Just like fashion, the new year brings new interior design predictions. While you are not going to see these new trends on a runway, you will see them all over the home design magazines and Internet blogs. Here are some of the hot paint colors, newest flooring styles, furnishing looks, décor trends, and some of the overall design concepts you will see.
Paint Colors
Every year the major paint companies and Pantone, the leading color matching company whose products are used as a standard in much of the print industry, pick a color of the year. This year’s choices are earthy and moody. As we all strive to make our homes our own personal quiet sanctuary in a crazy and busy world, the interior design industry is using color to create an atmosphere that is relaxing and pulls a bit of nature inside.
BEHR: While Blueprint (S470-5) looks like the color of the inky lines of the document bearing the same name or the faded pages copied on an old mimeograph machine, it actually draws to mind old beach cabins and summers on Cape Cod. It is Design Diva’s favorite color this year.
PPG: Night Watch (PPG1145-7) is a complex greenish color that can appear almost black in certain lights. It is a statement color that makes Design Diva think of hiking in the dense fir tree forests of the Pacific Northwest.
Dutch Boy: Garden Patch (326-5DB) is a paler version of Pantone’s very popular 2017 Color of the Year, “Greenery”. Garden Patch is the very opposite of Night Watch, it is a warm and happy shade of green that is like a summer herb garden.
Ace Hardware Clark and Kensington: With a name that sounds like a tropical libation, Pineapple Cream Granita’s muted yellow is the color of the setting sun, as warm and lush as a lazy Hawaiian afternoon. This is the first Color of the Year created by a customer. This color was the winner from 25 finalists voted on by the public. Each entry was hand mixed. The final choice was made by Ace’s paint experts.
Sherwin-Williams: Cavern Clay (SW 7701) is the color of the deserts of New Mexico and Arizona, a faded and dusty red. It is another mood-provoking tone that brings to mind the fastness of the American west.
Benjamin Moore: Part rocky shore on a foggy day and part skyscraper reaching to the heavens, Metropolitan (AF-690) is a smoky, greenish light gray that provides a neutral background good for anyone’s style, be it classic, traditional, elegant, or ultra-modern minimalist.
Pantone: Reaching to the sea for inspiration, this year’s color, Living Coral (16-1546 TPX) is not as universal as 2017’s Greenery, but much more workable than last year’s Ultra Violet Purple. It is truly the color of coral, and also the red sky at sunset. It is a definite statement color.
Furnishings & Decor
No matter your personal style, be it mid-century modern, farmhouse, traditional or contemporary, the key concept that is running through the industry for 2019 is minimalism. There is a movement away from accumulating a bunch of stuff, and learning to live with only what we need and love. This does not have to mean giving into the cult of the tiny home, or giving away all of your treasured possessions. Rather it is about distilling down what you have to those things that enhance the way you want to live your life.
Furnishings and décor are all about making your home into an inviting, comfortable space that reflects your tastes, family, and activities. In the process, tastemakers are saying it is time to go bold, and create rooms that pop using statement colors, geometric design, and pieces that stand out in a crowd.
One-of-a-kind, handmade furniture is gaining ground in the industry, as well as using quality, vintage pieces that have been re-imagined. Vintage mid-century modern furniture has been hot, but art deco is gaining ground. Most of all, it is about choosing furniture pieces that mix textures and even period styles.
Along with unique furnishings, designers are bringing texture into rooms with the use of natural materials from wood and marble flooring to fine flax linen bedding. These natural fabrics are not only about texture, but they are also about sustainability.
Easy care is another important element in design. Consumers are so busy with their lives that they want clean-up to be quick and easy. One blast from the past that is gaining ground is luxury vinyl flooring. There are some styles that are made from repurposed plastics with the look of real wood flooring, but are much easier to care and for water resistance.
Ever since Pantone made “Greenery” their color of the year in 2017, is has been all about bringing in the green. It can be in the form of plants, like succulents, or in the color of a kitchen cabinet or wall.
Overall Design Concepts
If you wanted to describe the industry predictions in a few words, they would be moody, minimalist, nurturing, natural, and eco-friendly. While there are definitely rules that have stood the test of time on how to plan spaces for the best form and function, and pros are good at solving problems caused by a home’s idiosyncrasies, in the end it is all about the homeowner. Most singularly, homes are becoming statement pieces in and of themselves, reflecting the taste and lifestyle of the owner.
-
5 mins
