From biophilic design to reclaimed materials, here are the top trends that will make your home an earthy delight.
Nothing gets a house looking fresh and stylish like a new look. It can improve your mood, your creativity and your dinner parties. This year, designers are going green, keeping things comfortable and getting down to earth.
Here are some of 2022's top interior design trends:
Biophilic design
According to Dwell, nature will continue to play a large role in home decor for 2022. Biophilic design places an emphasis on plants and green, natural visuals.
The pandemic has been a stressful time for Americans, and interior design in 2022 is focusing on comfort and stress relief. Science has found that indoor plants might be one answer.
A study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health reported that foliage plants improved the concentration and attention in elementary students when used as a visual stimuli. Another study from the Journal of Physiological Anthropology discovered a link between indoor plants and reduced stress levels.
Curves are comforting
Curvy furniture can help create a more comforting environment by making people feel embraced and safe. That's why they are making a comeback.
Speaking to 21oak.com, Evelyn Benatar, president of New York Interior Design Inc., emphasized the importance of comfort in the home to interior designers this year.
"Comfort is in a huge, huge forward motion," she said. "During COVID, the way that people are dressing, they want to be enveloped, cozy, and comfortable."
Reclaimed materials
The pandemic has bottle necked many industries worldwide, causing supply chain issues and product shortages. To combat the lack of inventory and rising costs, many interior designers are turning to reclaimed materials.
In December 2021, online marketplace 1st Dibs held a designer survey to predict the coming year's top household decor trends. Sustainable, reusable material won the day.
"For designers next year, going green extends beyond color trends and into green thumbs and green living," the survey said. "When asked what design trends will remain popular in 2022, almost all designers selected sustainable materials (nearly universal at 97 percent) and plants (93 percent), which both reflect a desire to remain in harmony with the environment."
Nature-inspired accessories
Reiterating the importance of comfort and calm in the home, many designers are pushing their green approach to include more than just plants. Nature-inspired accessories can strengthen the calming power of your home.
"With more time spent indoors than ever before, we're all seeking to strengthen our connection with nature," Athena Calderone, founder of Eyeswoon, told Vogue. "This has simultaneously inspired a resurgence in natural surfaces -- think stoneware, terracotta, marble and travertine being used across the board from backsplashes to bathtubs, furniture, and decorative objects. The raw, porous, imperfect nature of these organic materials adds depth, soul and visual intrigue while also mimicking the calming, restorative ambiance of the outdoors. This lure back to nature has also sparked an interest in large trees at home, from the elegant black olive to Southern magnolias."
Earthy textures
Wood, leather and bronze are on the rise in interior design, according to dwell.com. It's all in an effort to bring earthy textures back into the living space.
"There will also be greater experimentation with textures like raked plaster, rougher clay, or grainy stuccos," Frederick Tang, principal at the eponymous Brooklyn architecture and interior design firm, told Dwell. "These have been really popular interior finishes because they're so durable and can be made water-resistant, but I think they will start moving outdoors, and even onto custom furniture."