Top Home Interior Design Trends for 2021

If there’s anything 2020 has taught us, it’s that home really is where the heart is. With so many of us spending more time than usual at home due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s no surprise that many of us have invested money in improving our properties.

According to the 2020 Renovation Home Report, UK homeowners spent £55 billion improving their properties since lockdown restrictions began in March 2020. And with the surge in home improvements expected to continue this year, here we look at some of the top interior design trends for 2021.

A flash of brightness

The Pantone Colour of the Year is usually an accurate indicator of the sorts of tones and design schemes we’ll start to see more and more of in the home. This year, Pantone surprised the industry by announcing not just one Colour of the Year, but two – Ultimate Gray teamed with an eye-catching yellow, Illuminating.

Commenting, Pantone said: “A message of happiness supported by fortitude, the combination of Ultimate Gray and Illuminating is aspirational and gives us hope.”

The grey provides a soft, neutral base for the yellow to stand out against. When decorating a room in these colours, you could choose to inject additional bright, spring shades of complementary colours such as pink, purple and blue, as seen in Pantone’s suggested Enlightenment colour scheme. Alternatively, you could opt for more earthy tones, including a darker, reddy-brown, as seen in Pantone’s Sun and Shadow palette. For the former, the Expona EnCore Rigid Loc PUR luxury interlocking vinyl flooring tiles in Icelandic Oak would tie in well thanks to its grey undertones, while Rich Hazel Oak from the same range would look great against the latter.

Down to earth

Dulux has announced its hue of the year, too – Brave Ground. The warm, earthy tone “creates a feeling of stability, growth and potential”, according to the paint manufacturer, and is perfect for people who are looking ahead to more positive times.

The shade is ideal for rooms inspired by the environment around them and works perfectly with natural materials and tones, plus green accents. If you’re painting your walls in a colour similar to Brave Ground, think about teaming this with an emerald green sofa, rattan chair, botanical art prints, and lots of plants in either stand up concrete pots or macrame woven rope hanging baskets.

A natural, warm wood-effect flooring – such as the Colonia Wood PUR in Golden Koa or Woodland Oak Luxury Vinyl Tiles (LVT) – would help to seamlessly bring this aesthetic together. LVTs give you total flexibility when it comes to laying the flooring out, so you’re not restricted to fitting them in straight lines. Herringbone is a popular and classic look to give your home an instant update.

Bold industrial

Although the industrial trend has been around for a while now, it’s slowly been evolving away from dull grey tones and raw materials to a look that’s a bit more sophisticated and bolder.

Yes, we’re still seeing Crittall windows, doors and partitions – those with the black steel frames – and concrete style worktops and flooring, such as the Expona Design Stone PUR in Grey Stencil Concrete or the darker Factory Cement. But to bring the industrial trend up to date, team these features with bold colours on the wall, such as a striking pink, burnt terracotta or lime green, and go overboard on your lighting and other fixtures, particularly in brass or dark coloured metal.

Cottagecore

If the harsh industrial home trend isn’t your style and you’re after something a bit softer and homely, then ‘cottagecore’ might be more to your taste. A newly emerging lifestyle trend, cottagecore embraces slow living, the great outdoors and a romanticised idea around living in a rural setting.

When it comes to your home, think lots of florals and patterns inspired by the arts and crafts movement, and use simple but thoughtful touches such as jam jar plant pots, homemade candles and old wooden crates used as storage boxes to achieve the cottagecore look.

Wool rugs in warm colours laid over flooring inspired by natural stone or wood, such as the Camaro Loc PUR Classic Yorkstone or the Colonia Wood PUR in Woodland Oak, will make you feel like you’ve stepped into a traditional old cottage in the middle of the countryside.

Reclaimed furniture, open fires and classic colour schemes based around yellows, greens or blues, can all help to create the sense of calm and peacefulness which is at the heart of this home interiors trend.

Multipurpose spaces

From a more practical point of view, flexible spaces in the home are now a top priority for many. Whether that’s creating a home office, study space for children, or a snug that you can turn into a cinema room or open up to become part of the open-plan living area, flexibility in the home is a huge consideration.

But just because a space is practical, doesn’t mean it can’t look great too. Neutral tones can be brought to life with artwork and accessories, while different types of lighting can help to change the mood or look depending what the space is used for. A practical, easy to maintain flooring such as Camaro Loc PUR can be used throughout such spaces to keep a consistent feel and you can separate different zones using rugs, sliding doors or wall partitions.