Decorating & Design
Get Decorating! Five Looks That Are Trending Right Now
Published on February 16, 2022
Yes, it’s true — we’re decorating again! Whether your style is marvellously modern, totally trad or somewhere in between, it’s time to embrace layered textures, spicy colors and graphic patterns used in new ways. Pretty is back, and we’re all in.
Keep scrolling to see the five livable looks that will be shaping our rooms in 2022.
1. British Revival
British style is both enduring and of the moment, but this trend owes more to the no-nonsense farmhouses of Upstate New York and Connecticut than Bridgerton’s lavish royal court. Sure, there’s plenty of signature chintz, floral wallpaper, antiques and pattern on pattern, but with a shot of Yankee ingenuity in the form of modern elements. Practical finishes stand up to muddy boots and bounding dogs: the look is ubiquitous in country houses from Herefordshire to the Hudson Valley.
In this 1871 Connecticut farmhouse, Lambert & Fils’ Clark suspension lamp gives the Shaker-style table and roll-arm seating a fresh, collected look.
A spool bed frame, ceramic lamp and painted furniture bring British sensibility to this Seattle bedroom.
This laundry room would look at home in an English manor house, with its putty palette, Shaker-style cupboard and vanity with turned legs.
2. Gallery
Be your own curator and give your personal collection the attention it deserves. Start with white walls and layer in sculpture, shapely light fixtures, Scandinavian furniture and craft objets (often in ceramic or clay). If investment pieces by Pierre Jeanneret, Charlotte Perriand and Jean Prouvé are beyond your budget, retailers such as Elte, CB2 and Anthropologie are offering affordable options.
The gallery-perfect combo of blond parquet floors and creamy walls in this Sydney living room lets statement pieces such as Tom Dixon’s Spin candelabra shine.
A dining table with a wire-brushed base is inspired by France’s northwest coast.
In Toronto’s Montana Labelle Lifestyle shop, Corbi chairs by Klaus Uredat are functional art pieces.
3. Mid-Century Reboot
We still can’t get enough of classic 1950s and ’60s design, but now we’re looking for ways to layer in today’s fresh new pieces.
In this Upper West Side apartment designed by Brad Ford, the original wall panelling and plaster ceiling look fresh with modern lighting and furniture.
Build the look with signature elements like David Netto’s floor light (right), which was created with mid-century houses in mind and inspired by the iconic 1950s design of Stilnovo’s Diabolo lights.
4. American Craft
A return to a handcrafted, artisanal aesthetic that’s synonymous with fine workmanship has been gaining momentum for the past few years. Fuelling the revival is the millennial mania for all things mid-century, including Prairie style, which emphasizes wood carvings, ceramics and art glass.
This banquette hearkens back to the strong horizontal lines of Prairie style and the substantial built-in furniture favored by Frank Lloyd Wright.
A rustic pantry in a Hollywood home shows off dovetail joinery and is enlivened by colorful ceramics.
5. Soulfully Minimal
There’s no question that many of us love clean lines and zero clutter, but minimalism can be unforgiving. After lockdown, the tide has shifted away from cold austerity and moved toward a gentler alternative that has relaxed, coastal overtones. Creamy walls, bouclé chairs, books and accessories give a soulful, organic lift to an organized home that’s a serene island away from the rest of the world.
In this Jupiter Island, Fla., home designed by Betsy Brown, waxed plaster walls, limed trim and a fumed oak floor create a calming effect.
A San Francisco bathroom by Studio Shamshiri is bathed in pale pinks and accented by textured fabrics to create a pared-down but luxe look.
House & Home January/February 2022