Interior Design Predictions for the New Decade

Tomorrow we greet a new decade and I can’t help but feel as though the interiors world is ready for some new eye candy. The decade started with shiplap and farmhouse style taking the world by storm and, shockingly, those trends are standing strong while the 2010s are coming to a close. But if you’re anything like me, you may be ready to see farmhouse style hit the history books and bid adieu to our homes. Or, if you’re REALLY like me, you never want to be doing what everyone else is doing in the first place, anyway.

That said, we are ALL touched by trends whether we like to acknowledge that or not. Sarah Sherman Samuel, for example, is one of the great design minds gracing the earth at this moment, but even she is not immune to the newer trends of serpentine lines, graphic color, and the recent 1980s art deco revival.

So, instead of telling you where I think 95% of the design world is headed for the 2020s, I’m simply going to share with you five “underground” trends that I am dying to try out in my own home, and that I think you will see seep their way into the mainstream:

ZELLIGE TILE

We’re looking at an upcoming bathroom renovation here at KPV, and I can almost guarantee you that zellige tile will be making an appearance. With its irregular surface and organic imperfections, zellige epitomizes the pulse of where the design world is headed, yet is underused enough to still feel intimate and personal. Kelly of StudioDIY (bathroom pictured above) and Megan of undecorated_home completed my two favorite bathroom renovations of 2019, and it’s no coincidence that zellige played a lead role.

CANE CHAIRS

Perhaps the thing I love most about caning is that it can be personalized. An old antique caned chair will fit beautifully in a traditional home, while a cantilevered Marcel Breur-type will add a perfect organic touch to the modern home. I am loving the multitude of different cane chair designs hitting the market, but like most other things on earth, this trend looks best in vintage.

FRUIT TREES

I don’t think the indoor plant trend is going anywhere in the 2020s. In fact, I strongly believe it’s the one trend that will continue to be embraced by nearly everyone, from the staunchest traditionalist to the most cutting-edge innovators in design. Plants have become the new sofa: everyone has at least one, and the variations will go in and out of style as assuredly as the moon sets the tides. But what species should we leave in 2019? Our beloved Fiddle Leaf Figs. And what should we shop for the next time we hit up the local plant nursery? Kumquats, olive trees and any other Mediterranean-inspired species that will bear the kind of fruit that will spark delight with both our tongues and our eyes.

COLOR

Ok, I get it. You all know I love color. But, TRULY, the most over-exhausted design trend (in my humble opinion) of the 2010s was the neutral room. And I get it. Neturals can be soothing, unobtrusive and serene. But I do think many of us are tiring of scrolling our Instagram feeds for hours before finding anything between black and white on the light spectrum. That said, I think the color we will be seeing in 2020 will be much more considered, curated, and intentional (much like the look seen in HommeBoys design above). Out with the boho rainbow rooms, and in with a more calculated use of color. It will be used as more of an aesthetic tool, and less of an entire medium of design. Nonetheless, we will see more of it.

WOOD

For the past 10 to 20 years we’ve all been picking up our paint brushes any time we see a splash of wood in our homes, and slapping on some paint to disguise its nature. While I do think we will continue to see moldings painted (though we’ll see more variation instead of the predictable white), we will see more and more natural wood pieces in our homes. Reclaimed wood has been on trend for a while, and will continue to be, but I think we’ll be bringing in more wood decor pieces and leaving those antique dressers au naturale. Burled wood will be making a comeback (such as the piece seen above used by aglassofbovino), but we will also be embracing the beauty of wood’s simplicity through pieces like antique dough bowls.

What trends are you all dying to try in 2020? And which ones are you hoping will be left behind? Let me know in the comments below!

Happy New Year!