Decor trends forecast what’s hot and what’s not
By CJ Woodring
Welcoming the new and bidding the old adieu are synonymous with the New Year. But many consider spring cleaning time an opportunity to introduce new décor trends while kissing dated designs goodbye. Of course, your preferences take priority, but here are some trends that are in and some that are headed out.
Color it warm
In: After a long run of neutrals, vibrant colors are in. But not just any shades. Professional color consultants recognize that in times of social unrest and political upheaval, people tend to retreat to home for comfort, familiarity and safety. Accordingly, two specific color palettes are emerging: warm, earthy, Southwest-inspired shades of terra cotta, peach, rose, mustard and burnt orange; and deep, bold jewel tones. Think ruby, emerald and cobalt.
Living Coral, Pantone’s color of the year for 2019, can be used as a statement or accent. The orange-pink hue, considered a near neutral, encourages personal connections and helps to counter negative social media, according to the company’s website. “Color is an equalizing lens through which we experience our natural and digital realities, and this is particularly true for Living Coral,
Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, said in a press release.
“This color is so warm it injects the idea of touching into pictures. There’s a tactility there in how we connect to others.”
Living Coral pairs well with gray, navy blue and neutrals that have dominated the home scene for several years. The warm blush also sings its own song alongside forest green, cinnamon, lime and various browns.
Consumers unable or unwilling to make major annual decorating changes, which is most of us, have many options for integrating personal color choices into their decor.
The result? A fresh, welcoming, spring-into-summer environment that provides year-round comfort, security and beauty.
Out: Straight-up neutrals
Fabulous furnishings
Furniture is going back to the future as consumers adapt old styles to new spaces, selecting items with a past — whether their own family’s or someone else’s.
In: Topping the trends lists are comforting, cocooning furniture with soft curves and rounded shapes along with retro styles that include rounded-back chairs, curved sofas with big, cushy, rounded arms, and tub chairs. Rounded edges extend to oval shapes on traditionally square tables, kitchen islands and counter space. Headboards, also rounded, are wrapped in elegant fabrics — think: velvet — visually hugging sleepers throughout the night. Comfy chairs and upholstered couches feature contrast stitching. Fringe, tassels, tie-backs and similar embellishments prove that nothing succeeds like excess.
Hand-crafted and/or custom pieces with stories to tell provide a personal connection between buyer and artist.
Antiques are enjoying a major renaissance. Suzanne Most, manager/dealer at Manor House Antique Mall, Indianapolis, says it’s about quality.
“It’s difficult to find quality in most new items. In addition, younger customers with old homes want authentic furnishings, and older buyers enjoy items they might have grown up with because they’re comforting,” she says.
Operational since 1996, the mall is home to 40 dealers, offering items that include collectible glassware, pottery, art and unusual accessories. “We want to be true to offering what people envision as an antique mall, while maintaining our mission of being authentic,” Most says. “We’re even selling Victorian.”
Out: Start phasing out farmhouse and primitive country styles, matchy-matchy furnishings and one-trick-pony furniture. In today’s settings, space-saving multifunctional pieces do double duty.
Best foot forward
Today’s consumers can select from myriad floor coverings in a rainbow of colors, textures, sizes and styles. Carpeting and hard surface applications fit any budget and lifestyle, guaranteeing buyers get off on the right foot.
In: Look for investment carpeting: custom room-sized rugs, area rugs and carpet runners, cotton and organic rugs and hand-woven wool area rugs are all in. Or take a walk on the wild side and opt for faux animal hide rugs such as zebra and cow or naturally inspired treatments that include sheepskin. Or create a colorful collage with area rugs in various colors, designs and textiles.
Or go bare and opt for durable, functional flooring. “We’re in an era of functionality. People really don’t have time to polish floors,” says Jeremy Swinford, operations manager and sales consultant at Greenwood-based Floortech Corp. Operational since 1984, the company offers carpet, hardwood, laminate, stone, tile and area rugs.
