Are you ready? It’s that time of year when we take stock, analyze and recap the trends that made it into our homes, hearts and sometimes just the stores. As a trends lover, sometimes predictor but mostly synthesizer, here is my view of our design world for 2019 as I work in it, live it and see it.

10. Quick! All About Me: Propelled by technology this trend brings customization to the masses. No longer a luxury, personalizing a wallpaper, fabric, pillow, or plate is a basic entitlement, plus it needs to arrive overnight. Expect this trend to continue and become even more micro, crossing borders, quicker lead times, less costly and more infinite.

For some personalization fun, try:
Audreylane.com for a monogrammed tile or customize any of their patterns by color and material. Their imaging tool is easy to use and their designs are current and fun.

Or minted.com for large scale wall murals that you can scale to size:

Phillipjeffries.com mash-up to customize some of their most popular designs like the award winning rivet pattern.

@phillipjeffries

9. Aesthetics of Joy : Probably one of my personal favorites, I wrote about this trend last month. If you are not posting a happy pose on Instagram then add a dose of bold colors, happy words or playful patterns into your home. What’s not to love about the joy of everyday moments? As they say, fake it till you make it and maybe one of those positive mantra’s in your laundry room will sync in.

8. Going Green: Not just about the color green (yes, that has been a major color trend for the last two years) but about bringing the outdoors in we are seeing a resurgence of 70’s greenery in our home. From ferns to palms in print and in real life as well as bamboo’s, jutes, rattan and other natural materials. Doors have replaced windows with full exterior access and walls are climbing with terrariums. This trend is here to stay, like the specific greenery we covet (last years succulents, fig tree’s or philodenron’s perhaps replaced by ginko leaves and moss?) or the weaving technique and coloration of the outdoor in materials.

7. All Mixed Up: The days of cool gray and silver metals have been slowly replaced first with golds and satin brass and recently with bronzes, burnished brasses, raw iron metals and black nickels. We will see all of these metal tones mix and meld creating a warm, livable environment. Pair this with the new greige neutral, camels and earthy browns and imagine 2019.

6. Connections: With less and less time and more technology to hide behind, the art of conversation and small group intimacy has become increasingly difficult but also coveted. To accommodate, we are seeing sofas, settees and chairs become less linear and more curvaceous. This embodiment of snuggly forms that promote social interaction have morphed from iconic to mainstream. We will be seeing more approachable curved forms that don’t just evoke glamour but also comfort.

 

5. Instaworthy: For the social influencers, this trend is paramount. Designer nurseries, rooms to grow, console table vignettes, shelfies, basket styling, fireplace décor, tabletop settings, front door style and more. Every home moment is a social media opportunity. For the self made interior designer, DIYer, prodigy tween, and those of us just trying to get through our IG posts, I am not sure where this trend is going because sooner or later IG will be replaced by yet another platform. Stay tuned.

4. Wabi Sabi: The Japanese art of imperfection, I have been wanting to note this trend on a personal level for quite some time. A backlash to social media perfection this trend embraces  raw and rugged materials and unconstructed, organic and intentional mistakes (if there is such a thing). It’s time to break the rules 2020.

3. Southern Charm:  Last year I called it the New Traditionalist, this year the New Traditionalist has embraced not only the aesthetic but the social graces and etiquette of the South. Florals abound, china is the new status symbol and a fully stocked bar with a signature cocktail and personalized napkins are only the start to an invite only dinner party. This new breed of everyday socialite has gripped the burbs from Salem to Savannah.

2. Slow Living: With the creeping homogenization of product we are craving one of a kind items that are handmade and special. Of late we have seen a rise in craft markets showcasing traditions of the past and the slow process of making things by hand. A celebration of the maker artisan, this storytelling  movement is not just a trend but an emotional connection to the loss of time, artistry and tradition.

1.She not Me: No denying that the power of the female is the hallmark of 2018. #metoo #ladyboss #strongwomen etc. are only a few of the popular feminist hashtags trending online. Finding strength in numbers and the behind the scene buzz of female driven energy, the ladies who lunch are no longer idle but political activitists. For the home, we now need our own spaces to host, plan, work and escape. The rise in card tables, living rooms, she sheds, meditation spaces and reading corners are an ode to the She not Me trend.

Bonus Trend:

A return to Decadence. Deco meets 80’s. Call it a Trump Take-over or simply and suddenly the 80’s is retro. I guess a few ruffles, geometric lines and metallic lame do not hurt while wearing graffiti adidas sneaker heels.