New year, new home upgrades. As we start the second month of 2022, we’re seeing many homeowners who are hunkering down for the winter and contemplating interior changes ranging from a simple refresh to a more intensive overhaul. As they dream, we offer advice on trends and their longevity. A recent national homeowner survey, Designing a Dream Home: Opendoor’s 2022 Decor Report, reveals top design trends for 2022; our own designers predict that these popular options will hold strong through 2022.
Most of these trends come in response to shifts in how we live as a result of the pandemic. As people continue to work from home and spend more time at their homes, there’s an emphasis on creating productive work and living spaces, as well as storage, organization and more.
Here’s what we anticipate for 2022 as well as other trends we’ll soon say goodbye to forever (or at least for a while).
IN: Nature-Inspired Color Palettes, Textures and Materials
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, people continue to spend a lot more time inside their homes. It’s only natural that they are taking a look around, seeing things they’d like to change and also looking for an escape to get out into nature. With this comes a focus on natural, earth-inspired colors, including terracotas, camels, caramels, chocolate browns and greens. In addition, different natural palettes in textures and materials are becoming popular, like plaster, stone, and leather.
IN: Separation of Rooms
Not only is the pandemic influencing colors, materials and textures in the home, but the actual spaces within our homes are being influenced.
“Open floor plans were king prior to the pandemic, but now many people are finding that’s a nuisance,” said Vertical Arts Architect Andrew Pharis. “Dining rooms are now being used as conference rooms, living rooms as office spaces – and with that comes the desire for more separation.”
This doesn’t necessarily mean that open floor plans are out completely, but the open flow with everything connected doesn’t work without some adjustments anymore. It’s not about one big room. People want some sound and visual privacy. This can be achieved with large openings that define space while keeping an open flow, or simply using tall furniture pieces to hide the rest of the room from everyone on your Zoom meeting.
IN: Indoor/Outdoor Living
Easily transitioning from indoors to outside is paramount for many. Creating seamless transitions from the kitchen to an outdoor dining patio, or an outdoor kitchen to an open-air living room will continue to be popular. In addition, outdoor furniture has taken on a whole new dimension with elevated outdoors looks being all the rage.
“At this year’s International Contemporary Furniture Fair in NYC, we saw a big emphasis on outdoor furniture as people continue to spend so much time indoors and now want to create an elevated space with nicer outdoor furniture,” said Pharis. “There are so many more options these days.”
In addition to indoor/outdoor living, the pandemic has given a renewed emphasis on mud rooms. Given all the time we spend in our homes, having a mud room to trap dirt and germs (as well as dirty socks and other laundry) can keep messes more confined and preserve the cleanliness of the rest of the home. These transition rooms also allow families a smooth flow from outside to inside.
IN: Environmentally Friendly Everything
As is the case in most industries, there is a large push for sustainability in homes. People are becoming more environmentally conscious and prioritizing reducing their home’s carbon footprint. With this in mind, more people are asking for solar panels, as well as green roofs and electric vehicle charging ports. In addition, vintage is making a comeback as a way to recycle and use items that already exist rather than adding more carbon into the world. We’re also seeing people mix design trends because of this, so you’ll see things like floral patterns mixed with vintage of the 80’s to create an eclectic style. “The grand millennial influencer trend is also evolving the vintage and eclectic home into something more complex and modern,” said Pharis.
IN: Smart Home Automation
In addition to sustainability comes more high tech and automation options. Homeowners have come to expect that they will be able to control their entire home on their phone – everything from the window shades to lights to the A/C and beyond.
OUT: Monochromatic Walls
People are over white on white, as well as gray across the home. After working with muted colors and pastels, clients now want bold accent walls and statement patterns, from floral scenes to abstract shapes. In addition to white and gray, there has been a huge trend with white and cream bucle and shearling upholstery, but we see that fading throughout the year as well.
OUT: Minimalism
After years of paring down and scaling back in all elements of life, people are declaring that they want more. “In a minimalist room, you’re put on display,” said Pharis. “In a maximalist room, you’re just another object. In a time of so much angst in the world, people are finding safety in a cozy and comfortable room where they don’t have to be the focus.”
OUT: Boxy, Industrial Furniture
The days of boxy furniture are gone. U.S. interiors are now focused more around softer, curved furniture which has started making a comeback in the last year.
If you’re not sure you have the capacity to handle these or are wondering if an outside source might be a better option for a complete overhaul, check out our blog on when to hire an interior designer.