Modern Interior Design Trends for 2022

We find interior design trend forecasting and the residential interior design trend cycle to be so fascinating! Through conversations and continuing education with our vendor partners, reviewing industry statistics, studies and our own experiences we present to you our list of 6 Modern Interior Design Trends for 2022.

Our video below shares is a quick explanation of what interior design trends are (and are not), where they come from, and approximately how long they last. Not to mention the answering the import question… “Why do interior design trends matter?”

Driving forces behind the interior design trends of 2022

So much has changed over the last two years in the design and construction industry. We see a the global design community challenged with manufacturing and supply chain delays, increasing commodity costs and labor shortages. These have all played a part in the way we deliver beautifully designed interior spaces.

“We’ve seen the pandemic have an effect across all sectors in our society, and we’re now starting to see how the change in human behaviors is shifting the way we design our homes.”
— Bill Darcy, CEO at NKBA

Consumer behavior and demographics are also changing the landscape of the interior design industry. “We’ve seen the pandemic have an effect across all sectors in our society, and we’re now starting to see how the change in human behaviors is shifting the way we design our homes. Besides the pandemic, another rising factor in the design trends we are seeing for 2022 and beyond is the growth of the millennial and Gen X customer base, as these homeowners are now reaching the point in their lives where they are increasingly working with designers to create their ideal homes as opposed to attempting to do it themselves.” says Bill Darcy, CEO at the National Kitchen and Bath Association in a recent article from BuilderOnline.com

What are the Interior Design Trends for 2022?

1. Dedicated Activity Spaces in the Home

Extended time at home has truly changed the way we use our personal spaces. In the business of life that now centers in our homes, we are doing it all. Work, play, school, and more. With all the hustle and multitasking at home, we see people craving intentional moments throughout the day.

An amazing workout with out leaving your home, a zen moment of brewing a cup of coffee or tea before morning meetings or connecting with the whole family during weekly movie night. The trend is toward a more holistic approach to health and downtime at home. Homeowners are investing more in therapeutic and restorative spaces, as well as the traditional amenity spaces used for home entertainment.

“Over the past year, many people’s homes became something of a mini village. The local gym, bar, theater and office turned hyperlocal as people made room to accommodate these activities at home. It’s a major shift in how people think about their homes and one that probably isn’t going away anytime soon.” says Houzz Editorial Staff member, Mitchell Parker (source article).

These dedicated home activity spaces include:

  • High End Home Gyms

  • Inspiring Home Art Studios

  • An Organized Homeschool Room or Remote Learning Space

  • Functional Home Offices

  • Beautiful Home Bars & Stunning Wine Cellars

  • Custom Home Theaters and Multipurpose Media Rooms

2. Color Trends in 2022

Looking at the recently released “Paint Color of the Year” announcements from top American paint companies, we are seeing a huge green influence on everything from walls to cabinets. This stems from the continued interest in nature-inspired color palettes and through biophilic design. These represent the hope and optimism we yearn for (like that found in a Spring garden) in a post-pandemic world. Also with these paint color trends, we see a general warming of neutrals, moving out of grey that has been prevalent in recent years.

Paint Colors of the Year for 2022 :

Sherwin Williams gets the gold star for trend reporting that goes beyond just color. Each year they produce the an in-depth study of interior design industry trends, including this year’s Sherwin Williams Color Mix 2022 Forecast. It is always one of my favorite trend reports to review for the upcoming year. While it does focus on presenting their paint colors, it is full of design research and inspiration gathered from many disciplines including furniture design, ceramics, fiber arts, fashion, theatre, as well as interior and exterior materials. This year the Color Mix 2022 Forecast launched M.O.D.E., the acronym for Sherwin William’s 4 New Color Stories, comprised of 40 paint colors in total.

Sherwin Williams’ insight is that the overall interior design industry trend (which drives their color stories) is a continuation of maximalism and increasing optimism after emerging from the global pandemic and COVID-19 health crisis. Despite this shift towards maximalism (the reversal of minimalism and Scandinavian styles of the previous decade), we still see a heavy influence from the mid-century modern design and post-modern design eras with incorporation of treasured or unique vintage objects that inspire nostalgia for the past. Handcrafted textures, plump tufted upholstery, round and biomorphic forms, geometric patterns, fluted surfaces, and authentic wood grains or those with cerused or even charred finishes are predicted to prevail.

