Getting comfortable
Explore the latest trends in home decor.
Decor trends take us on a little emotional journey every season. Some speak to how we're feeling, some to how we want to feel.
A MIXED BAG
A room should reflect a homeowner’s life and loves. Typically, that’s not just one design style, said Katelynn Calonkey, vice president and designer at Mister Robert’s in Norman.
“It can be a little of everything. Buy what you love and build your room around that,” Calonkey said. “Pieces are meant to be flexible. Mix and match different pieces together to create your personal look. It doesn’t have to be a set off ‘Mad Men.’ ”
Velvet is driving one of 2017’s big trends, Calonkey said. And the must-have piece of furniture? A sectional, she said. Sofa and love seat pairs are out; sectionals are in.
“Sectionals are a huge trend. It’s the hot item,” she said.
OUTDOORSY
Relaxing and refreshing, this trend hits "green" notes with an emphasis on a natural palette, organic silhouettes and sustainable materials. Think farmstead, writ urban.
Oklahoma City’s Urban Farmhouse Designs has captured the natural, rustic feel with its upcycled furniture designs that range from reclaimed wood farm tables to recycled ammunition turned canister vase, Marketing Manager Tiffany McArthur said.
“We’re a good mixture of reclaimed and industrial,” McArthur said. “Urban Farmhouse is a little bit eclectic in the way we mix upscale furniture with clean and comfortable farmhouse style. Our style offers more neutral colors and a calming atmosphere. Not so stuffy and polished.”
Crate & Barrel's chunky Big Sur furniture, in white oak, also fits the vibe, as does a verdant assortment of faux banana trees, orchids and magnolias.
Donna Garlough, of Joss & Main, has noted the tropical look expanding.
"I'm seeing citrus trees in the mix — wallpaper with lemon branches, and botanical sketches of orange trees," she said. "Complementing the trend, colors like kiwi, citron and chartreuse made a splash at last fall's decor markets, meaning they're probably going to hit homes and stores in 2017."
Pantone recently named Greenery their Color of the Year, citing its zestiness and vitality. Wayfair's got some green iron side chairs with an industrial look, as well as a transitional love seat in the hue. (www. wayfair.com )
Florals are a key component of the outdoorsy trend this spring; they're on everything from lampshades to lounge chairs.
British designer Ted Baker has a new collection of painted tiles with lush florals and chinoiserie rendered in rich hues on sleek glass. (www. thetileshop.com)
'EPHEMERAL'
Trend spotters say we're looking for ease and comfort for 2017.
"When you look at this palette, it's a Sunday morning," said Laurie Pressman, a vice president at the Pantone Color Institute. These delicate hues — what she and others are calling an "ephemeral" trend — evoke airiness and light.
Gentle whites and chalky pastels, which gained popularity over the last year or two, now combine with darker yet soothing neutrals like marine, earth, moss and heather. Textures are soft. Woods are lowluster.
"You can fall into it and relax," said Tom Mirabile, a New Yorkbased consumer trends expert.
Crate & Barrel's spring collections include generous dollops of pistachio and aqua, bringing these nostalgic hues into kitchenware and accessories. (www.crateandbarrel. com)
Kitchenaid’s newest mixers and bowls come in pretty shades of cornflower and buttercup. (www.kitchenaid.com)
And watch for lots of yellow, said Stephanie Pierce, design director at MasterBrand Cabinets. “From pale butter to dark mustard, yellows are cropping up everywhere,” she says, in styles ranging from midcentury modern to country farmhouse.
Some motifs are getting reworked in subtler ways. California-based designer Alison Palevsky points to animal prints like antelope and cheetah done in gray and beige instead of the traditional colors.
“The pattern adds immediate interest and texture to any room,” she said, citing Stark Carpet’s Antilocarpa in smoke, stone and silver.
LUXURY’S NEW LOOK
If “ephemeral” is decor’s languid glass of lemonade, “luxe” is a goblet of heady merlot.
Jewel tones, lustrous leathers and heftier, colored metals appeal to a new “visually expressive” generation, Pantone’s Pressman said. “It’s all about the finish — shine and luster.”
Shiny brass and copper have been growing more popular, note Mat Sanders and Brandon Quattrone, of the Los Angeles-based interior design studio Consort. “But 2017 will be about embracing the beauty of aged metals in furniture, hardware and fixtures.” Look for burnished finishes in pieces large and small.
You’ll see Art Deco references, as well, and more of the simplicity and elegance of Danish, Italian and French modernism.
Some classic pieces are being reissued, like chairs designed by Danes Finn Juhl and Hans J. Wegner. Miami designers Todd Davis and Rob Brown are using color-infused woods in a Deco-inspired collection crafted by Indiana furniture maker Keith Fritz. (www.browndavis.com)
There are chic new frameless mirrors at West Elm with Deco flair. Curvy armchairs from Roar & Rabbit, as well as the Delphine console with marble top and brushed bronze hardware, evoke a continental sexiness. (www.westelm.com)
SETTING THE MOOD
“The moody palate was huge” at spring’s Milan Furniture Fair and is catching on among retailers, New York designer Drew McGukin said.
“I’ve been encouraging my clients to incorporate color in bold applications, like countertops,” he said, citing in particular a new hue from Silestone “that captures the essence of soapstone — a deep, dusty, blue-gray hue softened with white veining.” (www.silestone.com)
Benjamin Moore’s Color of 2017 is Shadow, a deep grayed purple. And homes magazines are touting Farrow & Ball’s eggplant Brinjal, Behr’s Havana Coffee and Dunn-Edwards’ Mackintosh Midnight as moody must-haves. (www. benjaminmoore.com; www. farrowandball.com; www. behr.com)
Look for drama in other wallcoverings, too, where artistry is flourishing. California photographer Don Flood’s micro-images of abalone shells, insects, agave leaves and minerals are blown up into bold wallpapers. (www.fliepaper. com)
Calico Wallpapers’ Satori collection interprets Japanese pottery techniques in tones of burnished metallic and clay. Their Fragments collection evokes rainy, fogbound mountains. (www. calicowallpaper.com)