Home Decorating Trends

You know what they say...everything old is new again.

For the longest time in home design, velvet has been synonymous with luxury and opulence, and I’m not suggesting that’s changed overnight. But when I spoke to interior designer Nicole Gibbons just before the holidays, she seemed to think that this once fancy pants material was starting to go mainstream, mainly because of advances in fabric technology.

There’s a new trend sweeping the ‘gram and it’s not a flashy filter. Retailers from all over the globe are starting to use the social media platform to sell their goods, so you can actually shop for stuff while scrolling through their feeds. You’ve probably seen the little white shopping bag icons popping up in the upper right hand corner of some of your favorite retailer’s feeds.

If House Beautiful Editor-in-Chief Sophie Donelson has anything to say about it, we're done with white kitchens.

A quick Pinterest search or conversation with a decorator will tell you 2018 is going to be quite the throwback year design-wise. Specifically, the ’70s and ’80s are surging, and two of those decades’ close-cousin decorative motifs—terrazzo and anything Memphis style—are bubbling up to the surface.

It might be time for white marble to step down from its throne.

Pepto pink—and all its rosé-colored incarnations—really enjoyed a moment in 2017 in the home and fashion design space. And by moment, I mean a whole year (or two). Personally, as much as I enjoy a pop of pink here and there, I’ve had enough of it already. Which got me to thinking, what’s going to be the next “it” color? A few decorator friends told me it would be off-white, but, as essential neutrals, cream and beige never really went away.

Each year, the color experts at Pantone make a pick for Color of the Year. Sometimes their selections are right on the money—in 2016, they correctly predicted the rise of Millennial pink. Other choices seem a bit…odd. 2014’s Radiant Orchid wore out its welcome fast, and while it’s a lovely color, I’m still kind of at a loss as to what to do with Ultra Violet. But by far the biggest head-scratcher of recent memory was 2015’s Marsala.

There's a new contender in town that we're happy to get behind.

We’re calling it now. The geometric trend that presented itself in the triangle print here and the faceted vase there is about to blow up. With Pantone declaring it one of the hottest trends of the new year (and we personally agree based on what we’ve been seeing), you’re bound to notice simple shapes picking up speed and adorning everything from tiles, wallpaper, home furnishings and decor. Expect to see plenty of circles, triangles and hexagons galore!

Blue and white ginger jars have always had a special place in decorators’ (and grandma’s) hearts, but Chinoiserie has had a massive boom in searches on Pinterest lately, meaning it’s going mainstream. And that spike is only part of a much larger trend of old, antique, and retro aesthetics coming back into vogue. Not only are ginger jars having a moment, but so are sputnik lamps, velvet upholstery, and rattan pieces, among many others.

Late last year, popular designer, Emily Henderson, mentioned that she’s over brass finishes and digging chrome lately. This from the gal whose blog used to be called “The Brass Petal”? That’s a major departure for her, but she might have a point. I’m glad design is past the love affair it had with brushed nickel in the early 2000s, and while I personally still love a little gold glitz, I feel like I can maybe get down with shiny silver chrome, too.

With a new year comes a renewed interest in upcoming design shifts. And while we frequently turn to decor experts and pros to tell us what they’re seeing, sometimes, what’s in the pipeline can be easily seen right at the retail level. Cruising through West Elm’s recent spring release revealed nine trends we’re pretty pumped about. Check them out and let us know what you think!

There were a lot of interesting things going on, design-wise, in 2017, and we did our best to keep you apprised of them all. Looking back over the trends we reported on in the past year, there are a few that feel like a flash in the pan, but others that we’d be happy to see stick around for another year (or more). Here are our best bets for design trends from 2017 that will continue into 2018, and beyond. Sick of all-white interiors? So is everyone else.

As we welcome the new year, we’re also looking back on this past year in design—to the trends we want to see more of, and to others we’re more than ready to say goodbye to. Here are 5 trends from 2017 that are starting to feel a bit tired. White, and often only white, has been the hue that’s dominated interiors for a long, long time now. In 2018, we’re feeling a change: bolder colors, and lots of them.

There’s a new term roaming the corridors of the internet that made our ears perk up the second we heard it and we think you’re going to like it, too. It’s called a “pajama lounge”, and we want one. The idea is nothing new, though: growing up in suburbia, you may have had an upstairs loft or living room where the kids studied, watched TV maybe before heading down to the kitchen for a bowl of cereal if your home was spacious enough.

While you can’t judge a book by its cover, you can definitely appreciate its cover art. With that logic, it’s no surprise then that some of the greatest book (and album, magazine, and newspaper) covers of all time are suddenly popping up in the form of wall artwork in the homes of tastemakers across the globe.

