Interior Design Trends for 2021 - Julia Khadiyev - Board Thirteen
Every January, interior design experts & influencers share their interior design trends. This year is different. Not even the world of interior design is immune to Covid-19.
We’ve curated a comprehensive list of Interior Design Trends for 2021 and we’ve asked interior designers from around the world to give us their feedback & to offer their own interior design trends for 2021.
For this article, we’ve asked Julia Khadiyev from Board Thirteen to share her thoughts on the interior design trends for 2021. Here’s what Julia had to say about the interior design trends for 2021:
COVID-19 INTERIOR DESIGN trends
Douglas Robb - Interior Design Toronto: As in our day-to-day lives, COVID-19 impacted interior design trends in 2 main ways:
Our physical, mental & emotional health
Our working life…specifically working from home
Let’s get started with our physical health & how the interior design trends for 2021 can help us live healthier lives
PHYSICAL HEALTH
AIR QUALITY
Douglas Robb - Interior Design Toronto: Indoor plants tick a lot of boxes...they filter the air for our physical health & connect us with nature to help our mental health.
Julia Khadiyev - Board Thirteen: Whether big leafy greens or small cactus next to your laptop, it all works out fine. Just remember to invest in a cute pot that relaxes the eye and blends well with your design aesthetic.
OUTDOOR SPACE
Douglas Robb - Interior Design Toronto: Re Covid-19, entertaining outdoors is safer than indoors. It offers the bonus of bringing us closer to nature.
Julia Khadiyev - Board Thirteen: Comfortable seating, BBQ area with a bar, a fire pit, and a maintenance-free garden is a good direction towards mindfulness and a good time by yourself or with close family.
NATURAL LIGHT
Douglas Robb - Interior Design Toronto: To bring more natural light & Vitamin D into our homes, more windows & lighter window treatments are on trend
Julia Khadiyev - Board Thirteen: Sheer curtains provide privacy while still letting plenty of light. Screens with a remote control are essential if you close and open your shades all the time.
MENTAL HEALTH
Fear of COVID-19 coupled with the fatigue, anxiety & depression brought on by lockdowns & working from home has hurt our mental health. Most interior design trends for 2021 seek to address those mental health needs in a variety of ways.
FEELING SAFE
Natural-looking color palettes & materials are on-trend in 2021. Simulating nature creates a feeling of nature, health & safety.
NATURE INSPIRED DESIGN
Douglas Robb - Interior Design Toronto: Building on the trends that bring nature indoors, we are seeing a return to earthy colors, textures & materials
Expect to see a move away from whites & greys and toward New neutral colors like millennial pink aka blush, Earthy, grounded shades, Natural furniture materials & colors, textured walls, Rustic ceramic tile backsplashes in kitchens, wallpaper murals, etc
Julia Khadiyev - Board Thirteen: Easy-going design is a trend and a way of life. If you do not feel like redoing everything, start small. Going even 10% out of a 100% is still a win. Decorate a small patch of a room, paint only a small amount or one wall. Interior design updates are super fulfilling because they give an almost instant return on the amount of energy spent.
COMFORT / WARMTH / COZINESS
Like a great big hug from Mom, the human need to feel comforted during times of stress is universal. The following design trends use different terms, but all come back to the idea of a home that is safe, welcoming, warm & cozy
OLD IS NEW AGAIN
Douglas Robb - Interior Design Toronto: There are a LOT of “old is new again” trends for 2021:
GRANDMILLENIAL GRANDEUR or GRANNY CHIC
COTTAGECORE (aka Farmcore or Countrycore)
RUSTIC VOGUE
CLASSIC TRADITIONALISM
SHABBY CHIC
OLD WORLD EUROPEAN DESIGNS
NEW MINIMALISM
LAYERED MODERN
CONTEMPORARY COUNTRY
FAMILY FOCUSED DESIGN
HAND-CRAFTED FURNITURE & ACCESSORIES
KNICK KNACKS
COUNTERTOP LIGHTING
AN EVEN GREATER FOCUS ON ENTERTAINMENT SPACES
Julia Khadiyev - Board Thirteen: Remember to keep it modern AND then add some grandma pieces. Let your family history or a part of it shine but not overshadow your way of design and style.
ESCAPE / JOY / PLAYFULNESS
In addition to feeling safe and protected, feeling joy is something we all need after this year of Covid insanity. Designers will help by bringing a sense of joy, escape & playfulness into our homes.
STRONG COLORS MIXED WITH NEUTRALS
Douglas Robb - Interior Design Toronto:
All-white interiors may be over.
Blush (millennial pink) has been the hot color for a while. Now, it’s becoming the hot neutral color...bye-bye greige
Earthy-toned paint colors are going to be popular. Expect to see lots of:
rusts
warm greens (olive, moss, forest green)
deep reds
muddy browns
burnt orange
peacock blue
Julia Khadiyev - Board Thirteen: Our ways of life are too uncertain right now. Play and experiment and give yourself room to make mistakes. Mistakes are good. Have fun making them.
