Everything that has to do with interior design has become increasingly popular in the last few years. With the pandemic hitting and staying at home was how we spent most of our days, people started to realize just how important it is to have home decor that suits you. With more and more TV shows and social media content evolving around styling your home, it has become increasingly difficult to figure out what to pick.
Interior design should always be about finding the best functional and decorative solutions that will make a space inside your home practical, safe, and attractive. Looking at the latest furniture trends and interior styling tips, it’s easy to get lost in various approaches and possibilities. Knowing what sets all these apart from one another is important for you to be able to decide on the best solution for your home. Today we’ll be sharing the most popular interior design trends with you and linking them with the latest furniture trends so that you are fully prepared for whatever 2024 will bring.
Most popular design trends
Interior design styles sometimes come in utterly distinct and other times differences are barely noticed. Knowing what sets different interior design styles apart could be very useful for your search for your favorite style. We are here to clear up the confusion and share some of the most popular interior design styles that will still be around in 2024.
Modern
Modern stylists have reinvented interiors by bringing a new strategy to using space and aesthetics. A monochromatic color palette, clear and clean lines, and natural light often characterize it. Beginning in the late 19th and early 20th century, its goal is to represent a free approach to life. It is pure, environmentally friendly, and uses natural elements to support that and show character.
The use of open and natural lighting isn’t just an energy saver, but also a practical way of brightening and opening up a room. Think of large windows to help with this. The entire modern interior movement is aimed toward using decorative pieces for function, not just for show.
Minimalist
When people think about minimalism, they automatically joke that the goal is to leave a room as empty as possible. I can assure you, there’s much more to it. The goal of a minimalist design is to prioritize the essentials. A minimalist interior is stripped down to its core functionalities which can be realized by using limited amounts of materials, neutral colors, simplistic forms, and avoiding excess in any way to achieve purity and elegance.
Minimalism has become one of the most popular design trends in recent years. This has grown to coexist with critics stating that it’s a form of effortless design, done by people that are boring and lack imagination and expertise. While minimalism is often paired with being cost-effective, it has also inspired people to hunt for the perfect piece of furniture, no matter the cost. Minimalism shares elements with modern interior design: focus on functionality, striving for eco-friendly design, use of space and natural light and limited color palettes are also part of a more minimalistic approach. The clear difference is that with minimalism, the aim is only to use pieces that serve a purpose.
Traditional
This might be fairly obvious, but generally speaking, traditional interior design is inspired by tradition. I know, this might come as a shock to some, but let’s dive a little deeper. The traditional style is a timeless style that mainly originates from the 18th and 19th centuries. It reflects historical design elements while using natural materials and colors.
Although traditional designs can feel boring and outdated, they still have some upside to them. It’s consistently seeking to style a calm, orderly space that is characterized as timeless, placeless, comfortable, and not overly fancy. Some key features that can be seen as a part of traditional design:
- Timeless pieces
- Classic art
- Warm colors
- Decorative doors
- Symmetry
Just because the traditional design is rooted in tradition it doesn’t mean that it won’t change and vary with time. Therefore, it can still be a great way to decorate your home. Due to the pandemic, furniture and home decorating trends have become less simple and modern, and more comfy. Another big benefit of a more traditional style is that there is no need to change your furniture every other year, but you will have some furniture that can last you a lifetime.
Art Decor
From architecture, paintings, sculpture, and interior design, the Art Deco style has inspired many people. Art Deco mainly aims to infuse functional objects with artistic touches. Being in its prime in the 1920s and 1930s, it is still one of the most popular design trends today. Besides interior design, you can find all sorts of art decor that inspired things like furniture, textiles, wallpaper designs, jewelry, and more.
Art decor is dramatic with a fine touch of luxury. It uses bright colors, bold patterns, and geometric shapes to give it that distinct look that sets it apart from the more traditional style. The Art Deco movement started shortly after World War I when artists were inspired by the optimism of the masses being excited about the future.
