Maison&Objet Market Interior Design Trends Recap
Last month I had the opportunity to travel to London and Paris for a whirlwind shopping and interior design trend-spotting trip.
As I’ve mentioned, travel is an integral part of my life and one I try never to take for granted. Like everyone, Covid impacted my life quite a bit over the last several years, but one of the places I felt that impacted me the most was restrictions to travel. I was so glad to be back in London after four years away, and Paris is always a delight. This was the first time I traveled to a trade show purely on behalf of my business and design pursuits, and it was almost overwhelmingly inspiring.
I was fortunate to attend the famed Maison&Objet show, where I could preview phenomenal artists, designers, concepts, materials, and more. Being back out in the world and physically touching and feeling items reminded me how important your senses are in creating a sense of place. Textiles, scents, colors, and sounds can help create a refined, unique, and finely finished interior. I can appreciate the ease of online sourcing as much as the next person, but I’ve realized that after a while, it can start to feel like drudgery, and worse – it can result in formulaic design.
Shopping the many boutiques, galleries, trade shows, and markets over a week gave me just the lift and inspiration I needed. As I reflect on my trip, there are a few interior design trends and ideas that I expect to see grow over the next year or so. I’m not psychic, but I have years of experience in global retail market trends, so here’s what I see coming down the design pipeline.
Interior Design Trend 1: Color Comeback
For several years, monochromic design has been trending in interior design. White on cream, shades of gray, or the aptly named “greige,” helped create homes with a sense of peace and calm. But in a post-pandemic world, we’re all looking for a bit of color and fun. The colors I see in up-and-coming designs still include soft, chalky earth tones –wheat, terracotta, browns, and yellows.
Brighter colors are also making their way through, but even those on the cooler side of the palette have an underlying warmth. With consumers focused on eco-conscious products, natural dyes have become more popular and inherently imbue those warm, earthy tones: beet red, chartreuse yellows, and forest greens. If you’ve been starved for color, now is the time to dive into whatever shade makes you happy.
Interior Design Trend 2: Entertaining Returns
People have been anxiously awaiting the return of the cozy dinner party, and the next wave of design is ready for it. A well-laid table is central to this interior design trend, with a casual, eclectic mixture of materials, colors, and styles. From porcelain to pottery, timeless to timely, it’s all about picking delightful pieces. Formality has gone out the window in many ways, and the tablescape is no exception. Hosts will favor fun over fussy, but don’t expect that to mean a minimalist approach. Generous textiles, decorative elements, and a maximalist layout will bring everyone back to the table.
Interior Design Trend 3: Curves Ahead
I can’t express enough how many curves I saw over the course of a week. The mid-century design aesthetic has championed solid lines and geometric shapes for a while. But the response to that moment has finally come, and I’m here to tell you the form of it is round. Plush, rounded sofas, graphic patterns chock full of graceful arches, and bubble-like glassware and pottery may be one of the most significant upcoming shifts in home décor accessories, furniture, and lighting. Expect to see this interior design trend extend into architecture, with fewer sharp-edged modern homes and more organic, freeform structures.
Interior Design Trend 4: Perfectly Imperfect
If nothing else, the last few years have taught us all how to temper our expectations. Perfection isn’t even relevant anymore, let alone attainable. Consumers are ready to embrace imperfect, non-standard pieces into their homes because it feels more authentic to our lives. For some, this will mean second-hand items that are ready to be reused; for others, this will mean organic or handmade products that are, by nature, unique and one-of-a-kind.
The Japanese have a term for this interior design trend: wabi-sabi, which more or less means “flawed beauty.” In this design philosophy, the transient nature of anything earthly is keenly noted, and there is a deep appreciation for things that reflect this impermanence. We will all do well to adopt this philosophy in many areas beyond home décor.
Interior Design Trend 5: Reduce, Reuse, Regenerate
The conscious consumer is now the average consumer. People are demanding products and brands to do better – for the environment and those who consume them. Additionally, society is looking for equity and inclusivity, which means all design needs to step up to the plate with answers that don’t just slow the degradation of the environment but actively seek to repair it. Greenwashing is uncovered every day by some of the biggest brands on the planet, and smaller brands are slipping into the space where these corporations are lagging or downright failing. Bio-based, recycled, and reused materials are gaining popularity and market share and will continue to grow as unsustainable resources are tapped out. This interior design trend showcases how design responds to global issues that matter to everyone – not just the elite and stylish.
Interior Design Trend 6: Collaboration in the Cloud
Shortly, tech and nature will intersect to increase personal well-being and collective health. There’s a focus on wellness tech, mainly to cope with stress and enhance self-care. Cloud computing and increased internet access will continue to push the demand for digital collaboration – and the metaverse will be there waiting. In addition to pure convenience, cloud collaboration is an answer to how to decrease our carbon footprint – by reducing commuting and lessening the need for industrial complexes and developments. How will this unique interior design trend overlap with and play into the virtual side of reality?
