Interior Design
7 Expert-Predicted Home Decor Trends We’ll See in 2021
Hint: Mid-century everything shows no sign of slowing down.
2020 saw its fair share of home trends, thanks to a surplus of time spent pondering our interiors—quite literally stuck staring at the design choices we might not have thought fully through. The good news is that it compelled people to take creativity to new levels, and really think critically about what they want to get out of their homes.
As a result, we’ve seen the resurgence of 80s silhouettes, an increase in accent walls, a focus on the “CottageCore” aesthetic, and more. What will 2021 bring, you ask? Well, we checked in with Pinterest, home improvement site Houzz, and interior design service Modsy to see what the top design trend predictions will be in the coming year.
1. Mid-Century Won’t Slow Down
Even though Modsy anticipated the Mid-Century craze to peter out in 2020, it shows no sign of stopping. They’re happy to admit that the small-space perfect, functional, and approachable lines of Mid-Century furniture, decor, and art will keep on keepin’ on through 2021. So don’t sell that tapered-leg dining table just yet.
2. Rethinking Open-Floor Plans
If you had a nickel for every time someone on House Hunters made “an open-floor plan” one of their must-haves, you could have… a lot of nickels. According to Houzz and Pinterest, 2021 will be the year that people finally rethink the open-floor plan, likely as a result of roommates and families being on top of one another in quarantine. Perhaps this will be the year of pocket doors? Barn doors? Enclosed kitchens? We shall see.
3. Open Shelving > Gallery Walls
Gallery walls will always have a place in our homes, but they’ve been hanging around (ha!) for quite some time, and we’re probably due for a new way to display multiple types of art and decor. As part of their 2021 trend report, Pinterest predicts that kitchens in particular will see even more open shelving to display beautiful copper cookware, colored glassware, and handmade clay dishes, of course.
4. Japandi Is the New Minimalism
If you’ve not yet heard of Japandi, it’s the combination of Scandanavian and Japanese design sensibilities (Japan + Scandi), which already happen to be rather similar. This fusion combines clean lines, bright spaces, light wood, and natural elements... i.e. all the things we know and love about both design styles. Pinterest predicts a serious uptick in the pursuit of Japandi style in 2021, and we’re just excited to see this come to fruition.
5. Keeping it Traditional
Maybe it was the 2020 exodus to the suburbs, or maybe it was all of us seeking the familiar in a turbulent year, but Modsy has seen a serious uptick in interest for more traditional furnishings and decor, which had previously been the least popular style chosen by users.
6. Low-Waste Living
While we’re not super surprised about this prediction, we are really proud. Not only are consumers more focused on reducing their environmental impact in 2021 regarding food and waste, but Modsy has seen the demand for sustainable furnishings greatly increase. We might finally be moving away from the fast-fashion home furnishings industry and into an age of more thoughtful consumption—one focused on second-hand finds, investment pieces, and manufacturers with transparent and sustainable practices.
7. EVEN more plants
Thought you’d seen the year of plants? Think again. We’re willing to bet that 2021 brings even. More. Plants. Into our homes. Not only do plants bring life to any room, but they’re something to nurture and care for—something to focus on instead of the instability of the outside world. So brace yourselves, because the plant walls and corners and windows are here to stay.
Written by: Caroline Mullen
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31 Comments
I have blended in various Danish Midcentury furniture pieces very well with my Southeast Asian interior design concept due to the clean lines of Midcentury furniture. I've been able to blend it all in over three different residences and different interior design concepts. Plus, due to spending my whole summers in Denmark for decades, I have been able to visit a lot of Danish furniture stores and watch the trends and then bring ideas and pieces home to add to what I already have. Danish friends and their parents have also been into Danish Midcentury for decades. Hans Wegner never goes out. I have 4 original Wishbone dining chairs and a Papa Bear arm chair.
As for open shelving in the article, it's not for me and probably not for those of us who are from earthquake states in general. That's a disaster waiting to happen.
And as for open floor planning, I've never been too big on the concept of the really big type of open floor planning. But, I don't have to deal with it in a Midcentury condo. My foyer and living room are open and flow out onto the terrace, but the dining area is set to the side and attached to the kitchen area so I have privacy in the kitchen. And as far as the bedrooms and bathrooms, there's a pocket door that separates the living room from the hallway entrance into the bedroom/bathroom area which is really fine with me as I can just close the pocket doors and then folks can't go past the foyer/living room/dining room/kitchen area.
We live in the Pacific Northwest. Any advice would be welcome.
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