24 Style Trends from 2022 You Probably Already Have in Your Home

published Dec 24, 2022
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Throughout the year, some trends head for the hills, while other ones newly emerge (oh, hey there, checkerboard), and others solidify their reign (we see you, cottagecore). And this year was no exception! In fact, we’re betting that some — or even all — of the following 24 trends have shown up in your home in one way or another in 2022.

And if you’ve been eyeing any of these but haven’t sprung for them yet, be rest assured that you’re still on trend: “slow deco,” or living in a space, getting a vibe, and slooowly gathering pieces to perfect your pad, is having a moment, too!

1. 1970s Furniture

The ’70s are back, baby, and in a big way. Earlier this year when AT featured Michele Miller’s home — an 1,890-square-foot house in Davis, California, with a mix of 1970s and modern finishes — Miller told AT, “We love the 1970s and 1980s Northern California architecture.” Specifically in the design world, the decade is represented through furniture, like the Rey seating collection by Swiss designer Bruno Rey via Danish brand HAY and channeled sofas, one of which makes an appearance in Demi Lovato’s farmhouse

2. Aluminum Finishes

Perhaps surprisingly, aluminum pieces made their appearance in the design world, and for good reason. People are gravitating more and more toward simple materials, like aluminum, and as AT wrote in June, aluminum comes in direct response to the other metal finishes that are now starting to fade from view, like rose gold and shiny brass. 

3. Biophilic Design

With people craving the peace and quiet of the outdoors more than ever, it makes perfect sense that biophilic design became extra big this year. Anchored in the concept of bringing nature indoors, sliding doors, skylights, and houseplants galore all represent this trend. Spot all of those features in this garden-like U.K. home’s September house tour.

4. Bold Patterns

Pinterest doesn’t lie when it comes to what’s right-this-minute, and according to WeThrift research we reported on this past fall, searches for “bold patterns” were up a whopping 217 percent. Say hello to leopard prints, black and white stripes, and colorfully patterned area rugs, all in the spirit of maximalism. 

Credit: Erin Derby

5. Checkerboard Everything

Checkerboard patterns, seen in everything from rugs to wall murals, have been huge in 2022. Look no further than the checkerboard rugs we oohed and ahhed over in Mandy Moore’s home, or on Urban Outfitters’ website with their many checkerboard offerings.

6. Coastal Grandmother

This trend, which came about via TikTok (as AT explained back in April), is an homage to Diane Keaton’s style in “Something’s Gotta Give” and is embodied by dreamy seaside abodes, brimming with white linen textiles, seashells in bowls, and neutral palettes. “Amidst the uncertainty of quarantine on a global scale, individuals sought comfort in their homes and began to spruce up their living spaces to reflect an aspirational, yet familiar, sense of place,” says interior designer Sara Hillery. “Individuals began to embrace the decorating style reminiscent of generations before them through the prevalent Grandmillennial movement and the Coastal Grandmother look.” 

7. Cottagecore

Cottagecore is a trend that started up in 2020 as a calming response to the stress of the pandemic (think: Taylor Swift’s album ‘Folklore,’ breadmaking, and charming, country-inspired decor). As Apartment Therapy shared in September, it actually remains the most popular interior design trend in the U.S., and it doesn’t show signs of stopping. 

Credit: Minette Hand

8. Curved Pieces

Curved furniture pieces, and now decorative objects, have been trickling into Design Land for the last couple years, but when Sarah Sherman Samuel debuted her curvaceous, first-ever home collection in March, everyone was officially hooked. From curved statement sofas to rounded headboards, curves have been softening spaces. 

9. Cutouts

You’ve likely seen items with cutouts just about everywhere, including by style trailblazer CB2 and more budget-friendly decor destination H&M. Look no further than their respective Stature Black Chair and doughnut-shaped vase, both included in a June piece covering the trend

Credit: Jessica Rapp

10. Disco Balls

As if the ’70s haven’t been prominent enough this year by way of furniture and architecture, disco balls have become one of the biggest retro trends out there. People are using them as anything from decorative objects to sparkling planters. In the fall, AT shared a bedroom with a major disco-ball moment: not one, but two disco balls on a nightstand. 

11. Eclectic Decor

One of the top trends for 2022 isn’t a single trend, necessarily. Instead, it’s the bringing together of many trends and motifs all at the same time — aka, eclecticism. One great example of eclectic design in action is the September 2022 home tour featuring U.K.-based homeowner Sophie, in which her mid-century dining chairs delightfully contrast with ’80s-inspired neon and a decidedly modern mural. “I saw the house as a blank canvas rather than a set of depressing rooms, and I’ve just run with it,” explained Sophie in the tour. “I’m obsessed with being creative in here.” 

12. Green Accents

Green has been all over the place this year, with green kitchen cabinets and living room furniture providing pacifying, nature-imbued elements throughout homes. For example, as spotlighted through their September 2022 house tour, Sarah and Gregory Jackson have dived head-first into the green trend, with wallpaper, throw pillows, and built-in shelving in shades of emerald and olive.

