With a new year comes new trends and inspirations for the home. 2020 has taught us many things and it’s certainly altered how we live our lives as well as the functionalities of certain spaces within the home.
With this in mind, we’ve collated our predictions on what home design trends will be big in 2021 and beyond:
Open plan living
As we spent a lot more time at home in 2020, this will likely change the way we structure our living spaces moving forward. From multifunctional kitchen-diners to fully open plan floors, homeowners will have a tendency to choose more open spaces, creating one space that can be used to dine, live and entertain.
These spaces will incorporate fewer boundaries to entry with features such as open doorways, glass partition walls and sliding glass doors leading to outdoor spaces. All these features can help to create the illusion of one continuing room, allowing homeowners to utilise all their available space.
Curved Shapes 
Curved shapes were a huge trend in 1960’s homes and have recently been resurrected in modern homes. A simple and effective way to bring curved shapes into the home is with an archway.
Archways are typical features of traditional architecture and are now making a comeback as architects and designers add curved doorways, rounded windows and arched mirrors into their projects. Arches can help to add curves and more organic shapes inside homes. If your home isn’t suitable for an actual archway you can create the illusion of one through decorative patterns painted on the wall with bold colours.
Sustainable design
Sustainable living is something that has been on the rise for a number of years but we predict 2021 is the year that this really comes to the forefront of home design.
New bioplastics, recycled and low impact materials will all be the focus for upcoming home designs. Incorporating unusual and sustainable materials is something that architects and designers will aim to do with large scale projects. Alongside the use of sustainable materials, we predict that overall home designs will also promote environmentally friendly ways of living from reducing water waste to solar lighting.
Biophilic design
Whilst indoor plants have been all the rage in recent years, 2021 will see homeowners take this to the next level by creating full living walls using indoor plants and natural materials.
We’ve seen large, oversized plants become key features in home offices and even bathrooms over the past 12 months, but homeowners and designers have now upped this trend with Biophilic Design which integrates nature into the building architecture as a way to improve health, psyche and the overall ecosystem. Living walls make use of reclaimed wood, hanging plants and are usually the size of a full wall.
Making these natural and organic materials the focal point within the home will remind us of the outdoors, creating mixed interiors with nature, promoting wellbeing and a healthy lifestyle. We predict this trend will continue to rise and stay put for the next decade.
Home office space
With home working likely to continue into 2021, home offices will continue to be a key focus for many designers. Ensuring a space is productive and enjoyable for occupants is important. So making sure these rooms have a lot of natural light, creating a peaceful working space for home workers.
These spaces need to be multifunctional and tailored to the individual’s needs from internet accessibility to creative stimulation. Homeowners should work with designers to consider how they will need to use these rooms and pay attention to any learnings from working from home in 2020.
Minimalist living
In 2020 decluttering your home was one of the biggest trends and we anticipate this to continue into 2021. But it won’t just be in your bedroom, as minimalist details will spill over into kitchen and living spaces.
From hidden appliances to push style latches on cupboards, homeowners will be looking for clean lines and simple design accents which create the illusion of minimalist living. Hiding any clutter is the main aim of this design aesthetic, which is accompanied by neutral colour palettes and plenty of natural lighting.
Wellbeing centric living
2020 has made a lot of us take a second look at how we take care of ourselves. Self-care and wellbeing have been big trends and we’ll see this carry over into the new year. How we live and enjoy our home spaces will change and taking care of ourselves will be a real focus when it comes to designing our living spaces.
From soothing colour palettes to indoor plants and comforting textures, wellbeing centric living will be a big trend for the next 12 months and beyond.
Integrated staircases
A unique trend for 2021 we’ve seen becoming increasing popular is integrated staircases.
Depending on your home size, creating an integrated staircase can help you tap into those unused spaces and create fantastic features such as additional storage space, a working area or even shelving.
Colourful bathrooms
In recent years we’ve seen bathroom trends focus on clean white palettes but we’ll see this change in coming years. Incorporating bold and bright colours into the bathroom will be a huge trend as designers have been embracing colour in a daring but elegant way.
This trend really brings energy into these spaces which homeowners frequent so often, using colours such as light pink, yellow, navy blue and greens. From feature walls to coloured bathroom suites, the bathroom will become a space to really show off your personality and flare.
Use of natural wood
Taking inspiration from Scandinavia, homes in 2021 and beyond will incorporate light woods not only for flooring but also for covering walls and ceilings.
The use of natural wood around the home helps to create a feeling of being at one with nature and lends itself to simplistic home designs. In rooms right across the home from the bedroom, kitchen and dining area to office space, particularly light coloured woods will be a highlight.
If you’re looking at ways to change up your home design in 2021, we hope you found this blog useful. If you’d like some further inspiration, why not take a look at our previous projects?
