The interior design trends set to define your home in 2021
If you’ve got big designs on renovating and redecorating your home in 2021, take a look at our predictions for the trends that will shape interior style in the coming year.
Image: Benjamin Moore
You can spend the next year pretending 2020 didn’t happen all you want, but some of the biggest trends in interiors and gardens have been inspired by the fallout of the pandemic, changing our relationships with our homes in a quicker timespan than ever before.
We got the low-down from the tastemakers and trend experts on what’s going to be big news in 2021 for your home. Ready to find out what the year has in store?
Zoned homes
Image: Annie Sloan
For years, we’ve seen a move towards large, open-plan homes that mean your home can be a family hub. However, once you’ve realised that this quickly means you don’t have space for your at-home version of school, office, gym, hairdressers and nursery to be their own separate entities, the limitations of open-plan living comes to light.
‘Zoning your home into various spaces for different activities is a design concept I have talked about before,’ says interior designer Kelly Hoppen, ‘however, this year it has come to the forefront as an authentic solution to the creating multi-functional homes. Designers will move away from open-plan homes, and those with open-plan spaces already will prioritise storage, in order to allow for home offices, study spaces or gym equipment to be packed away and replaced by another function.’
While we’re unsure what the future holds right now for how we will live in our homes in a post-pandemic world, it’s certainly been an eye-opener to how we structure the layout of our homes.
Warm palettes
Image: Carpetright
We’ve seen beige tones take over from grey as the neutral of choice in 2020, and colour seems set to continue down this warmer route for 2021, venturing further into shades of terracotta, pinks, oranges and reds.
‘When it comes to colour, 2021 will bring more heritage shades at the darker end of the palette,’ says Life Kitchens’ Daniela Condo. ‘These rich, warm colours work together to create a homely feel that is harder to replicate with lighter colours.’
Read more: Top trending paint colours for 2021
Cottagecore
The cottagecore trend has been bubbling under the surface in 2020, and is now ready to explode into the new year. The trend looks at a return to country-inspired ideals – rustic finishes, traditional patterns and classic craftsmanship, but with a fresh twist that makes it modern.
Read more: Why cottage-inspired interiors are making a huge comeback
Layer up busy patterns, rich colours and focus on your home’s traditional details to nail this look. Here’s how Laura, from one of our favourite Instagram accounts right now, nails the cottagecore look in her home. How dreamy!
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Textural twists
Image: Swyft Home
Bouclé is the fabric trend that is in for a big boom in 2021 with more furniture sellers focussing on this key trend than ever. From Made’s beautiful sofas and armchairs, to this collection between Swyft and stylist Luke Arthur Wells, we predict seeing a lot more of this loopy, textured textile in homes in the coming year.
‘The classic bouclé is in a light, off-white,’ explains Luke. ‘It’s not going to be ideal for a sofa for everyone, especially if you have children or pets, but it’s perfect for an accent chair to add some texture to your space.’
Read more: 5 ways to bring the bouclé trend to your living room
Sustainable ideas
Image: Crown
You can also expect to see a growing focus on mindfulness about our homes and what we choose to put in them. In 2021, there will undoubtedly be a shift towards investing more thoughtfully in furniture that is made form sustainable sources and that lasts a long time, while we also expect to see more designs made from recycled products in interesting and intriguing forms and a continued move away from plastic. Crown Paints not only have an eco-friendly breatheasy range, but are making the move to use recycled plastic for its paint cans! We love an easy eco win!
Read more: Crown Paints trends: Interior colour predictions for 2021
Floral installations
Image: Funnyhowflowersdothat.co.uk
If Christmas 2020 is anything to go by, competitive ornamental floral displays will be huge in interiors in 2021. We can see Valentine’s, Easter, Halloween and more all getting larger and larger displays on mantels and over tables as Instagrammers try to break the internet.
Read more: Cut flowers: 5 trending blooms for 2021
Japandi
Image: Dobbies
Japan and Scandinavia may be many thousands of miles apart, but they share a common design language which has lead to the creation of the term Japandi. Pared-back minimalism meets natural materials with a focus on craftsmanship.
‘Minimalism is key with Japandi, as is focusing on the functional nature of the space without an abundance of decor. Unlike the separate design concepts, the merging of these styles ensures there is variance in texture that wouldn’t be found in Japanese decor and elements of colour that wouldn’t be seen in something quintessentially Scandi,’ says Mike Manders, Lusso Stone‘s Managing Director.