Looking for interior design ideas? The latest trends for the industry can lend some inspiration to amateurs and professionals alike. Ai InSite spoke with interior designers and faculty members from The Art Institutes system of schools to find out their predictions for what interior design trends will be big this year.
What are some of the overarching themes and trends you see coming in interior design?
- Environmentally responsible design
- Sustainable design
- Technology driven design
“I think we are moving away from the idea of a single, dominant trend or two in interior design,” Kelly Berg says. “”As the internet plays a larger and larger role in this field, vast amounts of information and shared creativity are becoming available to anyone at anytime from any place in the world.”
“Considering the economic downturn, the trendier fields in interior design are the ones that are considered the least glamorous: education, tech, labs, institutional, and health care,” Kibwe Daisy says. “However, since these areas are more sought after, the energy and sophistication of the design is becoming elevated.”
What color trends can we expect to see?
- More subdued and muddy colors
- More greens and blues
- Neutralized environments
- Highly saturated colors
“Color is still quite subjective and still varies by project and client; color theory is becoming increasingly important in design,” Daisy says.
“The barometer I tend to use when determining the ‘hotness’ of a color at any particular time is to look toward examples in the graphic design field,” Jason McGee says. “Graphic design has the fortune of being a fast, even ephemeral, media; it can very quickly adapt to changing cultural moods.”
“Using color meaningfully in design is a far better way to approach color than simply using what’s trendy,” Berg says. “Hopefully, in the relatively near future, we will see the trend in color be about how and why we use hues, rather than glorifying a single ‘it’ color for each year.”
How will the interior design trends differ between residential and commercial spaces?
“Commercial trends are always a little behind residential as they buy for longer terms,” Ellen McDowell says.
“Residential design is typically much more safe and traditional in terms of materials and finishes,” McGee says. “However, the greening of the residence will continue, but due to the prices associated new technologies and processes, the trends will tend to lag behind commercial projects.”
“While I anticipate an experimental phase with homeowners and residential design with regards to color, I don’t think we will see quite as much experimentation in the commercial sector,” Berg says. “It’s much costlier for commercial designers to play with color, and public spaces need to work for a larger generalized group of people, rather than a single individual or family.”
How are interior design trends typically determined?
- Color Marketing Group
- Culture
- Technology
- Big-box retailers like Pottery Barn and Crate & Barrel
- Magazines and catalogs
“Color trends will start with fashion first then it will trickle to other things,” McDowell says.
“With the growing number of websites and bloggers dedicated to sharing design ideas, I think we are seeing a shift away from these hyper-controlled trends,” Berg says. “People are seeing that there is more out there, and there are other ways to create spaces.”
What major changes are coming to interior design trends with regard to aspects like furniture and lighting?
- Environmental and energy efficiency
- Incorporation of decorative fixtures such as chandeliers, pendants, and sconces
- More usage of smart technologies
Ellen McDowell is an interior designer and Residential Planning instructor for The Art Institute of Pittsburgh — Online Division.
Kibwe Daisy is an interior designer and Interior Design instructor at The Art Institute of Washington in Arlington, Virginia.
Jason McGee is an Interior Design instructor at The Art Institute of Raleigh-Durham.
Kelly Berg is an interior designer and color expert.