It may be time to update your decor.
A Trulia survey released in December reports only 6 percent of homeowners plan to sell their home in 2018, though 16 percent say they plan to sell in the next two years, which means renovations will likely be on the rise in the coming year. Whether you’re renovating your home for yourself, updating your home to sell it or simply want to spice up a living space that you rent, you’ll see some new trends entering the interior design field this year — and others easing out of the spotlight. Here’s what to keep an eye out for in 2018.
Spaces are getting more flexible.
The open floor plan still remains popular for many homebuyers, but a wide-open box layout is being left behind. Lee Crowder, design gallery and model branding manager for Darling Homes, a subsidiary of homebuilder Taylor Morrison Inc. based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, says many buyers of new homes enjoy having dedicated spaces for sitting areas or dining, but they also want the flexibility to personalize. Where there was once a cutout area clearly meant for the TV, Crowder says, many floor plans are beginning to welcome more variety based on individual preference. “We shouldn’t really be telling buyers where to put their furniture and how to do it,” Crowder says. “They should be able to come and envision the space with their furniture.”
Midcentury modern inspiration will take a back seat.
The design movement from the mid-20th century made a comeback around the time that “Madmen” became a hit TV show on AMC, and it has stuck around since. While the clean lines and simple utility have become a classic part of design, you can expect to see fewer midcentury modern pieces in interior design in the near future. “Midcentury modern is on the precipice of settling down a little bit,” says Corey Damen Jenkins, an interior designer based in Birmingham, Michigan. “It’ll remain with us, but I think we’ll be looking at some other influences in that same genre.” Expect to see some pieces of midcentury furniture, such as chairs or a coffee table, stick around to mix with more traditional design.
Embrace traditional nouveau design.
In place of midcentury modern, expect more traditional nouveau inspiration, with a nod toward neoclassicism and older design styles that also incorporates a more eclectic feel pulling from art nouveau decor. “The pendulum’s kind of coming back more towards traditional design,” Jenkins says. You can expect more antique pieces of furniture, but with a “nod toward the future,” he says. Jenkins says clients are looking to incorporate something like an 18th-century credenza, but then paint it in a brighter color.
Wood floors are here to stay, but changing.
Don’t worry — shag carpet is not coming back. Wood floors will remain the focus of flooring in many homes, whether it’s reclaimed pine, bamboo or engineered wood. But Crowder says buyers of new homes are moving away from dark, ebony woods and opting for lighter options. “We’re seeing a really wide plank — probably a 7- to 5-inch plank — in a lighter finish,” Crowder says. Greige — a combination of gray and beige — is a more popular option for many wood floors, she says.
Trim around the interior gets simple.
Another departure in new-build homes is opting out of crown molding, Crowder says, which has been a buyer preference for years. While baseboards, positioned where the wall and floor meet, remain fairly wide in buyer preference, there’s no added frill or flair to the design. “It’s pretty refreshing to see this simple style come through,” Crowder says. She adds that buyers, in many cases, are opting to paint the baseboard the same color as the walls, so there’s “not that pop of white trim” that’s been standard for a long time.
Brown decor returns.
Beige may not be back quite yet, but you can expect to see more brown colors in decor than in previous years, when gray has been the primary neutral color. “I do see chocolate and brown becoming a bit more powerful,” Jenkins says. He notes that earth tones are never too far away in interior design, as they create a level of comfort simply because they appear naturally around us. “They’re soothing, they’re sexy and people can just relate to them,” he says.
Expect more jewel tones and bright colors.
Neutrals and earth tones aside, you can expect to see some more pops of color in design in 2018. Pantone’s Color of the Year for 2018 was announced as Ultraviolet. In a press release about the choice, the Pantone Color Institute noted the deep purple color “communicates originality, ingenuity and visionary thinking that points us toward the future.” But purple won’t be the only color making an appearance this year, as Jenkins says jewel tones and bright colors are also coming in to liven up rooms more. Neutrals will still be there, he says, “but putting [in] that emerald green and the orange, it’s very fresh and vibrant.”
Rose gold days are over.
The popularity of the gold color with a pink hue took over jewelry, light fixtures and even iPhones, but designers are seeing an end to rose gold — and they’re pretty happy about it. “Rose gold is done. Rose gold should never have begun,” Jenkins says. Instead, gold of the nonrose variety and brass are coming back into style for light fixtures and hardware in kitchens and bathrooms.
Feel free to mix metals.
Hopefully you haven’t decked every piece of metal in your home in rose gold, but you also don’t have to be concerned about completely redesigning your house to meet new interior design trends in metals. Instead, Crowder says, it’s OK to have a more eclectic mix. “People are not going to completely redo their whole home in brass light fixtures, but you can redo the hardware in the kitchen and maybe keep your old bronze light fixtures,” Crowder says. The trend toward mixed metals has been becoming more popular in recent years, and in conjunction with other trends, this is a nod to simplicity of design without everything having to perfectly match.
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9 Interior Design Trends to Look Out for in 2018 originally appeared on usnews.com