Well, Pinterest has spoken, and according to the inspirational search engine, “Plastic makes perfect.” What does that mean exactly? Well, the terms “Lucite” and “patent leather” have been popping up a ton in their site searches lately and they’re placing major bets that the clear material will be everywhere by spring. And while this trend was declared for fashion, we think it’s an easy jump to home decor.

Wall-to-wall carpeting or sponge painted walls, anyone?

Obsessed with the giant knit blanket trend but don't feel like remortgaging your home in order to afford one?

With the new year looming, we couldn’t help but take a sneak peek to see what we might be purchasing, making, loving, and coveting in 2018. We turned to Nancy Fire, the design powerhouse behind Design Works International, HGTV Home, Studio Design NYC, and Kelly Ripa Home to help us navigate what’s new and what’s next.

2017 was a year infatuated with desert vibes. Everywhere you turned it seemed as though someone was waving goodbye to city life for the quiet and dusty roads of Joshua Tree, or you know, cactus stores were popping up in your neighborhood. And now, one look at Instagram, and you’ll notice that those desert vibes have taken over Christmas in a big way. Enter: The Cactus Christmas tree.

Bye bye gallery wall.

And no, it's not blush, again.

Okay, look, let me be perfectly honest: this post wasn’t my idea. When Arlyn, our Design Editor, suggested that I write about fringe as a new design trend, my initial reaction was, well, skeptical. My associations with fringe are few, and unflattering: that leg lamp from “A Christmas Story”, cheap costumes from low-budget Wild West saloon scenes, heavy tassels hanging from overdone 1980s window treatments. But, gamely, I dived into a little Pinterest research.

Nothing says “welcome home” like a smart exterior. Though if your curb appeal could use some punching up, there’s a relatively simple and effective way to change that, and it’s currently trending on Pinterest. Today, the Pinterest 100—the company’s 2018 trend report—was released, and we spied this tried and true trick for updating your home: a boldly hued front door.

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what gives the half wreath its undeniable je ne sais quoi. Perhaps it’s its deconstructed, minimal aesthetic; or maybe it’s just a blatant disregard for convention that we find so attractive. Whatever it is, one thing’s for certain…this elevated look is affordable, accessible, and totally DIYable for all. Half wreaths are versatile in that they can be left simple, or embellished with as many blooms and baubles as your heart desires.

Purple is not an easy color to design with. On a shirt or boldly patterned dress it’s wonderful and bold, but in a room, it can be incredibly tricky and go from bad to worse with one false move. Where blue is basic and the everyman of the color world (I mean, it goes with everything and near impossible to mess up), lilacs and plums and, well, ultraviolet, are as easy to work with as a prickly cactus. Plucky shades of purple are the hardest.

One of the most charming things about holiday decor are the stockings lined up across a mantel—but what happens if you don’t have a fireplace? Ah well, then of course you dot your staircase banister with them. What? No staircase either? Never fear! This clever idea taking over Pinterest works for everyone, no matter your architectural shortcomings. Decorative ladders in living rooms have been a big trend these last few years, usually used to hang blankets and throws.

Every year since 2000, color giant Pantone has picked one shade (okay, in 2016 it was two shades) to be the Color of the Year. The announcement, which occurs in early December for the coming year, is a hotly anticipated event in the design world, and invariably produces a great deal of commentary and even controversy.

I did not grow up in a house that delicately opened gifts on Christmas morning. My mother did not collect all the intact gift wrap, fold it carefully and stash it away for another use. We were savages that ripped open presents with abandon. The more shreds I could get out of each box, the longer the unwrapping lasted, which made me a happier child. (My mother did, however, always save gift boxes—the kind you put shirts and pajama sets in—as well as gift bags because she was no fool.

In 2016, Audrey Gelman and Lauren Kassan came together to create a co-working space with an unusual mission. Inspired by the women’s clubs that flourished in early 20th century New York, they imagined a space that would cater exclusively to women. Thus was born The Wing, an organization that is part co-working space, part social club, and all female.

If 2017 left you feeling like your life got flipped turned upside down, then you wouldn’t be the only one. And there’s a new (whimsical?) holiday trend to support the state of affairs, and we have Karl Lagerfeld to thank/blame. On Wednesday, Claridge’s unveiled their annual Christmas tree, a tradition which hospitality site The Caterer calls “one of the highlights of the London hotel festive season”, and this year, it’s… upside down.

