We have more stringent requirements from our spaces after knowing them all too well for the past two years. We are over our love affair with gray. Waterfall kitchen islands look like last year’s hot trend – other words, dated. We are tired of shiplap, of white kitchens, of tiny ‘home office alcoves,’ and being with our nearest and dearest 24-7 has made us seriously rethink the open concept of interior design.
According to Eden Morrison, designer at Graber, a Springs Window Fashions company, the hottest interior design trend of the moment is inspired by friluftsliv (literally ‘free air life,’) a Scandinavian concept that’s all about enjoying the pleasures of the outdoors year-round. From a design standpoint, friluftsliv means bringing elements of the outdoors into living spaces.
Do it with house plants, by echoing the colors you see outside with the interior décor, with botanical prints, with objects and decorations from nature and, if privacy is not an issue, by allowing the view to be as big a part of the room as possible. Sheer drapes can float on the breeze when windows are open, they can filter light and soften the transition between inside and out. Think of your windows as eyes on the world instead of openings that must be draped and covered.
Mostly, we work from home now, so we need real work spaces in our homes. The work-from-home trend is here to stay, even after the pandemic lessens. Creating a conducive home office environment is critical. With videoconferencing the new norm, strategic lighting and an attractive backdrop are important décor aspects to consider. Calm, inviting spaces with great light control are key features of a home office. So are generous work surfaces, noise control, technology aids and, perhaps most important, privacy.
If we’ve seen anything in 2021, it’s a growing desire to stay healthy. This includes purchasing products for the home that are not only on-trend, but that are safe for families. We don’t want paints and fabrics that off-gas chemicals into our rooms, surfaces that are dirt magnets (good-bye tile floors and countertops,) difficult-to-clean deep pile carpeting, clutter and dust magnets.
Eden Morrison points to the eco-friendly qualities of her company’s window shades.
“Every fabric used on a Graber Eco-Performance Solar Shade is created from recycled or recyclable materials, and contains at least one of several other green attributes ranging from PVC- and lead-free to anti-fungal and -microbial properties. Graber’s Healthy Home shades have been engineered to resist microbes and fungi, while improving indoor air quality.”
Our concern for the environment includes a desire for sustainable materials used in our homes, and to know where and how they were harvested. One of the strong upsides: natural materials that are ecologically produced are perfect for creating texture, and texture is predicted to be the quality we all will want in our décor in 2022.