3. Outdoors is the New Indoors!

There is increased interest in expanding living spaces to the outdoors and the benefits of biophilic design principles. We are seeing the desire to design outdoor retreats, as intimate spaces for gathering away from the hectic world beyond. People are spending more time at home, more time indoors, taking less vacations, and the unpredicted and unprecedented 2020 lock down (and threats of future lockdowns) have us all feeling cooped up. We all just want to be reassured with views of nature and have the opportunity to engage with nature just steps from our home! There have been ways to do this before but we are seeing it become a much more requested modern home design feature.

“What’s changed is how often outdoor living spaces outweigh our demands for interior space. …Southern homes have a history of being graced with transitional spaces like wraparound porches, terraces and verandas, but we now blur the lines between what’s indoor and outdoor with telescoping door-walls. Our dining rooms and bedrooms have gained the capability of morphing into outdoor areas in 60 seconds. Further from the house, our backyards have had to replace theme parks as vacation destinations; the demand for pools and hot tubs is through the roof (only, there’s no roof). “ says Berry DeLozier from Over The Mountian Journal in his April 2021 article titled “Outdoors Is the New Indoors …: And Other Pandemic Created Viral Design 
Trends In New Home Construction”.

We’re also seeing a tie in with our next trend. Homeowners are increasingly enhancing outdoor spaces with swimming pools and home spas. Don’t forget the lights and music to really make it an immersive experience! These can all be designed to incorporate home automation & smart technology. Lastly, with advances in outdoor materials, adding furniture, fabrics, rugs, and outdoor cabinetry is now a breeze. Patios and pool decks are becoming fully designed outdoor rooms!

Like Mr. DeLoszier said… outdoors is the new indoors! Let’s get outside!

4. Smart Home Technology

There are many benefits to incorporating smart home technology strategies into your interior design project. Through home automation, smart home ecosystems (individual products working together) can help to reduce daily decisions through intuitive experiences, give personalized control, create responsive and immersive environments through lighting and sound. They can also help to support the goals of wellness and cleanliness with innovative touchless products, like faucets, toilets (flushing), and occupancy sensors.

These smart home technologies can be voice activated, geofenced, or networked to be controlled from a phone or tablet remotely (or just when you are lying in bed and forgot to turn off the light in the other room).

We see broad applications for smart home technology for the purpose of aging in place or inclusive design (more about that in #6, below).

Some of these smart home strategies can include:

  • Security cameras

  • Remote systems monitoring (for heating, cooling or plumbing)

  • Audible reminders

  • Door and window sensors

  • Remote door locks (especially useful with home healthcare workers)

  • Occupancy sensors for lighting

  • Auto-off controls

  • Motion sensors for faucets

These smart home “devices that can help people live independently while giving their caregivers peace of mind in knowing that all is well.” says Rachel Cericola in a 2021 article for Wirecutter.

5. Continued Focus on Cleanliness

It has to be cleanable! With my background in healthcare interior design, that has always been a motto I have carried over into residential interior design for modern homes.

“COVID-19 made people conscious of high-contact surface points, so homeowners increasingly turned to hands-free and voice-activated technology to reduce the spread of diseases. … The pandemic-generated trend toward cleanliness and safety is not expected to fade soon. Quartz, as an easy-to-clean surface, is more popular than ever as a countertop preference, while larger format tiles that lessen the need for grout are expected to grow in popularity.” reported Symone Strong from Builderonline.com in a post titled “NKBA Find Covid 19 and Millennial Influence will Drive 2022 Design Trends”.

“ The pandemic-generated trend toward cleanliness and safety is not expected to fade soon.”
— Symone Strong, BuilderOnline.com

We see the professional interior designer asking a lot of questions both from clients and product vendors during the material and fixture selection process. These questions about interior finishes and home design products include how to clean, how often to clean, what cleaning products to use and who will be doing the cleaning. Interior designers and homeowners are also taking into consideration the impact of cleaning products on health, wellness and the environment.

6. Universal Design and Inclusive Design

While, this one is not necessarily a trend, but do see a growing awareness around these emerging interior design disciplines. The need to create safe, functional and welcoming interior spaces goes beyond what is trending to the very heart and purpose of interior design!

We see a growing focus on creating safe, secure environments for all ability levels. Environments that foster independence for those wishing to age-in-place or those facing cognitive challenges from Dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease or on the Autism Spectrum.

Trends are a fascinating reflection of what is going on in the world. They are heavily influenced by pop culture and world events. Of course, we not all run out and incorporate these trends into our homes in the same way, this year or in the future. However, it’s still important to know how trends can affect your design project and desired design outcomes.

We are so excited for what 2022 has to bring!

We look forward to working with you on your modern interior design home projects in 2022!

 
Amanda CroftComment