailed it down when we went to see a few show homes and then redesigned the entire kitchen and added a few feet to the back of the house.
I'm not sure if they have a similar event in other cities, but we have a Parade of Homes event twice per year. The home builders association sponsors it and most of the builders enter their new designs in various categories. It is a great way to get ideas since they hire the best local designers/decorators and you can often identify the upcoming trends. I would equate it to watching the fashion runways. I went a number of times and the decorator just happened to be at one of the homes while I was there so we had a great conversation about upcoming trends.
I had seem a trend away from the dark maple floors and kitchens and he confirmed that. He also felt that oak was making a resurgence but in a richer, darker finish. Subtle wallpaper was also used in a number of the higher end homes. It was often a very soft metallic on a neutral base. I loved it and plan to incorporate that trend in my home. I am hoping to figure out how to do it with paint though since removing wallpaper is a nasty business.
I also use BHG.com and the House and home magazine website. They have galleries of pics by room. For us, the kitchen and ensuite were the most important rooms. I went through dozens of magazines and pulled pics of those rooms that appealed to me and then identified the commonalities. Then we narrowed it down to the top five and each made a list of what we loved about them. When we compared lists, we had most of the same features.
The magazines I use the most are Better Homes and Gardens, House and Home, and Style at Home.
Sorry for rambling on and on. This is obviously a subject near and dear to me.
