Spoiler alert: These home features and designs will be in every trendy home in 2022
There's no question that we've fully transformed the way we look at our homes over the past two years. We’ve added home offices, expanded into the great outdoors, and packed our rooms with plants, pets, and fun new smart appliances.
So what's in the cards for 2022? These 13 chic features highlight how much we've transformed our spaces into naturally inspired, calming, and inspiring havens for comfort and a newfound closeness.
intimate gatherings with trusted friends are the name of the game coming out of 2021. From bar carts to moisture-controlled wine fridges, home bars have come out of the dining room and into the living room, kitchen, or even the basement. And with a greater focus on home cooking and homemade beverages, these concocting stations are the ideal places to become your own mixologist.
Designers are spotting a greater focus on bringing the indoors inside—in paint colors and furniture. Live-edge tables or fine marbles and granites are the focal points of living rooms, kitchens, and dining rooms, creating a more delicate and minimalist energy indoors. The natural trend extends throughout the home, even into the bathroom, where you can expect to find plants and nature-inspired wallpaper in your trendy friend’s powder room.
Eye-catching accent paint colors like teal, pink, and forest green have been on the scene for decades, but what about adding pops of black? Homeowners are starting to anchor minimalist spaces with black lighting hardware, mantelpiece decor, mirrors, and cabinetry. The touches of black act as a foundation for a mix of color or a delicate natural palette.
We're using our homes like never before and staying in for more movie nights, work video calls, and baking marathons with the kids. Traditional room layouts are changing to accommodate our shifting priorities. We're spotting more office-bedroom combos, eat-in kitchens, and reading nooks off to the side of the living room. You'll see more clearly designated spaces in rooms that previously played a single role in the home.
Sure, tiled backsplashes have been in the spotlight for years now, but slab marble backgrounds may be taking their place. The kitchen counter blends seamlessly into the backsplash in this design, creating one cohesive look throughout the room. Not only does this add a touch of luxury—especially when opting for a coveted Italian marble—but it is also easier to clean and match with your cabinets and wall color.
When plants became the new pets during the pandemic, our homes slowly transformed into verdant jungles of ferns and ficuses. These collections of fully bloomed houseplants are filling hosting spaces to create modern conservatories. The look blends in well with the popular trend of natural furniture materials as well as pastel- and nature-inspired paint hues.
If spa-like bathrooms are the ultimate flex, then freestanding soaking tubs are the height of luxury. Even smaller bathrooms can enjoy these deep-set tubs that are ideal for a long dip with a book and time to admire your collection of bathroom ferns. If you've been eyeing a freestanding model, check in with your local tub installation team to see how it would blend with your current design.
If you’re a regular reader of interior design blogs, you’ve probably noticed that soft edges are turning up in everything from couches to work-from-home desks. There is a smoother sleekness to popular modern furniture, rugs, and decor. Think circular mirrors, rounded sectionals, and overall softness and tranquility.
On the other end of the minimalist spectrum is a playful trend that matches energetic wallpaper patterns and mixtures of textures on furniture, bedding, and window treatments. With the rise of easy stick-on wallpaper, which is even rental-friendly in some cases, homeowners are adding leaves, florals, and geometric patterns to an accent wall instead of just a pop of color.
Even as some companies bring workers back to the traditional office, most still offer hybrid and flexible solutions. In other words, the home office is here to stay, at least for a little while. Former guest rooms, breakfast nooks, and even closets—AKA cloffices—are taking the home design world by storm. Permanent changes to home offices, such as new paint colors, comfier desk setups, and better lighting will make home offices sustainable for the long haul.
Supply shortages were the talk of the town throughout 2021, especially for chip-requiring smart devices. Refrigerators, ovens, and dishwashers can now communicate with your phones, alert you of expiration dates, and reduce your energy use. More time at home learning to cook means more interaction with the most important appliances in your home. And when we do make the leap to a new model, smart appliances are taking the cake.
Speaking of cooking at home, cluttered countertops and cramped islands are no longer cutting it. Kitchen renovations are making a huge splash as people reimagine how their kitchen could function better. More modern spaces now feature walk-in pantries, islands with stylish task lighting, and reimagined counter spaces for kneading bread and prepping lasagna.
A newfound appreciation for our homes goes beyond the indoors. Backyards, porches, patios, and poolscapes will get even more attention in 2022. Many of the features we saw inside will make the leap outdoors. Patterned and vibrant patio furniture, potted plants, and extensive landscaping will heighten your next outdoor cocktail party. And similar to the popular trend of multi-use spaces, backyards will take on the role of the outdoor office, kitchen, dining area, and place to check out with a long book.
As you daydream about your smart oven and marble backsplash, gather a team of designers that can help you turn these dreams into a reality. Home interior designers can help you decipher which trends are here to stay and which to wait out until 2023.