It has been quite the year. If you want to memorialize this particular trip around the sun in the most festive way possible, let us present to you: our guide to holiday decorations that are peak 2017. Whether you pick up a single houseplant ornament or go for all of the below, know that you’ll have marked the passing of time in the most extra way possible. Wondershop 6ft Prelit Artificial Christmas Tree, sale $95.99: It’s not 2017 without a millennial pink/rose gold tree.

Is this the look that's destined to be all over design blogs in two to five years? Or just a flash in the pan?

When I first started blogging for Apartment Therapy, there was a certain minimal, Scandinavian look that was absolutely everywhere. You’ve probably seen it: white floor, white walls, neutral palette, very little furniture (although quite possibly with a sheepskin draped over a chair.) Over the years, I’ve watched the interiors on our site (and others) grow more cozy, cluttered, and colorful. I’ve read countless articles about maximalism being the new minimalism.

The beauty of the boho look lies in how easy it is to make it your own. You don’t need to commit to the whole ’70s-California-art-teacher aesthetic to nod to the trend. Instead, an accessory or two is just enough. The trinity of boho decor is comprised of three key pieces: Kilim rugs, macrame wall hangings and rattan ottomans.

I’m at a loss to explain how this happens, but sometimes something that’s been around for a really long time suddenly feels very, very now. Case in point: channel tufting. Ever since Dabney wrote a post about adding channel tufting to your walls, I’ve been seeing it everywhere, and each example seems more perfect than the last. Here’s a little more channel tufting inspiration, plus our favorite furniture picks for getting the look at home.

To dig into the heads of our most loyal followers, we surveyed readers last month on a bevy of topics. They revealed their favorite cleaning shortcuts, their most hated chore, even the Apartment Therapy advice that has been a game-changer for their home life. We also asked them about trends. We learned that readers are still pretty much into the whole boho look and really love colored doors (and color, in general).

As a person who writes content for the internet, I am uncomfortably familiar with the lengths people will go to to entice people to click on their content. “X is the new Y” is a well-trod and reliable formula. Because who wouldn’t want to know what’s new? So when I saw the first flurry of articles crowning something called “Gen Z Yellow” the new Millennial Pink, I couldn’t help but roll my eyes a little bit. Another day, another trend piece.

Statement pendants are a lot like statement earrings or necklaces. Find a compelling enough fixture (or piece of jewelry), and you can keep the rest of your room (or outfit) pretty simple. Oversized fixtures not only shine a light on your space, they also draw the eye upward and can make a room seem loftier, fancier and definitely more pulled together.

Go-to paint colors we see over and over again.

The Wall Street Journal recently published a story with a simple yet shocking premise: “To make their home interiors look better on Instagram and amass more followers, millennials and social-media mavens are painting their walls white.” What do you think of that? What do we think of that?

Before getting down to business, I would like to say no disrespect to any of the prints featured in this article. They are all wonderful motifs in their own right, but for reasons ranging from over saturation to too many knock-off versions, 2017 may be the year to put down the palms. What do you think? I reached out to a couple of well-known designers to get their take on prints they think are too trendy or tired.

Dusty pink is everywhere. Call it millennial pink if you want to, but anybody who lived through the 1980s will recognize that dusky shade of rose. The ’80s, generally, are having a huge influence on interior design right now, which has got me thinking: if dusty pink can come roaring back, can that other ’80s staple — teal — be far behind? Here are some of my favorite examples of the color, whether on walls or tile or accessories. What do you think?

Now that it’s officially autumn, how are you updating your space for the season? Thrill of the hunt retailer Marshalls released their fall trend report this week, and here’s what they have to say about the home. Marshalls surveyed 1,000 women and found that an overwhelming majority (72 precent) feel like fall has officially arrived when they put out the first pumpkin decoration in their home.

Hygge was one of Oxford Dictionary’s Words of the Year in 2016, when the concept of conscious coziness was everywhere. Apartment Therapy featured What Does Hygge Mean?, How To Add More Hygge, Hygge Can Be A Recipe For A Happy Life, Hooked On A (Hygge) Feeling…and a handful of other hygge-theme posts. (We also ran Hygge and Hot Chocolate way back in 2007.) But as we head into fall 2017, does the Danish philosophy still have a hold on us?

We’ve heard it time and again: the bedroom is often the last place you tackle decorating because it’s behind closed doors (and it seems more practical to devote your energy and dollars to the more public areas of your home). However, just because you’re not ready to take a deep dive into reimagining your sleeping quarters doesn’t mean there isn’t something you can do to spruce up the place in the meantime…sort of like a pre-makeover.