As we settle into 2022, we’re looking forward to design trends we expect to see emerging this year. 2020 + 2021 offered some fairly unique trends (for obvious reasons!), but we are feeling excited for 2022 – we sense a general mood of excitement and bravery in the design world – we hope we are right. Our team’s predictions are:.
Traditional features:
After spending more time in our homes, people want to re-create comfort and nostalgic areas within their spaces to evoke a memory- whether this is traditional wall panelling, antique furniture or clashing 70’s prints. Clients are more aware that an interior often benefits from reflecting the history of the property, which can be done through the usage of more traditional natural materials – such as wood, linens, mohair and stone.
Vintage sourcing:
More and more of us want to know where our products are coming from- their lifespan and story of production. Now that sustainability is becoming such a focus, we expect an increasing shift towards buying vintage items instead of new – taking ‘pre-loved’ items and recycling, repurposing, and re-using.
Adapt & Recycle:
Adapt and upcycle what you already have – we encourage clients to consider adapting existing fittings – giving their spaces a good facelift with a change the tone. This reduces the otherwise good quality material going to landfill, and helps to keep costs down. Where good-quality items are to be disposed of during a renovation, we always use Freecycle or Olio so fittings can go to new homes. Read more about this and the other ways we can renovate in a greener way here.
We’re also increasingly seeing the adaptation of existing joinery, to re-fresh and give it new purpose – the image below shows how we included existing joinery in a recent renovation, as it was in good condition and worked well in the space to store and display the clients items. Sprucing it up to give the space new life also reduced the amount of material going to landfill.
Bold patterns:
As people are feeling braver about design choices as we ‘live with’ the pandemic, we predict bold patterns will become very popular, particularly in shapes/motifs that reflect nature. Strong patterned wallpaper, bold print window coverings and upholstery, feature rugs and carpets, patterns in bathrooms through placement of colours tiles, and even wall murals. We expect to see this in the rich, deep and vibrant colours that are becoming increasingly popular – rich greens and blues, and dark orange, yellows and pinks.
Statement lighting:
Don’t forget that lighting sets the ambience of your room. Varied levels of lighting can elevate a simple design. Lighting has advanced with a balance between form and function – encouraging clients to consider a statement piece as the feature of a room. Here at APM we love a statement wall light- the function and aesthetic of these cannot be overestimated!
Large houseplants (housetrees?) + plants everywhere!
Following lockdown many people brought greenery into their homes. This trend is continuing with more exotic and larger plants being preferred to frame spaces and have maximum impact. APM favourites- Fiddle Leaf fig tree and Bird of Paradise. Read more about Biophilic design and why we love it here.
The demise of the ‘spare bedroom’.
While some people prepare to dismantle their home offices, many are expecting to continue to work from home at least some of the time – and the last two years have taught us to consider design spaces for flexible use. While a return to having guests to stay may be something to look forward to, that ‘spare’ room can work much harder without the space dedicated to a bed; whether as an office, a gym, a schoolroom or something else. We’ve seen loads of interest in folding beds in 2021, and expect that to continue.
Pet friendly design.
The desire of pet owners to create a home that works for their pet (or that their pet can’t trash) isn’t new, but the last two years have created a lot of new pet-owners! We’re expecting see an increase in stylish pet accessories. The principles of Pet-friendly design are remain sensible considerations (e.g.design an easy to clean home, choose hard wearing finishes, hide cables away) – but where space allows it can be life enhancing to design dedicated pet-friendly features – this year we’ve completed a cat kitchen and a dog shower room.
Do you need help with your renovation in London or Brighton? Don’t hesitate to get in touch!