Contemporary interior design trends 2021 - An expert’s guide

Where have we been in 2020? 3 months lockdown starting in March and the subsequent Work From Home (WFH) trend going on in almost all industries, 2020 has been a bummer for all of us. This has led to an explicable truth- our homes will matter more than anything for the foreseeable future.

With the daily work commute gone, making the right impression at home is what people are looking at. This has led to a radical shift in the way designers fulfill and execute their work. With expert guidance, let’s see which trends are making a mark in people’s homes.

• Multi-purpose furniture: Real estate prices are rising, home sizes are shrinking, but incomes have remained mostly stagnant. This grim reality makes it obvious- multi-purpose furniture is not a trend but a necessity. Especially true in the metros, people want a fine balance between utility and aesthetics in their home interior designs. A sofa-cum-bed in a small 1 BHK apartment makes sense if you have more than 2 members in the family or if you have guests coming over. 
• Go Ethnic: While everyone wants to emulate the West, many people would like to have designs, prints, motifs, and furniture to go hand-in-hand with the overall look of the room. Many designers are using the ‘desi’ theme to give rooms a traditional look.
• Bring the plants inside: WFH has made people change their perceptions about plants. While plants in the balcony used to be taken for granted, now millennial WFH clients want plants incorporated in the home decor. Easy-to-maintain plants that refresh the air and keep away sunlight are what people are looking for.
• Maximalism: People want their homes to tell stories, be an extension of their identities, help guests interact with them better. Mementos from trips, awards, and other stuff help guests understand them better. This means designers have had to make rooms colourful and filled with patterns, they have had requests to ‘reinvent’ the rooms and make them a piece of art.
• Health-conscious design: The pandemic has changed the way we live. There is a greater demand for a health-conscious design where designers have included easy-to-maintain and safe surfaces, proper arrangements for ventilation and air filtration services. To top it all, designers are also using anti-microbial and germ-resistant materials wherever possible. 
• Work-From-Home friendly homes: With Work From Home being suddenly in-vogue, there has been a demand to convert part of the homes into home offices. To do this, designers are choosing functional and ergonomic furniture, soundproofing options as well as home decor that can boost creativity. For most of our clients, comfort while working is a must.
• Additional kitchen storage: With work from home comes cook-for-home. Not only that, but there have also been demands for more storage space for the kitchen. To meet this demand, designers have been using all the tricks of the trade to get every inch of storage space with limited resources.
• More leisure activities at home: Being indoors most of the time means finding new sources of self-entertainment. Designers are now tasked with finding ways to accommodate this latest interior design trend. Going to the movies or playing a sport doesn’t seem to be possible due to health concerns- people are now investing in Foosball tables, Home theatre systems, and Netflix subscriptions.
• Smart Bathrooms: Another trend that has become a necessity is about making most of the limited resources available. Self-cleaning, sensor-based taps, automatic toilets, and other resource-saving sanitary ware products are seeing a lot of interest amongst the millennials.
• Bright and Rich Colours: Muted colours are now passé. Designers have faced a deluge of requests from clients who want their homes done in bright colours. Bright colours invite calm, something that is looked forward to. Mustard Yellows, Earthy Browns, Deep Orange, and other such colours are being used to blend with contrasting colours, giving an amazing look.
• Minimalism: The complete opposite of Maximalism, minimalistic designs gives a warm and welcome look. This trend removes all clutter, making space only for those elements that matter. This is a design trend that encompasses all walks of life, where people are looking towards using those products, services, and experiences that delivers what is promised and much more. For example, an entire bedroom can be designed to keep a simple bed in mind.
• Sustainable design: Environmental consciousness is at an all-time high. Designers are increasingly getting requests for incorporating reused materials and low impact items into their designs. For this, designers are getting creative with the use of certain elements with amazing results.
• Tile theme: Marble tiles have been very fashionable for quite some time. Nowadays, designers are getting requests to incorporate geometric patterns with marble tiles for decorating the home. What’s more, the house gets a grand and luxurious look with marble tiles. The feather in the hat is the ease with which it can be installed and maintained.

To conclude...

This one pandemic came suddenly and changed the way we lived our lives. Work-from-home, study-from-home, and cook-for-home are the realities we have to mould our lives with. These trends are a result of this and are expected to stay this way for the foreseeable future.

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