While you cannot always buy a new home, you can update it according to what is trendy. Here are the design trends we will see in 2016
A new year also means a variety of new trends. Whether hairstyles, fashion, and even finance and politics, there is always a relatively new, reinvented, or revived approach that gains significance throughout the year. Home design is no different, as the standards and methods of décor and overall living continue to evolve.
For 2016, a number of trends are expected to come along. However, it seems that experts in the industry are keen on sustainability as their main inspiration, in addition to softness in terms of design and color being most present in properties this year.
Continued Move to Being More Environmentally Friendly
Recycling, repurposing, reinventing, and reusing are aspects that homeowners have begun to consider more and more when they purchase décor or make home improvements. Doing so is not only environmentally friendly, it is also cost-effective and gives the property character that would otherwise look bland when done in mostly new and synthetically made décor and materials.
One-of-a-kind, vintage pieces will continue to be sought after, particularly timeless pieces that can last well beyond 2016. Similarly, artisanal furniture and décor showcasing weaving and texture will also be on trend this year, thanks to their sustainability and the character they bring to any home.
From the foam in mattresses to the roofing of new homes, sustainability is at the heart of most long-term materials being manufactured today. So as far as the new market goes, an increasing amount of options are available for homeowners as they build or decorate their property, keeping it in line with their efforts for sustained living.
Soft Colors
Each year the Pantone Institute, global provider of professional color standards for the design industries, announces its Color of the Year. For 2016, the international-arbiter-of-everything-color declared for the first time that two shades—pink-hued Rose Quartz and tranquil blue Serenity—are its colors of the year. Toned down from 2015’s crimson-like Marsala, these colors evoke tranquility and inner peace.
While the Color of the Year is often linked to the fashion industry, the colors eventually make their way to homes since many manufacturers take their cues from what stands out on the runways of New York, London, Paris, Milan, and Tokyo. Naturally, not all designers buy into what Pantone recommends, but mass manufacturers often incorporate the colors of the year in their catalogues.
Pantone also released a subsequent list of other top colors for the year, most of which can also be expected to make their way to real estate design and décor. These colors “give way to excitement and optimism, though quiet stability prevails in this season’s palette.”
A Look Less Industrial
Coincidentally, it is not just shades of color that look set to become softer this 2016. Recent years had seen the industrial look take over many townhouses and condominium units, with furnishings that were sleek, shiny, and designed to be as efficient with space as possible. Unfortunately, these spaces sometimes resemble a workplace instead of a home, what with all the stainless steel and sharp edges in the designs.
While metals cannot be eliminated from today’s designs, the stainless look will be set aside for black metal, which has gone beyond just being on outdoor furniture and bed-frames. Mixing it with other shades of metal will also be in, as all furnishings sporting the same shade looks too staged and industrialized. Rounded tables and curvy aesthetics will be present in more pieces this year as well, as radial edges soften the look of hard materials like granite and marble.
