Top Design Trends for 2022
If you’re planning on renovating or redecorating this year, you’re not alone.
2021 was one of Australia’s biggest years for renovations – ever – and experts are predicting the boom to continue throughout 2022. We’ve rounded up this year’s hottest design trends to get you started.
While some people were prompted by COVID lockdowns to move to a bigger house or make a tree or sea change last year, even more stayed put and renovated. According to the ABS, an incredible $11.82 billion worth of renovation approvals were granted around Australia in the 12 months to October 2021. With experts predicting that the COVID-19 renovation boom will continue throughout 2022, we’ve rounded up the latest trends in home design.
What’s new in colour?
The three colour schemes of Dulux’s 2022 colour forecast are titled Flourish, Restore and Wonder, which sound like a recipe for recovery after two years of pandemic living. Flourish marries rich, sensual tones like petrol blue, desert red and dusty rose with warm neutrals and vintage gold accents, evoking memories of travel and global cultures. Restore is a calm and reassuring palette guaranteed to bring comfort and cosiness with hues of buttermilk, pumice, clay, forest green, charcoal-purple and moss. And dreamy, optimistic Wonder, with its sentimental mix of cornflower blue, lilac, lemon, rose, and green quartz takes us back to the playful, summery vibes of the 80s.
Pantone, meanwhile, describes its colour of the year, Very Peri, as the ‘happiest and warmest of all the blue hues’. In fact, it’s so warm it’s more purple than blue. With Very Peri created especially for the Pantone Colour of the Year (the first time that’s been done in the program’s history), it’s been designed to ‘display a spritely, joyous attitude and dynamic presence that encourages creativity and imaginative expressions.’
Architectural Digest’s hip young offshoot Clever, meanwhile, is calling green – no matter the shade – as the colour of 2022.
What’s new in home design?
Interiors in 2022 will be all about comfort and personality. Given the amount of time we’ve spent indoors over the past two years, it’s no surprise to see comfortable homes trending. And with the whole world ready for a bit of fun and excitement, it’s understandable that the sterile appeal of minimalism is on the wane. This year it’s all about maximalism – curves, bold and zesty design, and joyful, whimsical décor.
More space is still at the top of homeowners’ wish lists in 2022, and a home office, or an outdoor shed that serves as a studio or additional room, will be a popular home addition this year.
The alternative to adding more rooms to your home is to make sure that the ones you have are truly multipurpose, able to be easily reconfigured and serve several functions. This trend is having a flow-on effect on furnishings, and multifunctional, modular furniture is having a moment. Think daybeds and sectional sofas that can be pulled apart and rearranged. Mirrors are also trending this year. And so are books – not just for reading, but for decoration. We all know that a well-curated bookshelf was the ultimate Zoom background in 2021, but now some designers are taking it a step further and fashioning staircases and tables out of vintage books.
Backyards and outdoor space have become more prized than ever, thanks to lockdowns, and the indoor/outdoor living space, where the line between inside and nature outside is blurred, is surging in popularity. With ‘pool’ the most searched term on Domain in October 2021, and a rush on swimming pool installation across Sydney, there’s no doubt a pool will be a hot ticket item in 2022.
What’s new in sustainability?
The good news is that in 2022, sustainability is segueing from a passing trend to an essential way of approaching home design. Brands, designers, architects and builders are increasingly considering the materials they use so that homeowners can renovate and decorate mindfully and sustainably without compromising on quality. This will be the year that we see the rental furniture movement take off, much as the rental fashion industry has in recent years.
Biophilia, meaning love of nature, has been trending in interior design for several years now, and it’s taking centre stage in 2022. Expect to see lots of natural light, fresh air, rustic finishes, organic forms and veritable forests of indoor plants (including indoor trees in large pots, such as lemon or olive). Natural textures and materials, like raffia, cane and rattan, are bigger news than ever (think a ‘contemporary conservatory’ look), and colour palettes based on earthy tones and clean hues prevail.
What’s new in materials?
Taking their cue from the move towards comfortable and individual interiors, products and materials that focus on the senses, emphasising tactility and sensory stimulation, will be the hot ticket in 2022. This means different things to different people, of course, so it might manifest as high-tech performance designs such as voice-activated taps or speakers, automated light bulbs or visually stimulating combinations of bold colours.
Bamboo, which is natural, sustainable and organic, is tipped to be the most important material to surface in furniture and lighting design this year. Of course, bamboo flooring is already widely available. And following the recent revival of concrete Besser blocks, glass blocks are now back. Transparent materials have been popular in interior design for a few years now, so it was only a matter of time. Keep an eye out for glass block tables, coming soon to a designer furniture store near you.
Are you thinking about buying or selling in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs this year? We’re here to help. Get in touch with my team today.