'Tis the season, where snow dusts the frozen ground, shopping is in full swing, electrical grids are tested with all the lights aglow, and the trend forecasting posts start appearing. The irony of having a design blog while questioning the notion of trend forecasting is not lost on me. As such, I formally suggest a name change,"interior design emotional resonance factors" or IDERF - it has a nice ring to it, no?
In reality trend forecasting is essentially a mood-ring analysis of the consumer psyche. Comparing buying trends, fashion trends (as the two are inherently linked), emotional and psychological "trends", stirring them in a pot and voila - forecasting complete. The 2022 forecasts appear to have lots of jewel tones, greens, organic materials and shapes - none of this is overly surprising. We are spending considerably more time in our houses and apartments, we (or maybe just me) are craving the notion of "unplugging", and everyone seems to be on-edge hence the sumptuous curvy furniture. Perhaps it is just me but this reads as a psychological litmus test to say - we are all craving connections to nature. Not surprising in the least, rich jewel tones, natural fibres, rich textures, and soft curved lines all feel much more comforting. Like a soft hug from nature or the bliss of a relaxing spa.
Farrow and Ball: Mizzle, Studio Green, Card Room Green
An anecdote: a few years ago I did a house tour in Palm Springs where we toured both historic restoration of mid-century modern homes and modern interpretations of mid-century interiors. The tour guide, an architect himself, noted in a few of the newly renovated homes that glass tile was used everywhere and makes it easy for him to pin-point the date of the renovations. I laughed nodding along, the tiles we use are so often reflective of the time period. I cannot help to think how hexagon shaped tiles that were so popular recently will help define a period of design in the years to come. Note, I stand by Zellige style tiles as timeless and not just a blip of a trend.
One thing is for sure, some design trends are downright dangerous. Remember the all-grey trend that seem to plague us for years. Grey tone floors, furniture, cabinets, walls, textiles, it felt like we were living just one step away from an institutional prison of design. A friend recently exclaimed that he could not work in another office that is all white and grey with pops of red and blue. Could the "great resignation" be stopped with the power of freshly painted walls and new flooring?! Without sounding too dramatic, the all grey house and office likely did not help anyone's spirit or psychological positivity. Caveat, grey is not bad and can be a great tone to use, but like most things it should be used sparingly and with intent.
While I am aware that trends drive the consumerism of the industry, which is good for most, we should also be aware of the implications of buying new for the sake of Keeping Up With the Joneses. I freely admit that I love looking at all of the new pieces from my favourite design stores each "season", though the idea that interior design ebbs and flows each season like sweaters and shorts, in itself seems a little loco. An interesting perspective is one I recently read in an article, we have few companies making "heirloom pieces" and instead are making the equivalent of fast fashion decor and furniture items. I plan to do other posts discussing both the concept of vintage/antique furniture as an asset class as well as the importance of understanding the composition of pieces you are buying. Here are a few of my favourite pieces of curvy swurvy furniture, both new and vintage:
Togo by Michel Ducaroy, Polar Bear Chairs by Jean Royere, and Daniel by Pierre Yovanovitch
This is all to say, that I do not think these aforementioned trends are going anywhere soon - save for perhaps the curvaceous sofas that feel very of the moment. My advice remains, invest in the furniture pieces that you love first and foremost. A well-made sofa can safely navigate itself through trends with the change of a throw pillow or two. If following trends is something you love to do, find items that are reflective of the trend that are more easily replaceable. Throws, pillows, lamps, decor pieces, etc.
An Aside:
See the main feed for some colours, textiles, and furniture pieces I am vibing over right now. Some of these items are making up specific storyboards I am working on for clients, or for projects I am dreaming about. Generally, they are things I gravitate towards, which perhaps is an approach to take to assess your connection with a trend before barreling towards it. A friend once told me you should ponder a tattoo idea for at least a year before you get your skin punctured with ink. The same notion applies to design, pull ideas, mull them over, edit as you see fit, refer back, and repeat. Maybe with that level of intention we can all save ourselves from living in a grey grey world again.
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