8 Design and Decorating Trends to Watch Out For in 2020
Our reports from international design fairs combined with user favourites tell us what's in for your homes this new year
The new year usually brings about plans to refresh your home, whether it’s a full-on renovation or a refresh for the coming Lunar New Year festivities. Get to know 2020’s design and decorating trends to inspire you. These were picked out from design fairs, expert forecasts and Houzz data gathered from popular photos and stories.
2. Botanic prints
The appreciation for biophilic design will extend to decor, too, of course. Botanic prints in whimsical, geometric and stylised versions (Fap Ceramiche’s tiles, below), from furniture upholstery to wallcoverings and tiles, bring the healing effect of nature into our spaces.
The appreciation for biophilic design will extend to decor, too, of course. Botanic prints in whimsical, geometric and stylised versions (Fap Ceramiche’s tiles, below), from furniture upholstery to wallcoverings and tiles, bring the healing effect of nature into our spaces.
“There seems to be a great need to represent the outdoors; apart from the ever-popular living walls and faux plants, you can now go overboard and cover an entire home with them, every surface and corner. Big and bold is the way to go, maximalist all the way without fear of clashing colours and textures,” interior designer Wendy Smith of Design Intervention observed at the International Furniture Fair Singapore this year.
3. Soothing palettes
That biophilic inspiration will influence colour palettes as well. This is already evident in the Colour of the Year that paint manufacturer AkzoNobel, maker of Dulux, introduced. The misty sage green is called Tranquil Dawn, and evokes calmness, serenity and well-being. It’s pale enough to be a neutral, and works beautifully with other pastels, which is rising in demand among Singapore homeowners.
That biophilic inspiration will influence colour palettes as well. This is already evident in the Colour of the Year that paint manufacturer AkzoNobel, maker of Dulux, introduced. The misty sage green is called Tranquil Dawn, and evokes calmness, serenity and well-being. It’s pale enough to be a neutral, and works beautifully with other pastels, which is rising in demand among Singapore homeowners.
Tranquil Dawn also works with the moodier jewel tones, such as sapphire and emerald.
Jewel tones will be popular in furniture, too, within a light and soothing setting made of pale neutrals. Cameron Woo, interior designer and president of Interior Design Confederation Singapore (IDCS) says: “We are seeing a renaissance in a combination of basic neutral tones and stronger masculine colours for accents like dark greys, metallic colours like gold and silver, together with emerald green and sapphire in terms of fabrics and soft furnishings.”
4. Pared-back luxury
Singapore homeowners favoured the Japanordic style blending Scandi style with Japanese influences in 2019 – and that may still be popular in 2020 – but they’re looking for a more sophisticated and upmarket spin. The alternative: the same clean lines and neutral palette, but enriched by glossy surfaces and plush, velvety soft furnishings.
“Clients are becoming younger and definitely more design-conscious than ever before. Many undertake extensive research on different interiors they want for their dream home by scouring online platforms such as Houzz to build their visual and digital library of reference images. From an interior architecture perspective, clients are requesting contemporary, clean lines with polished or satin brass, and bronze metal trims for wall panels are still a firm favourite. From a loose décor perspective we are receiving two main divergent requests: either quiet, pared-back luxury or vivid richness,” says Woo.
Singapore homeowners favoured the Japanordic style blending Scandi style with Japanese influences in 2019 – and that may still be popular in 2020 – but they’re looking for a more sophisticated and upmarket spin. The alternative: the same clean lines and neutral palette, but enriched by glossy surfaces and plush, velvety soft furnishings.
“Clients are becoming younger and definitely more design-conscious than ever before. Many undertake extensive research on different interiors they want for their dream home by scouring online platforms such as Houzz to build their visual and digital library of reference images. From an interior architecture perspective, clients are requesting contemporary, clean lines with polished or satin brass, and bronze metal trims for wall panels are still a firm favourite. From a loose décor perspective we are receiving two main divergent requests: either quiet, pared-back luxury or vivid richness,” says Woo.
5. Art Deco influences
Art Deco is also experiencing a revival, and not only at Maison & Objet 2019. In Singapore, too, Smith observed: “Art Deco is a strong, re-occurring theme. Brass and rose gold are favoured over cooler metals, jewel tones preside over neutrals and bold curves over straight lines. Unmistakable Deco motifs are prevalent in wallpapers, fabrics and furniture silhouettes. Materials and textures are successfully entwined and layered to evoke a strong mood of maximalism.”
