With the ushering of a new decade well and truly behind us, we find ourselves pondering what will come next? As everyone knows, eventually all good things come to an end and are replaced by new ideas, concepts and designs. This is translatable to all aspects of society and none more so than in the world of interior design. With the dawn of the new year, we said goodbye to mid-century modern furniture, Gallery walls and Natural tones and hello to Earth tones, the rise of sustainability and the resurgence of patterns and colour. Check out our favourite interior design trends that we think will make a splash in 2020!
As eco and green movements sweep the globe, in virtue of humans becoming more self-aware of our footprints and the damage we are causing to earth, we are seeing this translate into all aspects of life. In the world of interior design, the current dominant narrative is biophilia. Biophilia is the love of nature and as more and more people are living and working within concrete jungles, we are seeing a shift towards connectivity with nature in any way possible. Biophilic design is only growing right now with biomontage walls and delightfully subtle usage of house plants popping up everywhere. At the very same time, you can cover your house with plants and it can look equally as good, if not better. Much like our property Little Venice, that looks absolutely superb, mixing quirky unique furniture with an array of awesome plants. Moreover, it is not just the clean modern aesthetics and environmental benefits that are making biophilic design so popular and appealing, the mental health benefits that it induces are also unparalleled. As the year continues to blossom you will be seeing a lot more of it in the mainstream public eye.
Sticking in this vein and undoubtedly at the top of this list alongside biophilic design, sustainable and recycled materials are most definitely going to be two of the biggest trends this year. People are more ecologically conscious than ever before and because of this, it is spilling into all aspects of life. 2020 is only going to see this trend grow in interior stylings. People are conscious of what they are buying, and where eco-warriors of the past got it wrong, companies are now realising that a core tenet of consumerism is that if we are going to buy something, it actually has to be nicer than what we already have. Sustainable furniture is now just as, if not more beautiful than, the products already on the market that are not. We are going to see design sensibility culminating in bundles of earthy tones running rampant alongside repurposed natural and raw woods as natural luxury blooms in sustainability’s shadow. As sustainability grows luxury versions inevitably start to boom too. We’re going to see old world materials like plaster and lime wash make a resurgence in its wake. If you want to see two impeccable examples of properties that are already ahead of these trends then look no further, the aptly named Eco House and Driftwood whose owner is an interior designer that has upcycled most of her house have got it spot on!
Moving to a slightly less palpable concept, but one which translates to nearly every upcoming trend in one way or another, is that in this first year of the decade we are going to see a move towards creative rebellion in that anything goes. Rules are going out the window and individuality in design is taking centre stage. This is being seen through the rise of one-of-a-kind properties, again much like our property Little Venice which could easily fit the bill for any of the trends, however, if you look at Flora you will see what I mean when I say brighter colours and bold patterns are making a resurgence into the world of interior design. We are already seeing a lot more colour in people’s palette, but experts are predicting that where we have had neutral soft colours taking precedence for the last decade, we are now going to see bold, vibrant colours adding a pop of spice.
Patterns are back with a bang! 70’s geometric prints and Terrazzo are already starting their renaissance and following the rule that there are no rules anymore, we believe that we’re going to see them utilised in the most creative of ways, again much as Flora has already done. Mixing patterns and matching walls and furniture will be seen more and more as people are moving away from the Scandi minimalism towards a more flamboyant décor with eccentric patterns, bold colours and mismatched furniture, being coined as Maximalism.
One thing to remember is that trends never really die and the evolution of a trend has been a fixture of many styles that have stayed current for long periods of time, as seen with the Scandi style that engrossed the world for so many years. This is no different to monochrome, hardly a new concept or style, having been utilised in all aspects of design for many years, however, it has managed to remain current through the evolution of the style. And in 2020 we are going to see this happen again with the new monochrome, nuanced versions of the stark black and white with relaxed hues of colour juxtaposing the darker elements really changes the whole look of monochrome, and we love it! Speaking of things we love, take a look at Onyx and Metallica that do this perfectly. Staying with this concept we are seeing a lot more two tone kitchens on the horizon with high contrast design taking the place of washed all white décor.
With all this in mind, it is rather self-intuitive to expect that flamboyant individualism is going to pair with creative texturing like never before. Often overlooked in the design process in the past, people are starting to see the benefits of adding depth and cohesion to a room. Texturing is the ultimate supplement to a room as it evokes emotions and the sense of touch while bringing rooms to life through blending different styles and designs together with exquisite subtlety. One property we think does this impeccably is Clayhill in Kent. Leather and Boucle are being touted as the top textures for 2020 as they both offer a warm and cosy allure whilst remaining sophisticated and luxurious.
Wondering how we already have all these properties that are so far ahead of the trends? And ones which simultaneously fit many of the trends? Well, we’re not called 1st Option for no reason. We have plenty more where that comes from as well, so don’t hesitate to give our wonderful bookings team a call for your next shoot.