10 trends to watch in home design next year
This paid piece is sponsored by Montgomeryâs.
Ready for a home design refresh in 2024? There will be plenty of options waiting for you.
We caught up with Karli Strain, Montgomeryâs visual merchandiser, trend specialist and buyer, for expert insight in how home interiors might evolve in the coming months.
Here are 10 themes to watch in the year ahead.
There are no specific trends
One of the biggest takeaways from recent furniture markets: There is no one specific trend in home furnishings.
âThere are so many different styles on trend right now, youâre going to find something that works for you,â Strain said. âItâs just much more broad, which is nice because people donât feel like they have to switch over to a new trend to stay up to date. If it suits your style, anything goes now.â
Green could be queen
Color schemes, like overall trends, are all super diverse right now, from completely neutral to over-the-top, colorful and modern.
âBut what I was most drawn to was this really neutral green that is happening, which kind of goes with everything,â Strain said. âTo me, green is neutral â we find it in nature â so you can use it many different ways.”
Green also is having at least a moment in cabinetry.
âI feel like green has been up-and-coming for five years, and it finally hit broadly, so now there are lots of offerings in an earthy warm, green neutral color,â Strain said. âIt goes really well with caramels and beige, brown, charcoal and navy. You can put anything with it.âÂ
Gray isnât gone â but warmer tones are crowding out cools
The era of gray in home finishes might never be totally over â but it is being edged out by warmth.
âWeâre shying away from the cold, gray tone, but that doesnât mean you still canât have gray,â Strain said. âI would say incorporating warmer tones into your gray, like beiges and browns, complements it. You can tie that into a piece of art or a rug or new pillow on a sofa. So you donât have to get rid of the grays but just warm them up with warm tones. That includes wood tones, whether itâs an accent table or coffee table with a natural wood tone.â
Same goes for the walls. If your walls are gray, consider an easy update.
âI saw people really going toward browns and beiges, even some burgundy and navy and rich salmon tones, a warm terra cotta-like pink where everything really just blends together.â
Hardware hints
When it comes to hardware, again, thereâs no one clear trend.
âBlack is huge. Brass is huge, especially antique brass,â Strain said. âChrome is not as popular, but if youâre a modern customer, chrome and brighter gold is still where itâs at.â
In bathrooms, âgold is still super popular, but itâs more of a brushed finish â almost a browner gold,â she continued. âItâs a more neutral look.â
Black makes a splash
Look around newly designed homes, and chances are youâll spot some black.
âBlack literally goes with everything, so weâre seeing a lot of black accents â whether itâs your coffee and end tables, vases, pillows, your metal finish on your dining table, or bar stools,â Strain said.
âItâs easy to mix black with anything. Lots of cabinets are black now. Walls are painted black. Donât be afraid if you have enough light in the room to paint a dark color. Thatâs always been something people struggle with, but it can create a lot of atmosphere.â
Black is coming into bedrooms too.
âIâve seen some really nice black wood in bedroom furniture, and itâs a very natural tone of wood,â Strain said. âOther pieces weâre seeing are very much unstained and unmodified. Itâs kind of an oak to walnut bare, natural tone thatâs whatâs popular now.â
Caning craze continues
Caning on chairs continues to be popular, and Strain thinks it has some staying power â at least on smaller pieces.
âI donât think it will ever be on the back of a sofa, but the front of a cabinet door or on a buffet or the side of a wicker chair on the arms, a little goes a long way,â she said.
âI wouldnât go crazy with it.â
Fluting fans
Anything wood in furniture is starting to be designed with some sort of fluting, Strain said.
âIt almost has a channeled look, and itâs huge. Weâre seeing tons of fluted wood collections, so I think itâs going to be big,â she said.
âItâs a neat way to add texture into a space without going overboard, and itâs fun.â
Her advice: âIt could easily go overboard, so pick a couple pieces. Maybe a headboard or nightstand. I think people will be seeing a lot of it.â
Fabrics go cozy
The pandemic-driven appeal of staying home and curling up on the couch is still showing itself in fabrics of choice.
âThe warm, comfy, cozy fabrics are really hot still,â Strain said. âThe sherpa fabric is still very strong. I think people want to be comfortable in their home, and these fabrics have stuck around because of that.â
Accordingly, the look is a little more casual âand not so serious and stuffy,â she said. âMore playful.â
A pop of art
Art in the home could be taking on a bit more contemporary look.
âWe saw a ton of almost pop art-looking embellishments on art pieces,â Strain said. âItâ going to be more for a modern person who loves to be a little more daring, and if you like bright color, itâs a great time to do some shopping.â
Or if youâre a bit more traditional, youâll be glad to know that âwe still canât get enough of buffalo art,â Strain said. âTheyâre just a beautiful, majestic-looking animal that I think everyone is drawn to. Thereâs beautiful imagery for sale, and we have a lot more coming.â
Horses and birds also are popular in art, âespecially something with crane imagery that works well in a traditional space,â Strain said.
One to watch: The Maximalist
And finally, hereâs a trend worth keeping an eye on: Collectors, your design moment finally might have arrived.
âAn up-and-coming style is being called a Maximalist style, which is basically mixing and matching everything you have,â Strain said. âItâs for people who like a lot of stuff. Collectors, antique shoppers, people who are very sentimental about things, but itâs about putting it together in a way that makes sense.â
Think of a bunch of eclectic art prints splashed together on a wall, for instance.
âYou might have different frame and imagery and color schemes, but you put them together, and it can look amazing,â she said.
A final word of advice: You donât have to figure any of this out yourself.
Stop in any Montgomeryâs location and take advantage of the free design services offered to all customers.
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