Interior Design Trends That Aren’t Trendy

Following interior design trends too strictly can be a slippery slope. What’s in today might be out tomorrow. In the spaces we create, we generally strive for timeless over trendy. As a designer, though, I like to keep up on the latest looks and product offerings. Incorporating a trend or two can give a space an updated attitude. The good news is that some of the top “trends” I’ve been noticing lately are actually classic design elements presented in fresh, new ways. We’ve incorporated each of these in client projects recently, with great success.

Interior Design Trend #1: Classic Blue

The color experts at Pantone selected this timeless, easy-to-live-with hue, Classic Blue, as the 2020 Color of the Year:

Here’s what Pantone has to say about this year’s color pick:

Instilling calm, confidence, and connection, this enduring blue hue highlights our desire for a dependable and stable foundation on which to build as we cross the threshold into a new era.

Well, that’s a tall order for a paint color to fill, but if any shade can do it, Classic Blue can! The reassuring hue manages to be both soothing and energizing. Before Pantone’s stamp of approval, we designed a Fredericksburg great room around classic shades of blue, starting with the Hickory Chair sofa.

As you can see, we went full-on blue in this great room, incorporating varying shades in the upholstery, the Lee Jofa rug, and accessories…we even painted the ceiling a softer shade.

Not ready to do a deep dive into blue? Try incorporating just a handful of accessories in the Color of the Year. We topped a chest of drawers from CTH/Sherrill Occasional with a Visual Comfort lamp and a Chinoiserie ginger jar in the classic hue.

Whether you opt for big brushstrokes or judicious pops, Classic Blue will instantly update any space, without veering into too-trendy territory.

Design Trend #2: Color, in General, is Back

Still not feeling blue? That’s okay because color — in all its glorious forms — is back! Neutrals will always have their place in interiors but I’m happy to see that the design world is embracing color again. I’ve always been a big proponent of color, from subtle to bold, and everything in between!

Our recently completed Capitol Hill project proves that color can be easy to live with. We infused a historic row house with sophisticated shades of purple, pink and green. Check out the living room, where lavender walls provide a tranquil backdrop for furnishings covered in a balanced mix of neutral and colorful fabrics:

The window-treatment fabric, an embroidered silk from Pierre Frey, inspired the room’s springtime palette. A vibrant stripe from Romo covers the bench and further unites the color scheme. The creamy sofa and rug, on the other hand, work to keep the room’s overall palette sophisticated, not saccharine.

Design Trend #3: Wallpaper, Reinvented

The Capitol Hill project above provides the perfect segue to the next interior design trend on my radar…wallpaper. Today’s wall-covering options are virtually limitless and go well beyond the garish examples many of us remember from the ’60s and ’70s. Like color, you can decide to go subtle with a textured grasscloth or a little bolder with pattern — or combine the two, as we did in the row-house dining room.

Grasscloth wraps around three walls of the room; a lovely floral motif — printed on a matching grasscloth ground — graces the accent wall. Because the ground is the same, there is continuity from wall to wall. The accent wall provides a subtle hint of interest, appropriate for this elegant space. For added interest and texture, we mixed two fabrics on the dining chairs: an Osborne & Little velvet and a Lee Jofa raw silk.

We extended the garden feel into the powder room, where we punched up the palette and drama with a lively floral wallpaper from Designers Guild.

Wallpaper (or paint or both!) is a great way to give a powder room a quick refresh, without replacing all the fixtures. Thanks to advancements, today’s wallcoverings are easier to install and remove than their predecessors but I still recommend leaving it to the professionals, unless you’re extremely handy.

Design Trend #4: The Year(s) of Brass

Brass has been staging a comeback for several years now and it’s still going strong (as the above powder room proves)! The metal is showing up in hardware, accents and accessories. Again, we’re not talking about your grandmother’s shiny brass. Unlacquered, brushed or satin-finish brass are popular choices now. Brass fixtures, as opposed to ubiquitous chrome ones, elevate the look of a bathroom. We specified brushed-brass plumbing fixtures and accessories from Kohler for this master bath:

Brushed brass was the perfect choice for this stylish condo bathroom, too:

Each of these four interior design trends, for lack of a better descriptor, has lasting appeal. Not only do I use these elements in our client projects, but I’ve tried them in my own home, too. Which interior design trends are you most likely to incorporate into your home? As always, let me know if I can help.