A new year means a new set of decorating trends. Like all trends, they’re best treated as a source of inspiration rather than as rules you need to follow. With that said, here’s a quick guide to what industry insiders expect to be popular in 2022.
DIY/upcycling/sustainability
Technically, those are three trends but they are similar enough to be grouped together. All of these trends have been around for a while now. They are, however, showing no signs of fading, quite the opposite in fact.
Both DIYing and upcycling tie in with the general desire (and need) to lead more sustainable lifestyles. Upcycling has grown in popularity as a way to give old furniture pieces a new lease of life. It is, however, now being increasingly used as a way to get more out of relatively new furniture.
IKEA has long encouraged buyers to upcycle its pieces. Recently, it has been very publicly ramping up its support for “IKEA hacks”. This not only helps to boost IKEA’s sustainability credentials. It also helps to give its furniture more perceived value. Instead of being viewed as disposable “fast furniture”, it’s now seen as up-cyclable.
Upcycling newer furniture tends to be a lot easier than upcycling older pieces. This is because newer pieces tend to need less in the way of restoration. They usually just need a facelift. It’s, therefore, safe to assume that this trend is just going to keep on growing over the foreseeable future.
Also, look out for 3D art and incorporating sustainability with unusual design features.
Plants and nature
This is another trend that has been around for a while and shows no sign of fading away. People who’re lucky enough to have gardens have been making the most of them. The old trend of concreting them over for parking seems to have vanished. If it comes back in any form, it will probably be in a less permanent one such as using gravel instead of concrete.
“Hard” gardens (with decking and gravel and no lawn) are still popular. They are, however, definitely not the only option for small gardens. People are increasingly appreciating lawns (or at least AstroTurf) and beds, often raised ones. Where people have space, outdoor offices and s/he sheds are looking like they will remain popular investments.
When people don’t have gardens, they will be making the most of any outdoor space they do have, even if that’s just a windowsill. Regardless of whether or not they have outdoor space, people will be bringing the outdoors inside. Houseplants are famously huge with millennials. They actually appeal to people from many generations.
For people who don’t have the time or energy (or lifestyle) to manage real plants, faux plants are getting more realistic all the time. There is also a lot of plant-based decor and household items made from natural materials. These also tie in with the sustainability trend.
Colour
Again, colour never really went away completely but it has taken something of a back seat over recent years. This isn’t necessarily because it fell out of favour but because homes have been getting smaller and smaller.
Many people played safe and kept large areas such as walls and floors in neutral colours, particularly whites and creams. This not only kept everything cohesive but also blurred the boundaries between different parts of the home thus creating the illusion of more space. This year could bring back the boldness of the 60s & 70s in terms of colour.
Space considerations are still likely to play a major role in decor for well into the future. People do, however, seem to be getting more comfortable with them. This is reflected in a growing willingness to be more adventurous with colours even over larger areas. Green is definitely having a moment. Again, this ties in with the trends of nature and sustainability. It’s all about being calm and relaxing especially with natural lighting.
As with all DIY, it’s worth checking that your insurance covers you, just in case of any unforeseen accidents!
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