After a year of virtual and sometimes literal lockdown, our homes are as ready as we are to shake things up a little. From beautiful, functional home offices, statement pieces, and graphic art, to more ways to bring the beauty and textures of nature into your living spaces, we’ve rounded up all the latest design trends along with examples from our favorite designers and furniture brands. Here’s to ringing in 2021 with a few noteworthy new looks.
1.Statement-making pieces
Nothing elevates a minimalist space like a high-end, statement-making piece of décor, preferably hand-crafted of the purest materials. Ferruccio Laviani’s Arcobalegno storage unit is a perfect example, with the workmanship of the three-dimensional oak marquetry making this piece a work of art. We also love the free-spirited style of Freifrau's Leyasol swing seat, which relies on the delicacy of its wire frame to lend it an elegant lightness as much at home indoors as it is outside.
2. Face line graphic art
One of the most iconic and eye-catching pieces of abstract art, face line drawing is having a big moment, appearing on everything from wallpaper to planters. A playful yet sophisticated take on the trend is the New York Chair by Marras, with its spare yet frame and comfortable upholstered seat embellished with tonal quilted images sure to inspire any gathering. The Silhouette collection of rugs by Jaime Hayon for Nanimarquina is another bold example, with a unique embroidery on kilim technique delicately rendered in a striking illustration ideal for display in residential or commercial spaces.
3. Sustainable furniture
Sustainability has gone mainstream for 2021, with a world of designs in furniture and fashion featuring new materials like bioplastics and reused materials as well as a greater focus on minimizing our impact on the environment. Since their founding in 1990, the woodworking experts at Zeitrum have been focused on sustainability, creating “furniture as a bridge between generations,” and their Curtain table is a breathtaking example of design that showcases the timeless beauty of wood in a design that both surprises and elicits a sense of serenity and calm. Spanish brand Vondom, on the other hand, is tackling the environmental crisis with Ibiza, its first collection made of plastic recycled from the ocean, launched at the Salon de Mobile in 2019. According to designer Eugenie Quitllet, the spare, stylish forms are a natural evolution: "Every idea comes from the light and the sea as life does."
4. Natural organic textures
In 2021, everyone will be looking for ways to bring a natural touch and organic textures into their homes, and Riva1920’s solid kauri wood tables deliver a breathtaking slice of natural style, featuring cross, head-cut sections of kauri logs. Natural textures like wicker and rattan will also be seen a lot in 2021, and two of our favorites are Jamie Hayon’s designs for Expormim: theFrames dining armchair and the Tina armchair. Both feature the timeless beauty and casual elegance of natural rattan and wicker, updated with modern finishes to protect their beauty inside and out.
5. All-year-round outdoor space
With technology and materials making it easier than ever to curate the outdoors, now is the time start staking out a claim to your best outside spaces. With a wide selection of elegant options, Kettal’s outdoor pavilions are the perfect way to create order and harmony, while allowing plenty of fresh breezes and sunshine. And no outdoor space is complete without the most popular attraction: a fire pit. AK47design’s Zero is a gloriously understated fireplace, “simple in its shape with a generous and strong character” that “enhances the space that surrounds it, offering strong emotions, warmth, and hospitality.”
6. Creating a home office
If there’s one trend we all shared in 2020, it was the challenge of creating a home office. For 2021, why not accept the new reality and treat yourself to a real working space, one that inspires and enhances your experience? We love the transformable furniture designs at Clei, particularly their Murphy bed with desk and bookcase system that transforms effortlessly from working office to chic and serene bedroom — and ideal solution when space is at a premium. If it’s elegance and a sense of tradition that fuels your work, we love Molteni&C Dada’s Secretello, a modern reinterpretation of a classic secretaire.
7. Bouclé fabric
Meaning “curled” or “ringed” in French, bouclé has been a luxe fabric of choice since designer Eero Saarinen debuted his Womb Chair in Classic Bouclé in 1948. In the decades after, couture houses like Chanel made bouclé a staple in their collections, as did mid-century design houses — a trend that continues strong to this day, in must-have looks like Paoli Castelli’s Greenkiss Vao armchair and pouf. With legs made of discarded, eco-friendly solid ash and upholstered in natural bouclé wool, linen, or linen blend, Vao perfectly embodies this homey trend. For a larger space, Tacchini’s Julep sofa, influenced by the 1950’s Avant Garde movement, offers a contemporary, romantic, feminine allure.
8. Earth tones
It’s no surprise, as we all try to reconnect with nature and bring a little more of the outdoors into our lives, that earth tones are the most popular palette for 2021. In addition to its bold proportions, we love the subtle, earth-inspired shades of Vincent Van Duysen’s Octave sofa system for Molteni&C. Yabu Pushelberg’s walnut Noce Chair for Henge, with its timeless marriage of wood and leather, is another on-trend look we expect to be very big in the coming year.
9. Textured walls
Designers have always loved using texture to add depth and dimension to interiors, from plush carpets to silky wooden countertops. For 2021, texture is back in a big way, as the main theme for walls — with a focus on natural materials like stone, marble, and wood. Options like wooden beams, wall panels, murals, and even wallpaper recreating natural backgrounds offer endless opportunities to easily change the ambience of any interior — we’re particularly excited about a few of our favorite designers’ takes on the trend, like Rimadesio’s modular wall paneling, with its simple lines allowing for a system of glass cabinets, shelves, and display cases to be displayed with LED lighting. Another look we love is MeyStyle's Conductivity LED wallpaper: “a celebration of the ubiquitous yet mysterious power of electricity.” Inspired by the infinitesimal world of the atom, each design “expresses the beauty of nature in its most essential form.”
10. Plants
Finally, what better way to connect with nature than to actually bring it into your home? Not only do plants bring color and texture into our lives, studies have shown they can increase our sense of balance and calm. If you’re not used to caring for plants, start small, with a few simple, easy to care for varieties, such as succulents or ivies, or a large floor plant like a palm. Even photos or paintings of flowers, plants, and natural scenes can bring a touch of nature inside — create a little oasis in your home and you may find it becomes one of your favorite spots.