13. Japandi

With its mix of Japanese and Scandinavian stylings, Japandi design was a hit this year. It’s been a big bathroom trend, as AT forecasted in December 2021 alongside designer Rikki Fothergill, with an emphasis on things like sustainable materials, calming color palettes, organized spaces, and natural light. 

14. Matte Black

In February, AT reported that matte black was reigning as one of the most popular spring interior styles, according to Pinterest. Searches were up by 180 percent, and matte black accent walls and furniture continue to gain steam. Even kitchens feature the trend, as confirmed by Jennifer Davis’s dramatic kitchen seen in this home tour. As Davis put it in the tour, “The moody black cabinets with unfinished white oak shelves and black sconces give the room a cozy, yet sophisticated feel.” 

15. Memphis Design

With roots in 1981 in the town of the same name, Memphis design brings together retro aesthetics and bombastic, modern pieces, all in the brightest colors around. It re-arose as a trend this year, and can be seen in homes like the one AT showcased in September 2022, with a Nickelodeon-orange couch and light fixtures that doubles as kaleidoscopic, contemporary sculptures.

16. Mid-Century Modern

In June, AT reported that mid-century modern design is the crème de la crème of Houzz, with searches for “midcentury modern kitchen ideas” increasing by 576 percent. Even though it’s been around for decades, mid-mod visuals still look fresh and cool. Noel Fahden Briceno, Chairish‘s VP of merchandising, reflects on the popularity of the design approach, saying, “I think the influx of television shows and movies set in the era have drawn additional attention to the styles that were well-made, sophisticated, and functional.” 

17. Minimalism

Minimalism certainly isn’t new, but it’s a trend that’s continued to solidify itself throughout 2022, as forecasted by the designers whom AT interviewed in December 2021. People may feel more closed-in more than ever in their homes since the start of the pandemic, and minimalism has been the answer. Asked why this has grown even more as a trend this year, Shira Gill, author of “Minimalista,” says, “In a world filled with noise, minimalism can be used to reassess your values, purpose, and priorities so you can hone in on what you truly care about and eliminate the rest.” 

18. Murals

Murals have really taken off this year, whether they’re painted on a wall or designed as a wallpaper mural, or you’ve tried your own hand at getting artistic. And they appear often in AT house tours. This one from September 2022 actually includes a groovy no-paint mural on a set of lockers instead of a wall. 

19. Mushrooms

Mushrooms have been a charming surprise for 2022, with Anthropologie, Magnolia, and Urban Outfitters among the brands fully embracing the trend. We’re partial to mushroom cocktail glasses, while some homeowners have been taking the trend literally — looking at you, Lidey Heuck, and your mushroom-grown lamp AT featured in a late 2021 home tour

20. Top-to-Bottom Tile

This year has proved that tile is no longer relegated to the bathroom floor. Instead, tile has been making its way to the walls, too, with top-to-bottom tile seen in oh-so-current-looking bathrooms and kitchens. Part of the reason for this trend: As some people choose to swap out upper cabinetry for open shelving, they have more space where tile can live. And it doesn’t hurt that peel-and-stick tile has made it easier than ever to work your DIY magic. In March, designer Shoshanna Shapiro told AT, “We have more surface area we can play with when eliminating or opening the upper design elements to the kitchen. This area is eye-level and a great place to create that organic, peaceful moment that makes us happy to be home.” With this trend, you can stick with the same tile throughout or vary the shapes for visual interest. 

21. Travel-Inspired Pieces

If you’ve gone on vacation and brought back decor to dress up your home, you’ve been so on trend this year, and maybe you didn’t even know it. Perhaps, for example, you’ve picked up sculptures from your travels or an Art Deco treasure you discovered at a faraway flea market — elements that Jasmine brought into her global-inspired apartment as spotlighted through an October 2022 home tour. You can also make like Jasmine and display your travel finds alongside modern accessories, like a contemporary table lamp or on-trend black touches.

22. Wallpaper Borders

Although wallpaper borders had their moment decades upon decades ago, they’ve made their comeback in 2022, with high-brow brands like Ottoline and Studio Atkinson crafting checkerboard-printed borders and ones with surprisingly cool floral-inspired motifs. As Laura Fenton reported earlier this summer, “These new borders are nothing like that Laura Ashley print from my childhood bedroom. Rather, they’re graphic and clean — playful, even. Installed, they almost look like a ribbon and are being used not just at the ceiling line or to bisect a room painted in two different colors, as was often customary in the ’80s and ’90s.”

23. Wellness Design

From home gyms to meditation rooms to features that can improve quality of life, like water purification systems and organic materials free from chemicals, this year, people have discovered that their homes can do a lot more than provide shelter and look pretty — they can actually make minds and bodies better. It’s something that’s top of mind for designer Laura Hodges, one of AT’s 2022 Design Changemakers. “I think it’s really important to consider the environment, to consider even just the air that we’re breathing inside our own home,” she said in her profile. “Through my work, I am bringing an awareness not only to sustainability but also to the safety and longevity of the materials we use inside our homes.”

24. Wrought Iron

Wrought iron? For 2022? Yes, it’s an astonishingly hip trend that reappeared this year — specifically through sconces and candelabras in modern silhouettes that feel nothing like their colonial counterparts but do have a subtle throwback vibe to them.