BOLD ART
Douglas Robb - Interior Design Toronto: Graphic art, Abstract art
YOUR THOUGHTS: While on quarantine how about learning abstract art? Art therapy is booming right now. It is a good way to understand color, composition, and zone out from the things that drive us crazy every day.
BOLD SHAPES
Douglas Robb - Interior Design Toronto: Geometric Shapes - Postmodern and 1980s Memphis-inspired pieces are here to stay!
Julia Khadiyev - Board Thirteen: Do you know why? Because they are bold, playful, and abstract.
WORKING FROM HOME
MULTIPURPOSE SPACES
Douglas Robb - Interior Design Toronto: We all made our living spaces work for us last year, and many of our rooms served multiple purposes. We added workspaces to our living rooms, classrooms into our kitchens, and gyms to our bedrooms. This year, people will hire designers to take their DIY efforts to a higher level.
Julia Khadiyev - Board Thirteen: Please consult a professional if you want to make an addition to your home or extension. Nothing decreases the value of a house more than a bad design plan. Zoning, codes, and ergonomics as well as finishes should be a priority when modifying an existing space.
BIDETS...yes, bidets
Douglas Robb - Interior Design Toronto: While this trend may seem a little ridiculous, we all remember how people hoarded toilet paper at the start of COVID. Many trend lists highlighted an increase in requests for bidets to be included in bathroom renos. Who knew?
Julia Khadiyev - Board Thirteen: The European way is two fixtures in one room. If space is sparse, use a two-in-one option or bidet sprayer. It might turn out even more economical than you think.
ENVIRONMENTAL / GREEN TRENDS
SUSTAINABILITY & NATURE
Douglas Robb - Interior Design Toronto: We will continue to see an increase in the use of natural materials and more focus on sustainability in the interiors industry
Julia Khadiyev - Board Thirteen: Cotton, linen, hemp, silk, and tencel are great to touch and last well if taken care of properly.
NATURAL MATERIALS
Douglas Robb - Interior Design Toronto: Earth tones, terra cotta, wicker, rattan, wood, linen. Synthetic fabrics such as polyester, nylon, and rayon may lose ground to natural and recycled textiles in 2021. Accessories - stone, wood, seashells, plants, etc
Julia Khadiyev - Board Thirteen: Please research sources for the “eco-materials”. Naturally sourced seashells are not the same thing as taking one from the beach. If the real wood is coming from halfway around the world, it is not eco-friendly. A stone that is installed improperly is a waste.
DECORATIVE SMART LIGHTING
Douglas Robb - Interior Design Toronto: Smart lighting allows homeowners to set schedules, save energy, save money and create an ambiance that fits their needs.
Julia Khadiyev - Board Thirteen: LED lighting with warm light, up to 2700K, is a good choice for most residential spaces. Stay away from Fluorescent lamps that produce blue light. Those are not sustainable and produce micro flickering that affects the eyesight. Please never throw your light bulbs into the trash. Any electric appliance or home goods store collects used batteries and lamps.
NATURAL LIGHTING
Douglas Robb - Interior Design Toronto: Vitamin D is linked to improved health & resistance to COVID-19. More sunlight leads to increased vitamin D which may lead to better COVID-19 resistance & general health.
Julia Khadiyev - Board Thirteen: If an extra window is not an option, lighter fabrics and finishes, and glossy surfaces might increase the amount of light coming in. In the meantime, vitamin D can be taken orally.
THE “NORMAL” INTERIOR DESIGN TRENDS FOR 2021
These interior design trends have less to do with COVID-19 or the environment and more to do with old-fashioned aesthetics & the industry’s natural shifts between interior design styles. You know, the fun stuff.
FURNITURE
Douglas Robb - Interior Design Toronto: Matching furniture sets are over
Julia Khadiyev - Board Thirteen: If you have them, the sustainable thing would be to spread them all over the house or apartment. Noone said they need to be all in one room. And if you are adventurous enough, paint or update it with new color, finish, or hardware.
METAL
Douglas Robb - Interior Design Toronto: Partially due to a return to natural & industrial design elements, metal is going to be popular in 2021. In addition to kitchen & bath applications, metal is going to be popular throughout the home. Warm metals like brass, bronze, and copper are going to be big. Metal lamps combine perfectly with marble, glass, and concrete
Julia Khadiyev - Board Thirteen: Also, white, blue, black, or any other color is on-trend and is here to stay.
About Julia Khadiyev & Board Thirteen
Julia is an interior designer who is passionate about creating a timeless atmosphere on any budget. She believes every room has great potential and can help understand design principles for every corner.
Website: www.boardthirteen.com
Email: julia.k@boardthirteen.com
Phone: +66 63 598 6608
Facebook: @BoardThirteen
Instagram: @boardthirteen_interiors
Pinterest: @boardthirteen
Interior Design Trends for 2021
Only in 2021 could COVID-19 be the #1 interior design trend. Fingers crossed, we’re back to some sort of normal next year & the interior design trends for 2022 are way less serious & way more fun. Stay healthy everybody.
DIRECTORY
For more details about the Interior Design Trends for 2021, check out this article