It’s no secret that interior design colour trends have changed quite dramatically in the past few years, largely due to the effects of the pandemic on people’s lives internationally. Since early 2020, people have been spending more time in their homes, which affects what our homes are used for and what they look like.
WARM NEUTRALS
While the colder stark-white minimalism is on its way out, minimalism in and of itself is here to stay for a little bit longer. The cold bright whites are being seen less and less in modern minimalist designs, being replaced by warmer neutral colours such as soft creams, pale beiges, and light browns. Also rising in popularity are natural tones such as rust and terracotta.
These neutral tones are warming and welcoming, blending into a soft background for a life lived daily within the same spaces, working very well with the pops of colour and natural plant decor that is on the rise.
Warm neutral colours are a way to move forward into modern design trends without fully letting go of the minimalism trends of previous years – and geometric tiles are a fabulous way to incorporate these trends through. A geometric pattern in tile, using one or two neutral colours, is a fabulous way to create interest in a space while maintaining the minimalist aesthetic.
TEXTURAL ELEMENTS
With minimalist designs, it’s not just colour that’s making a statement, but the texture, too. Colour washing (a faux-finish painting technique that provides a softly textured colour) is gaining in popularity.
Other textural painting methods – such as using brushes, sponges, or combs – are definitely returning, the end result enhancing the tactility of a home space and creating a natural, comfortable and lived-in feel.
Another method of adding texture into your home is to use 3D tiles – and these can be hard-wearing feature walls in any space, not just a kitchen or bathroom. These tiles can create an added dimension within a room, creating a focal point of colour and texture.
Furniture is another way of including texture, especially when bringing the outdoors into your home’s interiors, with jute, rattan, leather, and wood grains all adding natural textures to your space in warm neutral colours.
EARTHY BROWNS
Brown shades are being welcomed back into the trendy colours of 2022, symbolising calmness, comfort, and stability within a changing world.
Darker chocolate browns, camel tones, and caramel colours work very well as a dark neutral colour in modern spaces, making them feel rich and elegant. Adding brown and wood tones is a way of bringing the aesthetic of organic outdoor spaces into the comfortable interior of your home.
These shades also combine effortlessly with the light greys that were trending in previous years, creating a mix of old and new trends for a modern aesthetic. Light neutral colours are fabulous at brightening up the dark browns, while pairing the brown tones with jewel tones leans into a dark, luxurious feel.
Easily bring brown tones into your home with chocolate brown leather furniture or dark wood grain accessories, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere. These colours are soft and sophisticated, offering a peaceful, grounding effect.
NATURAL GREENS
Green is the stand out colour trend of 2022. Almost every major paint company chose a variation of green as their Colour of the Year. While being a very versatile colour, green helps to create a relaxing environment and promotes the indoor-outdoor trend of recent months.
Deep forest greens and softer, lighter greens are emerging as customer favourites. Darker greens are very effective as bold feature elements, while soft, sage-toned greens are incredibly adaptable to many different interior design styles.
For a more modern style, pair softer greens with cool grey, shiny metallic and matte black accents.
On the other hand, for a more organic feel, pair with dusty pink pastel, light cream, and natural wood tones.
SOFT BLUES
Blue is also a very popular colour this year. It is a clear winner in dining areas, a clean and crisp colour that is simultaneously refreshing and comforting.
Soft mid-tone blues are cool and warm at the same time, conjuring the openness of clear skies and open water. These tones are calming and welcoming, perfect as a neutral colour base in a soothing area of the home or as a bold feature colour in a dynamic space.
PANTONE VERI PERI
The Pantone Colour of the Year for 2022 has created quite a stir. For the first time, Pantone have created a new colour to be the Colour of the Year, and it’s quite an interesting colour.
Pantone’s Veri Peri is a vibrant shade of periwinkle purple that blends the calming qualities of blue with the undertone of energetic red. The colour evokes a sense of escapism and positivity – something many people are being drawn towards in our ever-changing world.
And Pantone is not the only one to select a purple tone as their Colour of the Year. WGSN and Coloro have chosen Orchid Flower, a purple closer to the magenta end of the scale.
But how do you use this colour in your home? These purple tones work fabulously with lush green tones in nature-inspired spaces. Alternatively, mix them with muted shades like mauve or terracotta for a comforting balanced feel that works very well in smaller spaces, such as bedrooms. Finally, combine with bright pinks and yellows in children’s areas, to create vibrant and happy spaces.
If you are wondering which colours go best with terracotta tiles, Veri Peri or Orchid Flower may very much be your answers!
Whether you bring this colour in through painting the walls or adding accents in furniture and decor, these lovely purple shades are here to stay.
PASTELS
Soft dusty pastel colours aren’t completely gone just yet! These tones are a way of incorporating colour into your home without the necessity to go too bold before you’re ready for it. Dusty pinks and reds in particular are making a comeback, as they work very well as pops of colour against the dusty blues and greens that form the bulk of 2022’s colour trends.
TROPICAL BRIGHTS
Bold and bright tropical colours are another way of adding colour into your home. If the softer neutral, nature inspired, or pastel tones aren’t for you, maybe this trend is the one for you!
Tropical colours form their very own colour palette, including summery ocean teal, bright sunshine yellow, floral pinks, and sunset oranges.
These vibrant colours can add lightness to darker spaces. Sunshine yellow in particular is great for this, as the right shade lends light to the room without overpowering it. They also mix very well with soft cream colours and lighter natural fibres like jute, rattan, and pale wood grain.
Patterned tiles are a fabulous way to bring these bright, vibrant colours into your home in bold and refreshing ways.
JEWEL TONES
If you like your home to be dark, alluring, and dramatic, the deeper jewel tones will be your best friend. The colours on the rise are the sapphire blues, garnet reds, and emerald greens. These dark, yet bright, tones create a beautiful luxurious atmosphere in the home, particularly when paired with metallic accents such as gold or bronze.
However, it may be daunting to go all out with this aesthetic to begin with, so if you’d like to try implementing the jewel tones without going all out, try some luxurious velvet furniture pieces or throw pillows, metallic edged mid-century modern furniture, or gold decor.
We hope this piece has given you some interior design inspiration for 2022 and beyond! Have fun styling!
