Home has become the focal point of our lives this past year. As we are now well into lockdown 3 with no immediate uplift of quarantine despite talks of easing restrictions, many of you will continue to look for inspiration that will reinvent and refresh your home. Here are some trends to help you find solutions for an interior that suits you - from paint colours, new sustainable materials to biophilic design.
INFLUENTIAL COLOUR SCHEMES
We now spend more time in our homes than ever before. Our homes are not only our own personal retreat where we want to feel safe, relaxed and happy, but also our office and, if you have children, our school. So areas of your home need to serve many different purposes and create different feelings. Colour is one way to achieve this. Colour causes emotions and how you relate to them is personal . Some of the 2021 colour trends will appeal to you, others won't. You may go all out bold with colour or you may wish to gently inject some colour to a neutral palette. Either way, it's about the feel you wish to create in each room and your home. Do you want to be relaxed? energised? uplifted? Let's see what you can do with this year's Dulux and Pantone's Colour of the Year.
Illuminating Yellow and Ultimate Grey
Pantone's Colour of the Year 2021 Illuminating Yellow is a vibrant and youthful colour. It reminds us of spring and the sun, giving a happy, uplifting feeling. The Ultimate Grey is suggested to provide a "firm foundation" and a certain feeling of dependability. Combined the two are intended to bring warmth and optimism. Possibly a great combination for a bedroom or perhaps a kitchen - after all that's where we start the day and we can all do with feeling energised and uplifted first thing in the morning.
Brave Ground
Now Brave Ground from Dulux initially had a somewhat mixed review from the interiors world. It certainly didn't have the wow factor for colour lovers. However, it is a fantastic neutral. In our VLOG Home Alchemy with Dee Dashwood Interiors we discussed how you can incorporate this neutral tone into a stunning interior scheme.
Graham and Green announced "Epoch", a deep plum or burgundy colour, as their Colour of the Year 2021. This is a very bold, regal and luxurious colour. You can either inject drama in your interior combining Epoch with other vivid colours or you can create a more pared back interior when combined with Dulux Brave Ground. Either way this colour is warm and soothing. This colour could work well in a living room, but equally so in a study or library.
The next two colour combinations are pictured below in a living room, but they are equally ideal for a bedroom or even a bathroom. Again dependent on the feeling you wish to create in each room. This first combination with Benjamin Moore's Aegean Teal allows for a cool and calm interior.
Or by pairing with Little Green's Goblin 311 you can create your own natural indoor oasis.
Using this particular shade of almost emerald green provides a connection with nature that we seem to have an innate desire for. Which brings us to the increasing trend of injecting natural elements into the home.
NATURAL DESIGN ELEMENTS
You could say we are finding ourselves on the verge of a new design era - the age of environmentally and ethically conscious interiors. The preservation of our planet continues to be in the forefront of our minds. We are care takers of this world and our existence depends on ensuring a society based on sustainable living. Yet injecting a greener lifestyle into our home was often believed to come with a hefty price tag. Relaying a reclaimed parquet floor is often more expensive than buying a new engineered oak floor. Luckily there are many initiatives within the design world that are now fully embracing circular design and sustainable material at more affordable prices.
Last October Ikea launched their Buy Back Service, which is a fantastic initiative whereby they buy back items for up to 50% of the original price and restoring them for further sale. A great way to, not only help you get rid of your unwanted furniture and reinvest in newer pieces, but also to avoid adding to the ever increasing waste in the environment.
In terms of sustainable materials , the biomaterial mycelium (mushroom) leather will gain more momentum in 2021. From leather handbags to pendant lamps and sofas this material will be featuring in interiors thanks to Adidas, Stella McCartney, Lululemon and Kering (Gucci) who are each investing a 7-figure amount to scale up production and supply of this leather-like material.
Although mycelium may not be featuring in your interiors this year we are definitely keeping our eye on this one and hoping to see an innovative collection to dress our interiors in the very near future.
In the meantime, up-cycled and re-purposed furniture and home decor will continue to feature in our homes. With the increasing desire to save the planet we are looking for inventive ways to re-inject life into older items, giving it a touch of individuality and updating our homes. Whether we do it ourselves as a hobby, whether we get a helping hand from a professional or whether we decide to buy an up-cycled piece this trend for "furniture flipping" as some call it is another trend for increasing sustainability around the home.
Recycled plastics used as textile in throws, cushions, bags and stools are already available. The South Devonshire team Weaver Green offer a beautiful range of recycled home decor items.
Our love for nature is not only reflected in the demand for sustainable products, this year we will see an increasing trend in biophilic design. Introducing elements of nature into our homes through natural sustainable materials such as wood will continue to feature. Think rattan, bamboo and woven materials as seen here.
With the continuing COVID pandemic, bringing the outdoors in is key. As such houseplants in many shapes and forms will feature heavily in our homes. For those who feel that they do not have a green thumb, terrariums are a great alternative as are dried flowers.
And naturally introducing patterns and texture reminiscent of nature in the form of cushions, artwork or wall paper are another manner to introduce vibrancy and colour of the outdoors into the home.
Equally so bringing the inside out, allowing us to safely entertain is another massive trend. Creating a flow from the living room to outdoor areas with stunning garden furniture, decor and even outdoor rugs.
The trends for 2021 reflect a desire to create a home with well-being in mind. A space that is cozy, comforting and nurturing. Whilst you may not be a fervent follower of trends some of these looks may resonate with you. Whatever you choose as long as you love it, it's all that really matters.
"Decorating is not about making stage sets, it's not about making pretty pictures for the magazines, it's about creating a quality of life, a beauty that nourishes the soul" - Albert Hadley
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