Interior Design Trends For 2018

As the year draws to a close, the words on everyone’s lips are undoubtedly, “New Year Resolutions”. Now while most people are looking at gym memberships and perhaps at travelling more, it’s also a time for you to look at sprucing up your home for the new year!

Here’s our pick of what will be some of the biggest trends for 2018, and ways to incorporate them into your home.

Ultra violet is in!

Pantone, the company that knows colour better than anyone has announced their 2018 Colour of the Year and it’s Ultra Violet.

According to Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute, “We are living in a time that requires inventiveness and imagination. It is this kind of creative inspiration that is indigenous to PANTONE 18-3838 Ultra Violet, a blue-based purple that takes our awareness and potential to a higher level. From exploring new technologies and the greater galaxy to artistic expression and spiritual reflection, intuitive Ultra Violet lights the way to what is yet to come.”

If having everything in Ultra Violet feels a little too Liberace for your taste, a pop of colour on a cushion, a vase or even a print of a galaxy can go a long way.

DARK KITCHENS

Turn on HGTV and you’ll be forgiven for thinking that there’s probably a shortage of white subway tiles in Northern America. And white cabinet doors. And white bowls. Designers from all over the world have come to the consensus that we have reached peak white-on-white. However, while there will always be a time and place for a classic and minimal white kitchen, people are turning towards darker colours. From natural (not reclaimed) wood to black, dark grey and navy…interior designers and homeowners alike are going darker.

bye bye brass

Just like all-white everything, brushed brass has also had its place in the sun. From faucets to tabletops, it’s now time to say goodbye to inorganic brass and say hello to (once again) darker finishes. Charcoals, deep inky blues and black light fixtures…the ‘authentic’ feel of brass will be replaced by simple refinement.

Go Real

Perhaps as a sign of the times, people will move away from faux anything and move towards pieces that tell a story.

Basically, if something has been bought off a catalogue from a mass-produced chain store – it won’t cut it. While Dubai may not have a wide selection of antique and vintage stores, we do have access to the wonderful world wide web, not to mention several second-hand stores that ship to the city. If you still can’t quite find something that fits your interior design story, why not do it yourself? A few months ago, MyBayut spoke to Muby Astruc who gave us some wonderful tips on upcycling furniture.

throw some shapes

The 70s are coming back, but luckily not in a very 70s way! Designers are looking at the geometry (from angles to circles and slight curves) that defined the decade and bringing them indoors.

From curved sectionals to sharp geometric furniture, subtle patterns in warm, earthy colours offset by blues, there’s no better way to honour the 70s while still keeping your aesthetic sanity intact.

ikigai is the new hygge

The Scandinavian hygge (think cable knit throws and warm scented candles) was uber popular earlier this year, however, as with all good trends, it’s come to an end according to industry pros. Instead, designers are seeing a shift towards the Japanese concept of ikigai.

In a nutshell, ikigai is  “What you love, What you are good at, What the world needs, What you can be paid for”. How this translates into your home is by deciding what it is that really matters to you. What’s the reason that you wake up in the morning? What’s a hobby that you race home to? Is it a lovely cup of coffee? Find a machine that makes you happy just by looking at it and install it in your kitchen. Love scrapbooking? Set up a little crafts table in your living room. It’s these little things that really make all the difference.

say no to trends

While this might sound a bit counter-intuitive, there is nothing better than eschewing trends for your own personality. After all, home is where you will be spending most of your time and it’s where you need to feel comfortable. So if none of the design trends on this list (or the 100s that are inevitable at this time of year) appeals to you, so what? Find what does and there you go!

For another glimpse into what the future might hold when it comes to design and our lives as a whole, here are some things that we spotted at GITEX 2017. If you’re not too keen on redoing your entire home, here’s our list of ways that you can make your home healthier.