Rustic, reclaimed furniture, exposed bulb lighting, shades of grey, and a major purge of non-essentials are just a few of the big design trends that are easy to spot in recently renovated spaces. This year, designers and consumers have fully embraced the shabby chic, DIY look with a touch of glitter and glam, but with a serious aversion to clutter. Even with lots of defined, clean, tech-driven modern minimalism, there are many opportunities to show off the seams and simplify a space.
Whimsey For All Ages
One trend that’s grown over the last year is a touch of whimsey and DIY fun with various decor elements. Homeowners are on a constant quest to declutter their spaces but not at a sacrifice to personality-driven pieces and off-beat, one-of-kind accents. This trend has trickled down from high style, artisan made accents from Etsy and independent craft markets, to big box home decor and department stores like HomeGoods and Target. Unicorn bookends, mermaid-inspired sequence pillows, and accents featuring other mythical creatures are as popular as ever, and not just for children’s bedrooms.
Clean And Cool Colors
Beige, brown, and earth tone palettes have fallen out of favor for neutral color schemes. Light, soft, cool shades of grey have now started to dominate walls and countertops. These tones are paired and warmed with matte finished gold, brushed bronze, and copper in the form of fasteners, hardware, and geometric light fixtures that include partly visible or fully exposed vintage style LEDs.
Warm, Up-cycled Crafting
Up-cycled, artfully crafted additions are seen in reclaimed wood pieces used to create coffee tables and shelves. Repurposed industrial components lend themselves to this trend. Crafty homeowners are using various types of copper flat washers including metric sizes or pennies and other coins to make visually intriguing countertops, backsplashes, and flooring with epoxy resin. One of the primary advantages being the ease of acquiring large quantities of these items for just about any project space.
Exposed And Industrial
Even with clean, modern lines used for the bones of a room, decor conscious consumers are responsive to industrial, exposed, and unpolished elements scattered throughout a design. The popularity of exposed Edison bulbs and the resilience of the steampunk-inspired clockwork esthetic are testaments to that. This is consistent with the embrace of bulky yarn blankets and woven textiles that show all the seams and stitch-work as a feature, rather than something to be hidden.
Minimalist Yet Organic
Greenery has also come back in a big way. The use of succulents, cacti, and other low maintenance plants as decor is a trend that remains strong. This touch of nature contributes to a minimalist yet organic feel in modern spaces.
Overall, homeowners and consumers with an eye for design are embracing a simplified and airy feel, which is no coincidence as people are trying to do more with smaller living spaces. As long as tighter, urban homes draw more buyers, and people seek to declutter their lives and living space, these trends could be here to stay for quite some time.