Generally speaking, art decor is recognized by its geometric shapes, shiny metals, and use of mirrors. It also reflects the popularity of travel amongst the elite and upper class - or travel enthusiasts - with the use of animal rugs and culture-inspired art. Although Art Deco was at the height of its popularity during the 20s and 30s, it is still a huge source of inspiration of interior designers and artists around the world.
Contemporary
Contemporary styles are also often confused with modern interior design due to their wide range of similarities. A home filled with contemporary elements does stand on its own though. A contemporary decorating style is classic yet thoroughly of the moment and timeless. While modern decor can be conceived as cold and limiting, contemporary style expresses calmness and serenity and focuses on architectural elements, bold accents, decorative details, and compact color palettes.
Although the use of clean lines is present in contemporary styles, being playful with textures and creating that balance can be crucial to achieving a well-balanced contemporary home. Besides that, another reason why people think of contemporary style as one of the most popular interior design trends is that there’s joy to be found in a well-curated contemporary room that perfectly showcases a mix of high-shin decor and more subtle accents.
Now that we have seen the differences between some of the most popular interior design trends, it’s easier to decide which style suits you best. Once you pick a direction you want to take your home decor, it’s important to see if you can use some of the newest and upcoming home interior trends. To do this, we’ll write down some of the latest furniture trends that can help you decorate your home.
Latest furniture trends
Sustainable living
As you’ve read, many of these interior design styles incorporate some form of sustainability into their interior. It looks like that was a good call because designers expect 2024 to be another year where eco-friendly living will become increasingly popular. It continues to be a buzzword, especially for those aiming to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle.
Reducing, reusing, and recycling are three concepts that will be even more widely known. This can be transferred to your interior design by offering a new purpose to textiles, wallpaper, light, furniture, and other things that would otherwise be heading for landfill. Reusing old lampshades is a great example of how to reuse some of your old stuff.
Brown furniture
We can safely say that brown is back. The 1970s retro trend showed that brown is a color that can help provide a sense of reassurance, as well as give an inviting, unintimidating, and warm feel.
Interior designer Kathleen Walsh says “Heading into 2024, we’re really into darker and dramatic shades, such as deep charcoals and browns”. Think about rich chocolate and caramel-colored wood tones. But also brown vintage furniture, which will be used to continue to bring texture and warmth into our homes. Placing a brown buffet in a contemporary home can be a great way to create visual interest.
No more fast furniture
Moving in line with the trend of seeing sustainable living becoming more popular, we’re here to announce that fast furniture is on its way out. Fast furniture is negatively impacting the environment by creating more waste. The quality of some of these pieces is often disappointing as well.
Due to COVID and the large amount of time people had to spend inside, people have realized that some pieces of furniture need to be of good quality, long-lasting, and comfortable.
Curved and arched furniture
I had to cover this as part of the latest furniture trends, as I’ve seen it being mentioned everywhere. Many interior designers say that from sofas to chairs, curved and arched furniture has been getting increasingly popular for the past few years. Although it doesn’t look the most comfortable, it’s a very trendy piece of furniture that can be a great addition to your home decor. Just look out if you have more of a traditional style because curves don’t usually fit in with that style.
Multifunctional furniture
Although this trend mainly started in Europe, it’s now quickly becoming something we see more of in the rest of the world. Multifunctional furniture is a true must-have for your home office, or if you are the owner of a relatively small apartment.
Think of beds that can turn into tables, TV panels that can be turned into a work spot, or a simple table that can be extended so that you can invite over friends and family. Although these types of furniture are already in popular demand, we bet that in 2024 we’ll see many more innovative furniture pieces that offer multiple functionalities that are convenient and cost-saving.
Taking inspiration from trends can be important, but you need to remember that making sure the trends are aligned with your preferences, interests and current interior design style is what matters. We encourage you to not be afraid to be creative and bold. Sometimes, doing this will help you discover a new passion for interior design that you didn’t know you had.
When the latest furniture trends have helped you pick up some new pieces but you feel like something is missing, we might just have something for you. You can always check out our custom soundwave art or check out our list of art decor ideas that can help you add some finishing touches. Don’t forget that in the end, it’s all about feeling at home in your house.
