Interior Design Trends 2022
By Julie Schmale
It’s always exciting to begin a new year; looking ahead to what’s coming. Of course we’re no different and we’ve gathered thoughts and predictions from the top designers plus put our own spin on it at the end. After all, rural Saskatchewan is a bit hesitant to jump on the latest trends, and a little too practical to renew all our décor every time the wind change. I liked EyeSwoon’s take on this:
“While we’re not huge followers of trends (or rules for that matter), we can agree that there are certain shifts and new directions in design that inspire us all to transform and alter our spaces.”
Warm Love
Grey was already not the cool kid on the play ground in 2021, and this year we’re on that same path to warmer tones, like beige, terracotta, and clay. Just don’t go overboard! One of the biggest mistakes we make in our homes is to go too far into one thing. Take grey as an example; the longest-lasting colour trend ever. We love grey. BUT! If you have grey walls, grey floors, grey cabinets, grey pillows, grey towels, and grey….. you get it; it’s too much! It feels less put together and un-balanced. Same thing years ago when beige and brown was the thing to do; if everything in your home is from that family, it’s overwhelming. If nothing balances the warmer tones, it’s just all too much! Let’s learn from the past and go for balance! Keep your greys but look for ways to add some beiges and browns into the mix, and some warm whites and pops of black.
Source: Amber Interiors
Green is the new neutral
At least according to Architectural Digest. The colour of the year from Benjamin Moore, Sherwin Williams and a few other paint companies was green. At Liliidae, we are still drawn to the dark moody greens, and the softer muted greens with grey undertones. You’ll continue to see this trend in bathrooms/kitchens/ on cabinets/office spaces -you name it! Shades of green bring nature indoors to feel that earthy connection. The industry projects that we’ll even see some vibrant or lime greens this year. But in term of connecting the interior with nature, you’ll likely also notice nature inspired themes like mushrooms, snails, frogs, plants, moss, and those kinds of things.
Source: IDCO / Amber Interiors
Green evokes emotions of refreshing, peace, rest and security. I think it makes sense that we’re drawn to this. Who wouldn’t want to feel those emotions as you come home, considering the crazy world beyond our four walls.
Along the lines of adding green, the plant movement is seeing a rise in popularity with many people working from home. Having plants indoor reduce stress levels and improve air quality. Even if you weren’t a plant person before, you’re likely to add one to your home to gain that connection to nature.
Something I personally like to do is add branches from my yard. After a long winter it’s lovely to see the signs of spring and new life in your home before the world outside start to wake up. Just look at this beautiful laundry room by Studio Mcgee.
Hello Curves!
Rounded shapes are everywhere! In furniture, light fixtures, art, décor, mirrors, staircases, and arched doorways. How incredible is that arched ceiling pictured below!?! There’s a real blast from the past in furniture from Scandinavia and the mid-century style with their simplicity and rounded shapes. An article from The Detroit News stated; “Rounded curves are softer on the eyes and a reminder of gentler times.” I liked that statement.
Another trend you’ll see more of is bouclé, shearling, and wool on furniture and in cushions. We are going back to the nostalgic, embracing the good, the cozy. Things that bring us comfort, like warm whites, products with a natural finish like stone, wood, rattan, and curved profiles. And speaking of tactile materials, we’ll continue to see more of the natural wood, plastered or limewashed walls, clay, leather, warm bronze and copper finishes.
It’s interesting but not surprising, that wood floors are seeing a real come back! Hardwood has had a higher price tag than other products, but with prices on plastic going up, there is less of a jump to go to the real thing. As mentioned before, there is also this strong pull towards natural materials. We’re going away from fake man-made products and longing for what’s raw, what’s real.
“My clients are all so much more aware of how their environment affects their mood, mental health, and even their relationships”
The times we live in has us looking at our homes through a new lens. We’re looking with more honest eyes on our homes, the way we live, what we like, and not apologizing for the sense of “me” in our homes. Customization is big. This is not surprising because our homes have to work so much harder when we’re at home more. Making your home fit and suit YOU is a big deal no matter how small or how big it is! We will see more boldness and personality added in things like patterned drapery and furniture, bold colours, wallpaper -anything that brings you joy! We are becoming more authentic in the way we live and decorate, creating a home that makes us happy.
If what makes you happy is a floral upholstered couch -you’ll be on trend! Because according to The Identite Collective, that’s coming back this year.
Along the lines of bold patterns -another trends you’ll see is the Tiger showing up in rugs, art, and wallpaper. You’ll see this fearless animal boldly climbing across the wall or floor -not in an outdated or weird vibe, but in a statement with trendy or moody colours, at least according to Style At Home and Architechtural Digest.
