Whether your design and decorating choices are big or small, they can immediately communicate your style to anyone who enters your home. They can also bring you a sense of joy whenever you look around you and see the beautiful pieces you picked out. Revamping your space can even have health benefits. One-third of homeowners say that they change to a healthier lifestyle after remodeling their kitchen, according to Houzz.
Now is the perfect time to give your space a makeover and start feeling those benefits. It doesn't matter if you rent an apartment or own a house, you have options for how you want to express yourself in your home. Let's take a look at some of the top design and decorating trends of this upcoming year to get inspiration and ideas for your home.
A new kind of subway tile
For a number of years now, white subway tile has ruled the kitchen backsplash market. This style gets its name from the subway tiles that were first used during the early 1900s in New York City subway stations. These tiles became the standard subway decoration because of their easy-to-clean and durable surface that reflected light well. They also became common for kitchens because of similar reasons, but now designers are putting a spin on them.
This year's trendy backsplashes are still utilizing the fresh white color of subway tiles, but the individual tiles are larger than the standard three by six inches of past tiles. The larger tiles also minimize the amount of grout that shows. Designers are arranging them in herringbone, chevron, or stacked patterns, rather than in the offset brick pattern of years past. Some people are even ditching the rectangular tiles completely and opting for circles and curved lines instead.
Going green
For once we're not talking about eco-friendly living (although incorporating environmental options remains a popular trend), but rich and vibrant green hues that bring nature inside. Interior designers have seen earthy green tones on the rise in homes as people want to create a paradise that allows them to escape technology and the stress of the outside world.
The best part of these decorating trends is that you don't have to make permanent changes your landlord wouldn't appreciate in order to incorporate green into your home. Pick out green throw pillows and blankets to accent your living room, or go bold with an armchair or sectional entirely upholstered in green. If you can make lasting changes to your home, consider incorporating sea glass into a kitchen or bathroom countertop. Subtle shades of green, blue, and aqua are typically found in every 50 to 100 pieces of sea glass and can make a plain space feel like a relaxing oasis.
Multifunctional furnishings
As more people move into smaller apartments and homes made for city-living, decor is also becoming more compact and multifunctional. Anyone who has lived in a more modest space knows the challenge of making a living room double as a guest room or finding storage space when it seems impossible.
Luckily, the furniture to solve these problems can be both stylish and functional. Designers have created storage options that fit neatly into existing furniture pieces, like under-bed drawers. Couches that transform into beds no longer look like the clunky messes that your parents had, but like a completely normal sofa that fits seamlessly into a living room. If you're working with a small space, be sure to look for pieces like these that can do double duty while adding to the aesthetic of your space.
Now that you've got some inspiration from what's trending right now, it's time to go forth and give your home a facelift with these decorating trends. It's probably in need of one, as about 85% of all homes in the country were built before 1980. While you're remodeling, remember to have fun and pick out designs that speak to you. When all's said and done, you should have a space that wipes away the stresses of the day and brings you absolute joy.
