Top Trends For The New Decade

We’re moving away from stark white towards mood-enhancing colour; from straight lines to gentle curves. Welcome to the era of sensorial delight at home.

Sharon Stephenson

1 Colour in the kitchen

Stylist and designer Vanessa Nouwens, of Nes Design, picks bold colours and two-tone cabinetry as the next big kitchen looks. “While white kitchens will always have their place and are hard to trump in the clean-and-fresh stakes, the evolving trend is to include more colour,” she says.

Two popular colour families are navy or shades of green. When teamed with marble benchtops, brass hardware and smoky glass lighting, they add depth and create a beautiful, luxe look.

For two-toned cabinetry, the key is to get the mix of colours right. Blending wood finishes below with lighter colours above gives a feeling of spaciousness. Otherwise, opt for a contrasting island bench to make a statement.

2 Follow the curve

Rounded corners and organic shapes were in abundance at Milan Design Week, notes Laura Heynike, founder of Pocketspace Interiors. She says bringing this look into your home interior works best when echoed by multiple pieces, from furniture to accessories.

A rounded hallway console, for instance, connects to curved sofas, ottomans in freeform or distorted shapes and the gentle, wavy lines of watercolour textiles on soft furnishings. Rounded dining tables are said to promote more open conversations, too.

3 Wabi next-gen

Sometimes described as “imperfect, impermanent and incomplete beauty”, the concept of wabi-sabi has been applied to everything from landscaping to mindfulness. According to Laura, this has now morphed into an interiors style – a naturalistic look that also incorporates our high-tech lifestyle.