Vintage and The Imperfect
Vintage and second hand are in. This is a bit related to the desire for raw materials; there is a desire for things that have history, age, imperfect lines and finishes. Preserving the past and the history of passed down pieces gives a sense of comfort. On top of that, we are more aware of how our lives affect the earth, feeling a sense of responsibility to use what’s already here.
Handmade pieces are also in. The whole idea of supporting your local community, the people behind the objects we display, exploded with Covid shutting down many people’s livelihood. But again, we’re longing for things that are less perfect, that have a story to tell, or simply just remind us that we’re all imperfect and that that’s okay.
Bye Bye Open Concept
It’s hard to believe this, but the open concept home where your kitchen is basically part of your living room is becoming less desirable these days. It probably has to do with all the changes we’ve had to make to the way we live in our homes. Maybe we want some privacy while cooking, maybe we need some space to ourselves, or maybe we want to leave the dirty dishes on the counter after a long day… Our homes have been centered around the kitchen island, but maybe we’re now at this island all day long homeschooling our kids, feeding our kids, trying to get some work done, the counter is covered by a days worth of life, and at the end of the day when we’re making supper, all we want is a quieter space to wind down… We want clear boundaries for what’s our work space and where we relax and get away from work.
Our thoughts on the trends
We are less excited about the trends on the stuff and more excited about the trend on HOW we are decorating our homes; making them more personal and authentic. We are so happy to be moving away from the grey! Like stated before, we love grey, but it’s all everybody wanted for so long that it’s a welcome change! We also believe in a balanced home where you don’t dive into a trend too deeply, whatever the trend might be.
We are all about the move to natural materials, imperfect décor pieces, and handmade items. If you’ve been to our markets, you know we love to collect makers from the area who sell their handmade goods, and this is a great trend! We don’t like the idea of just filling a home with “stuff”. Having things that mean something to the homeowner, remind them of a certain time or person, comes from a local maker you want to support -these unique things are usually the ones we keep forever.
Customizing your space to function better is also something we are happy to see become a “trend”. Custom anything is always more expensive, but the willingness to spend a little more to gain that functionality is almost always the better way to go. In the end, you like your space better because it works for you -and you have something that is one-of-a-kind.
If you do want to update your space, here are some inexpensive ways to incorporate what’s trending now:
Updating pieces that have been handed down to you. If you have a room full of things you never use, go through it and see what can be updated and displayed or used. Art pieces that you like, but the frame is old and cheap looking; get it put in a new frame so you can display it. Pillows that you no longer like; take off the old covers and buy new ones that have those textures we mentioned before. A printed runner is a great way to update your kitchen/hallway/bathroom, office, living room -anywhere really! We love Amber Lewis’ collaboration with Loloi Rugs. Mirrors in bathrooms; this is especially if you have builder grade mirrors or you don’t really like them. Buying a new on-trend arched (or oval, or rectangular with rounded corners) mirror does not have to be expensive. Paint is the best bang for your buck always! If your walls look tired or grimy from small hands, or you just want a brighter fresh look, there are lots of great warm neutrals you can try. Just make sure you take the time to pick the perfect colour. Maybe you want a feature wall to personalize your space? A great way to do that is with wallpaper or painting a dark moody colour. In your kitchen you can add something handmade, like pottery or wood. These both add texture and soft colour to a space has a lot of shiny clean lines and hard surfaces. A utensil holder or a bowl for fruit is both pretty and functional. Cabinet hardware is another way to spruce up your home and make it feel more personal. I am thinking especially if you have the builder grade, buy in packs of ten, kinda hardware, LOL. We love mixing hardware styles, using both handles, cup pulls and knobs. Hardware can get pricy once you start buying for a lot of cabinetry, but in my own experience, it’s worth it!
Something we want to incorporate
One thing we’ve been noticing this past year and we REALLY want to incorporate in future projects and our own homes (I’m sure we’ll have to make a tester, right? I’ll keep that one!!) are pedestals. You love it? Find it weird? In my very practical brain, I see a toddler or rambunctious child pushing it or bumping it and whatever is displayed on top falls off and breaks. But my desire for things that are different and interesting, solves an issue in an empty corner, and just look great is currently winning. And toddlers don’t stay toddlers forever. For anyone who’s kids have outgrown that stage, this is a great piece! Just look at the photos below from Studio Mcgee. Beautiful! Creates a little moment of its own.
