Kristina Marshall: Top 10 Home Design Trends of 2021

Designing your home or space is like adding seasoning to food; there’s a right way and a wrong way to do it. The right amount of seasoning highlights and accentuates the natural qualities in food. Too much, however, overwhelms the palate. Like with seasoning, it is advisable to use design trends to inform your design choices rather than define them. Your own creativity should always take center stage. With that in mind, here are ten of what I believe are the best home design trends of 2021:

Granny Chic

Granny Chic describes the converging styles of older, homier design choices and modern sensibilities. Pieces that you might find at an antique store or your grandparent’s house find a new purpose in granny chic style, with designers using these older pieces in a modern context. Granny Chic evokes the comfort and class of older style without the stuffiness often associated with it. Granny Chic includes design choices like old paintings, floral patterns, and deep, saturated color schemes.

Lots of Blues

Deep indigo blues have found a prominent place in the interior design world. The trend began last year when Pantone declared “Classic Blue” its 2020 color of the year. Using the right amount of blue can make a space feel relaxing and welcoming — too much, however, can bring a sense of melancholy. To avoid that, make sure you use plenty of accent colors and textures throughout the space. Most importantly, make sure every space has plenty of natural light.

Wallpaper

It wasn’t long ago that wallpaper had a poor reputation. Homeowners spent lots of time and money getting rid of old, dated wallpaper in favor of simple, monochrome walls. Home design, like fashion, is cyclical. Just as pleated pants and bell-bottom jeans found their way back into popular fashion, wallpaper has found its way into the public’s favor again. Wallpaper is the perfect way to add visual interest and warmth to an otherwise boring space.

The Wellness Kitchen

Living well means living healthy. One of the best ways to promote a healthy lifestyle is to design your home around it. The “wellness kitchen” is a concept that has become popular with home designers, and for good reason: It’s a powerful way to make eating healthy simple and effortless. Modern kitchens are designed around processed, packaged foods; prep and storage space is kept to a minimum, and conveniences like microwaves zap plastic-wrapped food in minutes. A wellness kitchen re-imagines the kitchen as a safe haven for locally sourced, whole foods. Large islands with plenty of prep space, lots of beautiful storage solutions and an attached garden are all standard features of a wellness kitchen.

Ditching Formal for Functional

Formal rooms, (like the traditional dining room or sitting room) are falling out of favor with interior designers. Formal rooms can feel stuffy and impractical. If you have a formal dining room, you probably don’t use it very often. Instead, you likely eat most of your meals around the kitchen or in the living room. That’s because those spaces are altogether more practical and fun to use. Rather than feel constrained to a set list of formal rooms, functional rooms allow you to experiment and have fun. Home libraries, workspaces, lounges, and art studios are all on the table. Modular sofas work in any space and are a smart piece to incorporate in functional spaces.

 Natural Textures

Wood grain, slate stone, and canvas fiber can all work together to make a space more interesting and homey. You can even apply the texture trend to accessories like terracotta vases, wicker baskets and stone tabletops. Textured accessories bring class and warmth to an otherwise boring space. Fabrics like leather or faux-fur are great options for pillowcases or furniture coverings.

Maximalism

Sleek, minimal spaces dominated the Pinterest boards of the past decade. Stark white rooms with only a houseplant or two adorning the space were the go-to trend for most designers. While minimalism certainly works from a design perspective, it lacks the warmth and coziness that you likely crave from your home. This year, fill your space with as much decor as you like. A variety of colours, shapes, and textures make a space more lively and comfortable.

Green Cabinets

White and black cabinets dominated the kitchens of the past decade. Now, more designers are opting for colour. Olive green cabinets are sure to be a dominant trend in 2021. Green works with both warm and cool colour palettes and is a perfect colour to pair with a cool grey countertop.

Industrial Style

Expect the industrial look to find a resurgence in the interior design world this year as large window spaces and vaulted ceilings create a calm, focused space. Industrial style is incredibly practical and stylish all at once, and there’s plenty of variety to explore within it.

Textured Walls

Textured or stucco walls were popular in the 90s. As minimalism dies out, designers are opting for textured walls. Using texture is a great way to add interest and warmth to a space without spending more on decor.

2021 is sure to bring plenty of exciting interior design developments. Don’t be afraid to branch out and experiment. There’s more inspiration and resources available now than ever before.

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Featured image by Max Vakhtbovych from Pexels