Welcome to Decorating Diva, where every week we share fresh, fun ways to update your home and spice up your living space! This week we’re looking at up-and-coming trends in home décor. Just like in fashion, trends come and go and there’s always something fresh and innovative waiting in the wings to shake things up and offer a new way to make your home look great. Here are a few of the latest options for giving your space a new look.
Expert tips
We spoke with NYC-based interior designer Jon Call of Mr. Call Designs about some of the emerging trends he’s picking up on in home décor. Call has a keen eye for what’s on the cusp of cool and he gladly shared his insight and ideas with the Decorating Diva.
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1. Marta barware (CB2, $1.50 to $2.50) , 2. Reclaimed wood dining table (Pottery Barn, $1,110 to $1,900), 3. Discord vases (West Elm, $9 to $39), 4. Pantone folding chairs (Uncommon Goods, $75) |
Redefining luxury
The most significant shift Call is seeing is the redefining of luxury. When you hear the word “luxury,” you probably think expensive or beyond reach, but that’s no longer the case, says the designer. He explains that the idea of what luxury means is changing and that it shouldn’t have to be about the price tag. “Luxury can be had at any price point. To me it means the best in its class, which doesn’t necessarily have to be about cost.” He cites CB2’s Marta barware ($1.50 to $2.50) as an example of affordable luxury — something that isn’t costly but represents what’s top-notch in the category. The stylish, micro-thin glasses are individually crafted and look great on any countertop or bar, with quality you would expect from something much more costly. About the barware, Call states: “Nothing competes with it. It should be in every home, from Park Avenue to the person just getting their first apartment.”
Call explains that luxury is now more about craftsmanship and the integrity of the item rather than how expensive or exclusive it is. “We’re going to see more and more of this,” he says of the trend.
Appreciating natural beauty
Naturally beautiful materials have been getting covered up for too long, Call says, and nowhere is this more noticeable than when it comes to wood flooring, where for the past 20 years we’ve been completely over-processing our floors – turning them gray or black or bleaching them white. “Wood is beautiful without doing anything to it — why do we need to hide it?” he says. “Moving forward, we will be appreciating wood in its natural form and keeping it simple, focusing on the purity of something that’s beautiful.” Instead of hiding the natural beauty, look for oiled floors, wax finish or wire-brushing, the designer says.
This trend toward more natural floors will start influencing other items such as furniture, which has also been overprocessed and turned gray or black to match the floor. Instead, look for naturally finished wood furniture that provides a much more natural, minimal look. We’re big fans of this reclaimed wood dining table (Pottery Barn, $1,100 to $1,900), a rustic yet elegant addition to your home.
Beauty in imperfection
Another trend to make its way into the design spotlight is something referred to as the “wabi-sabi” movement, which means finding beauty in the imperfect. This aesthetic makes things more tangible and gives the look and feel of your home more personality. For example, Call says seeing a fingerprint in a clay pot is better than having something machine-made that’s almost too perfect. Decorating your home in the wabi-sabi style has more soul to it, Call says, noting this is an interesting idea being brought into home décor, and one that will continue to gain traction.
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Look for items that have a lot of texture, that are handcrafted or individually crafted (so each one is slightly different), that have deliberate flaws that add to the look of the piece, or that are free-form shapes rather than overly structured. We love the Discord vases from West Elm ($9 to $39) for their abstract, free-flowing forms with subtly textured glazes. |
This aesthetic works for all price points — the idea is to use it to bring warmth and soulful textures into the home, Call explains. “Moving forward, we’re going to want things to be as soulful in our décor as a bowl full of farmers market vegetables and fresh-churned butter,” he says. “Each of us in our own right wants to bring soul into our home.”
Color blocking
This is the trend that has Call most excited — he says that the idea “bit me like a bug a couple of weeks ago.” He took some snapshots while traveling in the Virgin Islands and got inspired by all of the doors painted in candy-inspired hues, a look that got him thinking about combining eye-popping brights with neutrals. “It’s an accessible theme,” he says of the emerging décor trend. “We can all get red pillows or re-cover a chair in a bold color.” A neutral interior with bright, bold color in unexpected places makes for a simple but sophisticated look anyone can master. This trend also underscores the idea that pattern is disappearing and we’re turning to a fresher, more youthful look by using straight color.
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Some simple ways to do this include pillows in bright colors, re-covering a chair in a solid, candy-inspired shade, painting one wall in a bold, eye-catching color or accenting neutral floors with runners or area rugs in vibrant hues. We love these Pantone folding chairs (Uncommon Goods, $75), which come in several great colors including ruby red, turquoise, green and lavender. |
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