Top Interior Decorating Trends to Consider Now

It has a been a long year. We allowed ourselves to pivot and reinvent in 2020, now it is time to start anew with some fresh interior decorating trends. Think bold, bright, natural, and all the light. This year we sit with our emotions and feel them all from bold and strong to the bright and cheery. We let these emotions show in our homes. Let’s go over the top where it counts and reign it back in where needed. 2021 celebrates natural light, eloquent elements and a toast to our individuality.

Natural Light

Windows and natural light provide so many benefits to our home. The design pros at Beside Manor remind us that “Natural light lifts the spirit. To highlight this experience use fabrics that filter light rather than block it out. (or forgo window coverings entirely). Trade out standard overhead lighting for gorgeous lamps that emit soft glow of indirect light.”

From sun soaked porches to gentle brightness brought to offices, sunlight will always be on trend. Still, no one wants to be blinded by the light, and softening up the rays is an easy fix with Pro-Tint. John Myers brand manager for Pro-Tint comments, “With simple patterns and soft transitions from transparent to opaque, our Gradient Series is a sophisticated way to preserve natural light and control privacy in your home.

“Like top-down blinds, these decorative window films can create privacy without covering up skies,” says Myers. “They’re also a clever solution for shower enclosures. Choose from a variety of patterns, all graduated to give you the freedom to decide what will or won’t be hidden.”

Maximalism is Back

We’re reading lots about the return of maximalism and color, and the receding of minimalism and all-white, all-neutral decor. For those of us ready to make the move, here are just a few ways to take it to the max in redecorating this year:

Major Wallpaper

Wallpaper is having a major moment, and major wallpaper even more so. Wallpaper can add texture, dimension, pattern and style to any room, and is particularly perfect to create drama in small spaces. Wallpaper can literally transform a room or space, distract the eye from imperfections, and create a sense of symmetry where there is none.

“Statement wallpaper in powder rooms can add a whole new element to a home. We have begun to cover walls AND ceilings in wallpaper. This can transform a dull powder room into a little, hidden “gem box.” The texture, color, and pattern of wallpaper can simultaneously work together and create an unexpected, fun storyline. It is a perfect chance for people to showcase their individuality and personality.” Anne Buresh, Anne Buresh Interior Designs.

Dining rooms and entry halls continue to be popular spots to splurge on wallpaper, the pattern wrapping around creates a sense of comfort and intimacy, also a sense of separateness and distinction from the rest of the house. Metallics and foils on the walls and ceiling add light and glow to what are often the home’s most enclosed spaces.

Statement Walls

We are all unique, so why try to use a one-size-fits-all-decorating scheme? Start expressing who you are and what you want to say with your walls. Statement walls can be created with paint, artwork, murals. wallpaper or materials. Often just one wall in your room works to make your statement. Super hot in the QC right now is using the creations of our local artists and artisans, like those below.

Wallpaper murals by the CLT artist Amanda M. Moody, aka BOMBSHELVES just one of several available on her site in the Shop section

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Charlotte company SMP wall solutions offers many sculptural and reclaimed wood designs and options for a graphic statement wall.

Go Bold in Paint and Pattern

“You can’t talk about interior decorating trends without starting with paint,” say the pros at Blackhawk Hardware. “This year you have to go bold or go home. Colors of the year are not shy, whether it be with Pantone’s Illuminating Yellow or Benajmin Moore’s Aegean Teal. If you don’t want to make the full commitment of painting walls these colors, it’s also on trend to paint a muted color wall and add pops of primary colors in the decor, creating a sharp contrast giving you art gallery vibes.”

Patterns can easily play into any bold decorating style. To mix it up even more, designers love mixing and matching. Bedside Manor suggests bringing in another powerful player into pattern design, “botanicals and elements of green that serve as visual reminders of nature are important.”

“While an all-white bed may be timeless and classic, there’s just something about a print that makes your bedroom just a touch more whimsical. Prints are a huge trend for bedrooms in 2021 and we are definitely on board. From florals to feathers to bold animal prints, we love them all,” from the design pros at Bedside Manor.

Sculptural Furniture

Looking to up your neutral spaces with slight subtlety? Using stately curated shaped pieces can do just that. This furniture can be both bold and welcoming. Sculptural furniture also offers a modern and feminine look by softening rectangular edges with curves. The pieces offer bold design with a soft subtle romantic appeal.

Touch of the Past

Highlighting vintage pieces throughout a room adds a beautiful contrast to more modern pieces. The key is to not overdo the look but rather to use favorite pieces mixed with other design elements for cohesion. (Rumor has it the All In Midcentury Modern looks is waning in favor of mixing it in.) These pieces can be any antique, salvaged, or retro piece to mix both vintage and modern feels.

Granny Chic aka Grand Millenialism

Look to add a little or a lot of this current trend:

• Trellis Prints
• Banana Leaf Prints
• Floral Bedding and Walls
• Rattan
• Chinoiserie
• Pleated Silk and Bell Shaped Lampshades

Rustic Vogue or the Not Quite Return of Shabby Chic

The Farmhouse trend (yes, including shiplap and barn doors) seems to be on the outs. However, using such features as original, natural floors or exposed beams to create a rustic vogue look is in. This look is more about using what you have an updating with more modern features. Look for pieces that have aged eloquently.

Blackhawk Hardware professionals tell us “Decorating in this way gives you that rough and rustic feel without bringing us back to the tired farmhouse style. Using earthy and grounded shades like rusts, warm greens and deep reds paired with lived-in textures such as brass knobs and pulls on furniture or cabinetry creates the charm of shabby chic”…but without the Laura Ashley vibe. Although, on the other hand, see granny chic above.

Houseplants Continue

The benefits to indoor plants are endless. They not only offer simply, natural beauty but they also purify the air. “The pandemic has spiked interest in many people to become plant parents at home. Not only are plants great for air quality, but they are also a great final layer of decor inside a house,” says Blackhawk Hardware. “Many people don’t realize plants can fit into different design styles. You can go retro with 1970s-style hanging creepers or bring in a touch of modern with monstera, rubber leaf, or snake plants.”  

Interested in any of the products or services mentioned above? Please visit our Spring 2021 CLT Home Design sponsors: