The Top Interior Decor Trends For 2021
Usually, when I write my top decor trend predictions every January for the forthcoming year, I have a clear and succinct list on my desk compiled from what I have seen the previous few months at interior trade shows, furniture press shows, and general design observations from being ‘out and about’. Having not sat on another sofa apart from my own for the whole of 2020, my trend forecast for 2021 is going to be a little different. With the shops closed, many new collections have been held back, and I wouldn’t say there was a clear-cut set of new interior decor trends that will enter our lives for at least the first half of 2021. Instead, a lot of prevailing trends from 2020 will be carried over: straight lines and sharp corners will continue to be non-existent as we carry on our love for all things curved, scalloped and arched. Texture will still be huge, with bouclé continuing to be the fabric du jour. Japandi - where Japanese minimalism and Scandinavian aesthetic combine - will keep filtering down into mainstream tastes.
Scallop-edged light shade by Matilda Goad.
Scalloped-edged pottery by London-based potter KC Hossack. Buy her work via Liberty London.
The super-talented blogger and stylist Luke Arthur Wells has created a limited edition bouclé collection with Swyft furniture.
Japandi - combining the minimalism of Japanese interiors with a stylish Scandi aesthetic - will become more popular in UK homes this year. Image Credit: Gabriel Fabra Pérez.
That being said, there are still a few key design trends to look out for that are set to grow in popularity this year and are worth noting. The image-sharing social media service Pinterest has seen a surge in interest of the display of objects - rather than art - to decorate the home. The particular focal point for this is in the kitchen, where Pinners have been searching out inspirational images of cookware displayed hanging on brass or copper rods rather than stored away in cupboards. Similarly, searches for decorative plates hosted on display racks is up two-fold, while coloured glassware adorning floating shelving is up a whopping 135% in the Pinterest search box.
Colourful glass mugs by HAY Design. Buy their coloured glass range via Selfridges.
Interiors writer Lisa Dawson’s plate-filled kitchen, along with her open shelving to display decorative objects.
Perhaps the most insightful Pinterest prediction was that of the ‘Cloffice’ - the closet/office - the inclusion of a section of your home behind closed doors that acts as a designated work station. We may well be entering a New Year, but the chaos of the existing pandemic has meant that many of us will be working from home for some time to come. Understandably, there has been a surge in interest on how to combine work and home life where your house is not overtaken with work paraphernalia, and you can shut the doors at the end of the working day to reclaim your space. If you want to install a Cloffice, think of any dead areas of your home where you could perhaps add on some MDF doors and a pull-out desk. Good places for this include under the stairs, in unused wardrobes or in narrow, dead areas that tend to build clutter. For more inspiration on compact home office ideas and small-scale desk designs, check out this blog post that I put together last year.
The perfect Cloffice design by 2LG Studio.
When Dulux announced Brave Ground - an earthy, brown neutral - as their colour of the year for 2021, some people scoffed at the initial idea. Who was going to paint their house brown during a pandemic? Yet, the colour trend forecasters behind Dulux know what they are doing, and we will definitely see this warm, versatile neutral shade a lot more this year. This soothing colour works great as a base for brighter tones placed in front of it, while it also feels really restful and calming in a kitchen or a bedroom.
The yellow bench really pops against this soft, muted brown background, so the colour is a great alternative to just going for white when using stronger colours at home. Image Credit: Alan Tansey. Design: MK Architecture.
This is just the most inviting, warm kitchen by D a D a a. The aged brass and natural wood utensils complement the colour of the base units.
Bedroom by @tthese_beautiful_thingss on Instagram.
To complement the soft brown neutral tones, we will also see a rise in popularity for natural materials in our decorative objects, vases and kitchenware. Home items with lots of texture made from clay, natural stone, plaster and olive woods will be favoured above plain or overly patterned products.
Ceramics available via The Future Kept
Cereal bowl and vase via The Future Kept.
The popularity of natural stone leads me on to marble, a material that is going nowhere in 2021. As well as on worktops and in bathrooms, expect to see it more as furniture pieces, especially as plinths (the new side table), coffee or dining tables. The best dining table buys are vintage, so keep an eye on eBay or Vinterior.
Image Credit: Elle Decoration
Image credit: Norm Architects
Marble plinths by Pols Potten. Check out their new range in a detailed brown marble being released for 2021 here.
If all this brown and natural stone doesn’t float your boat, then maybe the trend for colour blocking might be more your thing. I absolutely love this trend, but it is really hard to pull off and it’s easy to make mistakes. The trick is to make sure the colour blocking looks grown-up and stylish, rather than too punchy-pink and childlike. Bring in lilacs, mustard tones, pinks and oranges, but be clever how you do it. A cupboard all one colour, or doors painted in a shade that pops against more neutral walls, is a great way to start. Take inspiration from the wonderful Instagram accounts of Cathrine de Lichtenberg, Celine Hallas, Tekla Evelina Severin and furniture brands such as Montana and Gustaf Westman.
Image credit: Montana
Image Credit: Celine Hallas
Photo credit: Martina Gemmola
Image credit: @prchtg on Instagram
Shona bouclé armchair, £379, MADE.com / Clare V. for Anthropologie Maisonette Dessert Plate, £16, Anthropologie / Personalised scalloped spine 2021 diary by Matilda Goad for Papier, £16.99 / Marble-topped side table, £99.99, H&M Home / Violet/Apricot Bon Bon Medi Vase by Helle Mardahl, £485, via Liberty London / Speckled mug, £6, Habitat / Red Strøm Jug Small, £55, The Conran Shop / Tylko modular bookcase. Price varies upon size / London Stone Emulsion, £49 for 2.5L, Designerpaint.com / Olive wood chopping board, £21.70, Amazon / Bouclé cushion, £40, John Lewis & Partners / Scallop-edged pasta bowl, £12, West Elm / Fleur De Lys Tumbler, £6 each in multiple colours, Anthropologie / Stelton Theo Teapot in Sand, £95, Amara
