Interior Trends For 2022

Posted by Tobias Oliver Interiors on 3rd February 2022 -

January and February are a discernible time for thinking about home updates for the rest of the year, especially now so many of us continue to work from home. 

From new colour palettes to unique furniture choices, if your new year's resolution is to give your home a makeover, this is the perfect place to get inspired! 

So, what can we expect to see topping the trend charts for interiors in 2022? Curved shapes, textures and nature-inspired interiors are all named as styles to look out for this year.

 

Nature-inspired design

Taking inspiration from nature most definitely isn’t a new trend – in fact, it’s been near the top of the list for the last few years, after being shut inside so much! This focus of regaining our connection with the natural world is found to be both calming and mood boosting. Think natural materials such as stone and wood, and earthy colours like oranges, browns, rusts and terracotta. We love the Huang sideboard by Brabbu, featuring walnut root veneer.

 

The pandemic has made many of us look at our homes in different ways, and we want them to be places of cosy nurture where we can retreat and feel safe. Therefore, we will continue to see an emphasis on creating calming environments with natural lighting and ventilation, incorporating plants to form a visual connection with nature. 

The cheerful paint colour ‘Breakfast Room Green’ by Farrow & Ball, seen here, named after the east-facing rooms designed for languid mornings spent eating breakfast in dawn light, works perfectly to reconnect our space with nature. This soft shade reflects the natural world we've often retreated to during the pandemic and complements plants, whether art-depicted, or real, and works well to promote a sense of wellbeing within the home.

 

 

Curved and rounded edges

Curved, flowing and organic lines are all the rage this year, they feel more welcoming and friendlier than hard, angular surfaces. From curved corners within walls and cabinets to curved backs of sofas, dining chairs and arched cabinets, the angular line of furnishing is softening. You can soften existing furniture with the addition of rounded cushions and place circular rugs on bare floorboards to tap into this trend.

We love the soft curves on the Ether sofa by Jonathan Adler, further complimented by his Ripple design seen across the cushions, lighting and accent tables.

 

Outdoor Living

Unsurprisingly, outdoor living is set to continue as a big trend in 2022.

More and more people are enhancing their outdoor living spaces, which means stylish outdoor furniture is in abundance. With more intentionally designed outdoor spaces that don't sacrifice on style, you can expand your living and entertaining spaces to create that outdoor / indoor feel.

Rattan styles, bright colours and earthy tones will be especially popular in gardens and will include outdoor rugs, cushions and lighting. For limited outdoor space, floor cushions, low tables and blankets help to create a relaxed picnic vibe.

We love the smart, compact furniture by Ethimo, seen here - effortlessly stylish and super practical for outdoors.

 

Tactile textures

As we’ve been spending so much more time in our homes, many of us have been discovering that when it comes to home furnishings, our sense of touch can be just as important for comfort and wellbeing, as what we take in with sight.

What could be nicer than wrapping yourself in a chunky blanket when its chilly outside? Look for natural fibres such as linen, cotton, wool, jute and hemp for soft furnishings, and raw wood and stone for accents on furniture.

Our go to for the softest organic fabrics is de Le Cuona, seen here, their products are not only environmentally friendly and sustainable but kind to skin and hypoallergenic. You can read more about their organic processes on our previous blog here. 

 

Colour 

From Farrow & Ball and Dulux, to Benjamin Moore, the leading paint and colour experts have all revealed their forecasts for Colour of the Year 2022. The assortment initiates a sense of positivity and hope for the future, as well as a move towards integrating elements of wellbeing into the home. 

An appreciation of vintage style shows no sign of faltering - more on that later - with the timeless ‘Stone Blue’ by Farrow & Ball sitting alongside Dulux's ‘Bright Skies’ as the most on-trend blue shades this year. Shades of brown are set to be popular too, we're seeing chocolate browns, camels and caramels coming back, sticking very close to hues you would find in nature, which works especially well when accessorising with warm earthy paint colours. 

Benjamin Moore's Raccoon Fur, seen in this kitchen, has lovely blue undertones and takes the light differently throughout the day. It's dramatic without being too jarring. It can also help add character to cabinets and set the tone for a space.

However, ‘October Mist’ is Benjamin Moore's Colour of the Year for 2022. Calming and refreshing, this harmonious, earthy and nature-inspired hue – evoking the silver-green stem of a flower – is an ideal way to refresh your interiors. This shade does particularly well in a farmhouse setting, combined with soft, nature-inspired tones - pale sky blues, a scorched earth red, or chalky whites. A particularly calming colour combination puts October Mist with deeper fern greens.

Colours resonate in distinct ways for different people, some incline towards calming neutrals to counter the disorder of the world outside, whilst others relish brighter, vivid colours, reaching for optimism that herald a return to normality. 

Farrow & Ball’s sunny and uncomplicated ‘Babouche No.223’ is perfect for embracing this - whilst bold, it doesn’t feel garish or overpowering, which makes it perfect for a larger room. This buttery yellow can help to brighten a space with limited natural light, and when you consider the colour wheel, this particular shade would sit well with a pale blue or a soft pink/red. 

Image: Rebecca Hay

Vintage Vibes 

Vintage is still huge in the interior design world. Mixing vintage finds with contemporary accessories prevents your interior feeling dated – for example, how about giving an original Victorian chaise longue a twist with cushions in bright modern colours and fabrics. 

With this trend expect to see bold colours and pattern reminiscent of the 60’s and 70’s, and green in all shades as we continue to bring the outdoors in. We will be seeing more terracotta, sage and mustard colours as well as mid-century furniture trademarks — peg legs on cabinets and tables, teak wood tones as well as highly textured fabrics. 

Image: Mike Van Tassell

A Return to Tradition

Another returned trend we can expect to see is traditional styles of beautiful furniture, think English roll arm sofas, wingbacks, simple dining tables based on antique styles and pieces with detail and some history, such as these exquisite pieces by Timothy Oulton. 

For materials, we're going to see a lot more natural materials become popular again. Marble, real wood, linens, mohair - again things that feel more organic and nicer to the touch.

 

Luminous Lighting 

Lighting is one of the most important aspects of creating ambience in a room, so getting is right is crucial to nailing your design scheme. Here are some key lighting trends to look out for this year. 

Combining marble with metal is not new, we have of course used it in kitchens for years, however the unusual pairing within lighting is a thing of beauty and looks very sleek and smart indeed.

Bedside lights have taken a twist too, with beautiful pendant styles that allow you to play with height and depth and bring about a wonderful ambience for your bedroom, such as that seen here in one of our recent projects. 

Modern chandeliers have come a long way too since the hanging crystal drops that form elaborate centrepieces. Contemporary pieces are often more minimalist, more architectural and more interesting.

Certainly, the Salperton ceiling light from Porta Romana, shown here, gets our vote. A striking six-arm ceiling light, with an abstract and sculptural design, it is hand made in forged steel and finished to perfection right here in the UK. It's a real showstopper for sure!

So that's a wrap for now - we hope this has given you some food for thought.

As ever, we would be delighted to help advise you with design choices for your abode, or if you would like more information on any of the pieces shown here, just give us a call. You can contact us on 01442 818122, or email [email protected] and we would be happy to discuss your design aspirations with you. 

If you are considering a whole home redesign or perhaps you just need some help with sourcing furniture and accessories to fit your space, we are here to guide you.

In the meantime, wishing you a very healthy and happy 2022