As the winter months drag on here in Colorado, you may be looking to change things up a bit. But while your outdoor construction projects will likely have to wait until the spring, now is the perfect time to begin working on improving your home’s interior.
With good interior design, you can welcome your home into the New Year, making it trendier than ever before. In just the past few years, certain trends have completely reversed themselves. In this guide, we will take a look at some of the most popular interior design trends of 2018.
- Gray is no longer the go-to neutral color.
For quite some time, gray has been considered to be the ‘go-to’ neutral color by many interior designers. After all, gray is a color that is less intense than black and does not get nearly as dirty as white. But in recent years, beige, tan, and other similar neutral-colors have become much more popular.
Using a color such as beige can give your home all of the benefits of a neutral color scheme (especially ease of selling) while also still having an “Earthy” appearance. Beige is a color that is much more natural than gray, and naturally, it has become the most preferred neutral color.
- Mixing warm colors with neutral colors is more common than ever before.
Once you have a neutral color scheme in place, you are probably going to want to find ways to make your home look a little bit livelier. Mixing in warm colors—particularly orange and red—can help spark a fire in an otherwise neutral landscape.
Your commitment to the use of warm colors doesn’t have to be huge. Simply throwing in some colorful pillows, blankets, or even furniture can make a big difference overall.
- Native American patterns have become exceptionally popular.
Over the past few years, many interior designers have been using Native American patterns to establish a more rustic and authentic tone. Whether these patterns are featured in the room’s rugs, furniture, or works of art, Native American patterns can really give a room some character.
Additionally, “tribal” patterns—specifically patterns and animal prints from Africa—can also give an otherwise boring room some much needed exotic flair.
- Wall art is making a comeback.
Because neutral wall colors have become more popular (and especially because wall paper has become less popular), the use of wall art is on the rise. Wall art is an excellent way to establish an overarching theme for the room. The use of wall art makes it easy for those who enter the room to learn something new about the homeowner.
- Live plants have become a growingtrend.
If you are trying to make a room seem a little livelier, why not consider adding something that is actually alive? Live plants can help make a room seem a little more natural.
Furthermore, taking care of a live plant may be easier than you think. As long as you are able to occasionally give it water and nutrients, the plant should be just fine. If you are really worried about the plant’s well-being, getting a tasteful cactus is an even easier option.
- Customized ceilings are definitely looking up.
For so long, many people have been content with simply keeping all of the ceilings in their home plain white. But why does this need to be the case? Just as painting a wall can give a room some character, painting the ceiling can do the exact same thing.
If you are nervous about painting your ceiling, you may want to begin by using a simple pattern. Adding something as simple as a border around the top of the room can help make the room a little more unique.
- Unconventional lighting seems to have a bright future.
One of the components of interior design that is quite frequently overlooked is the lighting. While many people have largely relied on lamps and ceiling fixtures to provide them with light, using unconventional alternatives has become a more popular option.
These alternatives include things such as candles, rock lights, and even (tastefully implemented) string lights. Using these dimmer, more original sources of light can help set a more relaxed mode. There is something unusually calming about coming home from work and surrounding yourself by candlelight.
- Marble bathrooms are the new must-have.
Over the past few years, there has been a general emphasis on luxury bathrooms throughout the entirety of the interior design industry. Moving into 2018, it seems this trend will inevitably continue.
Marble can be utilized in your bathroom in a variety of different ways. Whether you are using marble for the floor, the counters, the bathtub—or all of the above—it is a truly timeless material that is also quite easy to keep clean.
- The smart home is a smart choice.
Another common theme in the home design industry is the use of smart technology throughout the entire home. If you are looking to bring your home into the 21st Century, you may want to take a look at the options you have available. Surround sound systems, automatic lighting, and customized features are just a few of the ways smart technology is frequently being used.
- Detail > Simple
Culture, art, and design trends seem to all come in very obvious waves. At one point in time, people will value simple patterns, at other points in time, detailed patterns will be more popular.
When looking at overall trends in interior design—or in all artistic parts of society—it is clear that we are experiencing a point in time where attention to detail is highly valued. Because of this, complicated patterns have become increasingly popular.
Ultimately, your home is something that should be designed around your own tastes. But if you are someone who is looking to sell your home in the near future or are someone who wants to keep up with the times, following these trends can be incredibly beneficial.
