Interior design trends have been in the foreground of people’s homes for multiple millennia, first starting out in Ancient Egypt. The Ancient Egyptians would enrich their interior spaces with animal skins, murals, and painted objects to enhance their mud huts and inner feelings of satisfaction with their homes.
This habit of decoration and sometimes lavishness can easily be translated to the rest of history as well. Throughout the centuries, we’ve seen many influential design movements come and go such as baroque, neo-gothic, art nouveau, and so on.
Nowadays we tend to start recycling these past movements to create new ideas and designs in a form of expression and innovation that could also be interpreted as an example of a hobby or of self-fulfillment.
Your home is the place where you are allowed to be yourself without any interruption, a place where comfort and satisfaction are a larger priority than elsewhere so making it up to par with your own standards ensures that satisfaction.
That doesn’t mean trends aren’t good to follow, especially when they not only may serve as a guideline for your design choices but also help you explore new ideas you may have never thought of.
Elements of nature
Plants
There is no denying that humans at their cores are still animals, and as living creatures, we are programmed to still appreciate nature, even if just a little.
A trend that has consistently been popular is the act of having plants within your home but in recent years some designers have decided to take this element to the next level.
There have been countless studies on how indoor plants have many benefits and even workplaces have started incorporating gardens and potted plants into their offices. The trend we’ve been seeing is people flooding neutral-colored spaces with plants of all shapes and sizes, almost as if to replace furniture.
Though this may prove to be a burden (with watering and such), it does create a beautiful oasis in your own home that channels a sense of inner peace. Some people have even started interior gardens with actual soil and a small creek to bring the surrounding nature into their homes.
Earth tones
The color tones of the earth have also been on the forefront not just for home spaces but even for children’s rooms. Though a child does need more colors in their space, that doesn’t mean you do too.
Earth tones are naturally occurring warm colors ranging from browns, muted reds, burnt oranges, greens, beiges, and so on. This trend goes for a monochromatic aesthetic where designers are playing with different tones of similar colors spiced with some pops of opposing colors.
As nature is being brought back into the home we are also seeing more natural materials being favored such as different types of stone, wickers, and wood. Though not everyone, this also means we are moving away from the more sterilized and minimalist interiors we’ve been seeing this decade so far.
Natural surfaces
With earthy tones come natural surfaces, as were slightly mentioned above. These surfaces include materials such as marble, terracotta, clay, different types of wood, travertine, stone, and so on. The main reason is not only due to their origin being from the earth but also thanks to their textures.
Travertine and limestone are some newcomers to most households switching to this style. Travertine in particular has a serene, creamy color with veining and pores that adds a subdued addition of texture to a space.
Adding different textures to your home is a big element of this natural trend, since it adds a sort of zen that is taken from the outside to the inside and the materials used have proven to be much more timeless than any other.
Art deco
This movement is originally from the 1920s to 1930s and embodies stylized geometric forms in their most grandiose way. This trend has been mainly appearing in commercial spaces such as restaurants, but it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t make your at-home coffee bar charming using art deco styles.
Art deco doesn’t have to be as grandiose as you’d see them in commercial spaces. You can make it more muted by adding just a quirky bed frame and headboard and making sure the colors in your space are dynamic.
What we’re seeing now is an art deco couch and table revolution since more couches are being designed in this blobby, colorful, shell-like form and an increasing number of coffee tables are beginning to have that increasingly-layered, prismatic look.
Bold, jewel-toned colors are also a primary element of art deco, including metallic accents. This movement allows lots of room for creativity, so do what your heart tells you.
Lighting
Lighting has always been an important element in all styles of interior design but now lighting is becoming a main element for the eyes to feast on when viewing a space.
Some examples of this trend include big led fixtures circling the main element within a room, lots of dashed tube lights appearing in a grid within a high space, countless polka dot lights appearing in the shape of a circle, or even just a simple light strip snaking its way across a bar in an odd manner.
The nice thing about lighting is its versatility, so enjoy the freedom.
Outdoor brought indoor
By outdoor being brought indoors we don’t mean plants, but rather building materials. Exterior cladding has been showing up in multiple interior spaces not just as accent walls but as the whole area itself.
Brick walls have always been a trend for the industrial-style-loving folk, but this new trend goes beyond bricks to vinyl, stainless steel, stone, wood planks, tile, and so on. If you don’t like more sterile environments, then I suggest not trying this trend since it is more for those who prefer minimalism in their homes.
Wallpaper
Wallpaper is an element of the home that has received lots of hate in the past but is finally getting the redemption it deserves.
Recently, we’ve been seeing accent walls or whole spaces covered in intricate and majestic wallpapers with bold colors and strong designs such as banana leaves and gold details. New additions to this trend have been more subtle, with softer colors and more textures such as soft, green grasscloth wallpapers.
People have also been adding panel molding, tiles, and vertical slat walls to their spaces to create accents on their walls that are more interesting than just simple paintings, which also means people have finally stopped neglecting their walls.
Sustainability
Vintage furniture
Recycling furniture that’s already been used is exactly what vintage is. As art deco counts as vintage, so do the other eras that people are taking inspiration from this year, which means that reusing old furniture and maybe refreshing it is what is on-trend right now.
The way you’ll most likely find vintage furniture is not by stealing from your grandmother, but rather by visiting antique shops or flea markets to find the best deals on furniture and decorative items that deserve second chances.
Organic materials
With these earthy, natural trends becoming popular, so are organic materials. The reason is that these materials are much more natural and not only match the style but are also more sustainable from a manufacturing perspective. Remember, recycling can also be done in your home.
Multifunctional spaces
This term refers to spaces that double in use. This option can be used for smaller spaces to make them more efficient or for large spaces that just need to be functional. A leader in such spaces is Japan, where they tend to have smaller spaces to use for their everyday tasks, yet they still prove to be extremely efficient.
This trend is a play on open spaces, where your bedroom or office can double as a living room. What we’ve been seeing a lot of is convertible furniture such as side tables becoming seating or bed folding up to leave space for a makeshift living room.
Curves
People are drifting away from spaces with masculine energy and opting for spaces that embrace a feminine air to them. Curvy furniture is exactly what people are using to achieve that but it doesn’t just stop at furniture, it extends to pony walls too.
An increasing number of offices and commercial spaces have been adding curvy help desks and crescent-shaped pony walls to their space to not only achieve a futuristic feel to them but also induce soft and welcoming energy.
Conclusion
The trends that have been appearing this year so far have been very promising in regards to a more sustainable and timely design for people’s homes in comparison to past trends that were bound to not only go out of fashion but also produce a lot of waste thanks to that.
Though not everywhere, society seems to be taking steps toward the right direction in design.
