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Like fashion, trends in interiors change rapidly. With architecture and you can look at a house and pinpoint the decade it was built , we can do the same with the inside of a home. Think popcorn ceilings of the 80’s and maroon feature walls of the late 90’s/early aughts.
When it comes to home decor the ‘hot new thing’ can be outdated within a year or two, or sometimes even months of purchasing it! It’s so hard not to get caught up scrolling through the gram and getting a sever case of the ‘I wants’ when you’ve seen dozens of amazing spaces, staged to perfection with the latest and greatest home decor accessories. We’re constantly bombarded not just by advertising, but a show-real of peoples highlights. It’s important to remember this isn’t real life. That immaculate living room? Probably has a huge pile of laundry waiting to be thrown back on the couch for folding just like yours.
The easiest way to avoid the trend pitfalls (and save money) is unfortunately super boring. Just buy less. Think twice, three times, before grabbing that shiny new thing you really really ‘need’. Leave the store, or online checkout, and sleep on it. If in a day or two, or if you’re really patient a week or two, you still have your heart set on it go ahead! If not it wasn’t for you, and it wasn’t a forever item for your home. This less is more ethos feeds directly into one of the leading design trends of our time.
2020 - A focus on sustainability…
As more and more people are conscious of their consumption, and the impact we humans are having on the planet, a strong design trend continuing through for 2020 is a focus on sustainability and eco-friendly materials. Something I’m wholeheartedly behind! Searching for an eco version is no longer the challenging and expensive option is used to be, these days most mainstream suppliers have sustainable materials as part of their general stock. Whether it’s bamboo flooring from Flooring Xtra or low/zero VOC paints from Resene.
‘It is estimated by the Paint Quality Institute that 10% of the ozone depleting substances in the urban United States are a direct result of VOC emissions from surface coatings, including mainly standard household paints.’
Mixing old vintage pieces with new modern ones in your home is a great way to reduce your environmental impact as well as giving your home elements of warmth, history and interest. It’s a great way to bring in natural materials such as timber, a pop of colour or print on a vintage chair. I’m clearly a big fan of restoring old furniture to suit a new family!
2020 Pantone Colour of the year…
’Indeed, the color seems especially fitting for this moment in time; the hue is both genderless and seasonless, making it both accessible and desirable, for people in all walks of life. Additionally, its indigo shade can be achieved naturally from plants and dyes, making it a color that aligns well with the sustainability movement, echoing last year’s concentrated focus on sustainability with the selection of Living Coral as the 2019 Color of the Year.’ - Time Magazine
I certainly wasn’t as excited as I was in 2019 when ‘Living Coral’ was named colour of the year when classic blue was announced as the colour of 2020. But blue will always have a special place in my heart and is definitely a colour I gravitate towards both in and out of the home. It evokes a quiet calm, and this deep hue has a sense of stability and feels grounded in history.
While I won’t be rushing out to paint any walls this colour I do think it is a great accent for your home, and is clearly impacting the fashion world whether people are noticing it or not. Three of Joel’s cousins showed up to a wedding last month in navy suits!
In other colour news I think (hope) we’re finally starting to see a shift from white on white on white. And while the shift may not be dramatic tones are slightly warmer, and earthy. Bringing natural elements and colours into the home is an easy way to instantly soften a place compared to gallery white. Think sandy beaches, natural materials and accents of olive or terracotta. I did a previous blog on how to let nature inspire your colour choices which you can read here.
Lighting the way…
Vogue Kitchens using LED right.
LED lighting is incredibly common these days as people change over to this more environmentally friendly option, and with increased popularity comes more design freedom and choice like LED strip lighting. LED lights are 80% more efficient than traditional florescent/incandescent lighting - 95% of the energy in LEDs is converted into light and only 5% is wasted as heat. But not only that, it can be incorporated into your home in clever ways giving design wow with highly practical benefits.
There is a fine line between using it in a smart and sophisticated way, and turning your home into a 90’s rave scene. Keep the light clean and fresh rather than introducing a rotation of colour which is distracting, and quite frankly, tacky. It will also date your home incredibly quickly! Add it to areas where task lighting is needed, think over kitchen bench tops and bathroom mirrors, hallways and stairs.
Adore Magazine - Stunning bathroom design
How to avoid trends, and stay stylish…
Trends with longevity tend to be classic pieces with a modern twist, or modern pieces giving a nod of the head to days gone by. When it comes to furnishing and styling your home this is where an eclectic taste can be beneficial. Most of us gravitate towards a couple of different design styles, whether that’s scandi inspired minimalism, or the raw industrial look. But when you get really fixated on one design style, and only buy pieces that fit that narrow scope you risk your house looking like a show home at best, or one dimensional and impersonal at worst. It also leave you open to getting really dated, really fast!
Layering eclectic pieces can make a home feel just like that, home. It adds interest, texture and most importantly personality! Your home is a reflection of who lives there, not a backdrop for what’s hot right now.