Emerging Interiors Trends From Maison & Objet 2019’s Fall Show
Art Deco is also experiencing a revival, and not only at Maison & Objet 2019. In Singapore, too, Smith observed: “Art Deco is a strong, re-occurring theme. Brass and rose gold are favoured over cooler metals, jewel tones preside over neutrals and bold curves over straight lines. Unmistakable Deco motifs are prevalent in wallpapers, fabrics and furniture silhouettes. Materials and textures are successfully entwined and layered to evoke a strong mood of maximalism.”
Emerging Interiors Trends From Maison & Objet 2019’s Fall Show
6. Terrazzo
The floors most of us grew up on – if you grew up in the 1970s and 1980s – were made of terrazzo, a combination of concrete (or sometimes resin) and marble, granite or recycled materials like broken ceramics. Well, the wallet-friendly, low-maintenance material, which actually originated in Venice, Italy, during its Serenissima Republic period (7th to 18th century), is having another revival. You’ll see it not only as floors, but as tabletops, and even furniture and light fixtures, as seen at design fairs such as Australia’s Decor + Design Show.
This dining room by The Scientist shows just how tuned in to the trends Singapore designers are, combining terrazzo with a soothing palette that features both pastels and jewel tones.
The floors most of us grew up on – if you grew up in the 1970s and 1980s – were made of terrazzo, a combination of concrete (or sometimes resin) and marble, granite or recycled materials like broken ceramics. Well, the wallet-friendly, low-maintenance material, which actually originated in Venice, Italy, during its Serenissima Republic period (7th to 18th century), is having another revival. You’ll see it not only as floors, but as tabletops, and even furniture and light fixtures, as seen at design fairs such as Australia’s Decor + Design Show.
This dining room by The Scientist shows just how tuned in to the trends Singapore designers are, combining terrazzo with a soothing palette that features both pastels and jewel tones.
7. Flexible kitchens
A couple of years ago, the open-concept kitchen was just trending, especially among foodie homeowners. Now, this functional space has to be even more flexible, with space a premium, and many homeowners opting to reclaim floor area from the service yard by incorporating it into the kitchen during renovations. Kitchens have to look good enough for entertaining, and be practical enough to cook and do laundry in.
5 Stylish HDB Kitchen-Yard Combos
A couple of years ago, the open-concept kitchen was just trending, especially among foodie homeowners. Now, this functional space has to be even more flexible, with space a premium, and many homeowners opting to reclaim floor area from the service yard by incorporating it into the kitchen during renovations. Kitchens have to look good enough for entertaining, and be practical enough to cook and do laundry in.
5 Stylish HDB Kitchen-Yard Combos
8. Bay window solutions
Speaking of reclaiming floor area and maximising the space that our apartments have, guess what Singaporean homeowners searched for the most on Houzz in 2019? Bay windows. This means they’re looking for ideas to incorporate their bay windows into the renovations they’re planning for in 2020. Fortunately, Singapore designers are well-equipped with bay window solutions, and they’re getting even savvier now – this architectural feature is no longer just a window seat in their creative hands. Watch out for bay windows that are turned into study bays, entertainment consoles and vanities.
Tell us
Which of these trends inspires you? Tell us in the Comments below, like this story, save your favourite images, and join the conversation.
More
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10 Design and Decorating Trends for 2019
Speaking of reclaiming floor area and maximising the space that our apartments have, guess what Singaporean homeowners searched for the most on Houzz in 2019? Bay windows. This means they’re looking for ideas to incorporate their bay windows into the renovations they’re planning for in 2020. Fortunately, Singapore designers are well-equipped with bay window solutions, and they’re getting even savvier now – this architectural feature is no longer just a window seat in their creative hands. Watch out for bay windows that are turned into study bays, entertainment consoles and vanities.
Tell us
Which of these trends inspires you? Tell us in the Comments below, like this story, save your favourite images, and join the conversation.
More
Salone del Mobile 2019: The Changing Face of Design in 9 Trends
10 Design and Decorating Trends for 2019
As sustainability becomes an everyday word (think eco-bags and reusable coffee cups), and manufacturers continue to develop earth-friendly and responsible products such as biodegradable furniture, homeowners and designers alike are turning to the next frontier: design that improves our well-being, also known as biophilic design.
Holistically designed buildings aid our physical and mental health. Imagine tiles that combat pollution (Limpha porcelain stoneware, above, launched at Cersaie 2019) by using photocatalysis to clean the air, lamps that automatically adjust their intensity according to natural circadian rhythms, and indoor nature such as vertical gardens that appeal to the senses of touch, smell and sight.
What is … Biophilic Design?