“Carpet sales are tremendously down,” he says, “because most are going with hard surface for a cohesiveness throughout the home.” Those opting for carpeting are buying a cut pile or loop. Swinford says a majority of consumers “are still locked into traditional beige or more upscale gray. It’s still pretty neutral and on the light side to contrast with darker wood areas.”
Both light and dark hardwoods remain popular, competing with luxury vinyl plank (LVP), a high-variation hardwood and regional best-seller. The laminated product features four or five different shades in the same flooring, and because it’s waterproof can be used in any room.
LVP is being applied even in high-end custom homes, Swinford says. “It’s not cheap and definitely is a synthetic product,” he says, “yet it exceeds expectations cost-wise, is environmentally safe and relatively ‘green’ for what it is.”
Out: Say goodbye to shag and flokatis. Big, bulky-looped rec room Berber rugs from the ’70s, replaced by tailored loops, micro-Berber and cut-and-loop textures.
Prints Charming
Along with bright, uplifting colors, consumers are selecting a variety of coordinating patterns to enliven home decor.
In: Geometric shapes and multicolored florals can be found on walls, furniture, textiles — curtains, cushions and bedding — and floor coverings. Lampshades reflect more than interiors as they showcase traditional patterns.
Swinford says today’s carpeting features clean lines, including diamonds, geometrics and small herringbone. “Customers are also selecting vintage patterns, such as arabesque and lanterns.
“They’re an abstract with a pattern, but with a more random blend of two or three colors, like a peppered appearance or tweed, with a lot of movement to it,” he says.
Shapes, angles and arcs enhance 1970s-inspired wall coverings that also feature multicolored floral prints, such as chintz.
Textured wallpaper that mimics works of art is trending, exhibiting reproduced watercolor brushstrokes, murals or large painted flowers for a stunning focal point. Wallpapered statement ceilings, definitely in, can be a fifth wall, presenting an unexpected visual, as can statement walls in powder rooms and bathrooms. Art Deco is trending, its eclectic style of patterns showcasing bold shapes, rich colors and artistic details on wall coverings, along with sensuous fabrics that jump off Hollywood movie screens and into your home.
Out: We say a fond farewell to trellis patterns, ikat and dramatic colored or wallpapered accent walls. Large focal points on walls have been replaced by single-colored walls that create a balanced backdrop for furnishings.
Fixture that!
Technology continues to change, enhancing homes and lighting up lives while injecting retro and vintage-inspired styles into the 21st century. Fixtures do double duty as artwork, offering a clean, yet welcoming, appeal.
In: Retro and industrial lighting styles are still in, including Edison lightbulbs, darlings of industrial and steampunk aficionados. Statement fixtures can be found in starburst chandeliers, small hanging lights and pendant lighting over islands.
Julie Spangler, showroom consultant for family-owned and operated Lee Supply Kitchen and Bath Store, Indianapolis, says bright golds are in, along with matte blacks, polished nickel and other metals — matching, not mixing them, she says.
Today’s tubs, sometimes black, are highly personalized, with enlarged showers and hand-held rain heads. “Free-standing tubs are replacing drop-ins and built-ins and give a nice effect, even if they’re not used a lot,” Spangler says. Kitchens put on the ritz with brightly painted cabinetry embellished with handcrafted hardware of oak, walnut or a maple and brass combo. Leather drawer pulls are available in various colors, sizes and shapes. (Grab a leather belt for a great DIY project.) Many homeowners are integrating color into otherwise neutral kitchens by adding a colored appliance, Spangler says. “Not just stainless steel, but reds, blues, blacks and black stainless will really be a focal point of the kitchen.
“Sometimes people shy away from doing colors, but it’s fun just to be bold and be yourself. And if you love it, do it. And pair it with something simpler for a really good look.”
Out: Au revoir, rose gold. Stainless steel and oil-rubbed bronze are not far behind. All-white monochromatic kitchens are heading out, but for a quick, inexpensive update, introduce a pop of color, even if it’s just brightly painted cabinet doors.
