Interior design trends of the 2020s - the 15 most important living trends and furnishing styles

It is no secret that a skillful arrangement of furniture , furnishings , garnished with a tasteful decoration and an atmospheric color palette can turn a room into a personal kingdom of heaven.

It does not matter whether you choose a unique, highly individual creation, just keep it with stylish options from a dealer or a professional interior designer.

It is essentially about finding a style that fits your very own design aesthetics.

In order not to start from zero, you can get enough inspiration and motivation for established or emerging furnishing styles and living trends.

Also in the years 2020 and 2021, which were bent by Corona pandemic, numerous furnishing trends and interior design styles have again emerged that creates apartments around the globe in a creative way.

The way we live and work is currently changing at a breathtaking pace. We are experiencing a time full of changes, challenges, and fundamental shifts in our societies. This is also reflected in how we design our living spaces .

Traditional and proven elements mix in a skilful manner with exciting news and numerous creative furnishing creations. A lot of what was already indicated in the past or has already moved into our living room, we meet again this year, in a further developed form.

The interior design landscape demonstrates not only a return to tradition but also, and above all, diversity and vibrancy. More than ever, one's own four walls are becoming a personal oasis of well-being, reflecting highly individual ideas and desires.

To transform your own kingdom into an island of comfort was raised to the top priority. In a hectic world with varied challenges and full of uncertainty, we long for a retreat to enjoy life and spoil ourselves.

This sensual basic need is the most formative force behind most furnishing trends of these years.

We have compiled a selection of top trends for the coming years from different sources for you, as noted and postulated by interior experts, Home & Living trade fair participants and leading interior designers.

When a topic combines the different trends, it is probably the desire for an increasingly sustainable lifestyle , under subtle influences of playful sensitivity, as well as the need for comfort and individual expression in the design of one's own empire.

In particular, number 3, 8 and 14 were real surprises for us.

1) Natural materials & Green Living

Statement by the expert

"The use of new, progressive, natural and organic materials is something that people have increasingly demanded in our designs. We see this shift as the next wave of environmentally conscious proactivity."

- Alexis Cogul from Doo Architecture -

Green Living

Not least through the Fridays for Future Movement and the debates about the Green Deal of the EU show how strongly the topics of sustainability, more responsible use of our limited resources and the protection of our environment have come back into general awareness.

We understand that only a drastic reduction in environmental pollution can receive our beloved planet.

This rethinking is also evident when it comes to furniture and design. People are increasingly asking selected, high -quality and sustainably produced pieces .

Numerous designers and large furniture manufacturers therefore increasingly rely on sustainable concepts, substances from renewable sources and recycled materials. The ecological footprint should be kept as small as possible.

Upcycling , watste -lifestyle and Green Living hardly leads a way.

in the Blog of Emil & Paula also show how multifaceted and, above all, of course the living trends are this year .

In addition to the still ongoing minimalism at the modern home furnishings, the authors wonderfully show how many different faces can have sustainable product design.

They also use Scandinavian representatives how Green Living residential accessories can be supplemented with textiles and dishes.

Biophilic design

In a world in which technology develops at a dizzying pace, we long for our original roots, for a connection to the earth. The immense advantages that nature offers for our entire psyche cannot be dismissed.

In "Biophilic Design" - first mentioned in 1984 by a Harvard biologist - Becky Shea from Becky Shea Design sees, for example, a great opportunity to improve our connectivity to nature with far -reaching, positive effects for our psyche and health.

Comfort meets modern elegance

With the use of natural materials such as wood, bamboo, velvet, glass, cork, stone or metal, a cozy look can be made wonderfully decelerating, spraying a homely and homely atmosphere, and exudes calm and elegance.

In the mix with subtle colors, earthy natural tones exude a cozy warmth, convey a feeling of security and thus complete the modern living trend .

Natural wood in particular skilfully plays with light and shadow and interacts excellently with other materials such as metal and Co. No wonder that lamps and lights made of wood in particular put a real triumphal march.

Many years after the “oak rustic” era still solid wood furniture Whether as a seating group in the kitchen or as a natural wood plate for the coffee table in the living room - furniture made of solid wood is a robust eye -catcher and last for a lifetime.

With beautiful, real houseplants, another green note can be added to a room.

Rattan, bast and wicker also experience a revival as natural materials. They inevitably remind us of our childhood. The use has developed in a fresh and exciting way and is particularly used in chairs, tables or in the lighting.

A perfect choice to reconcile modern and traditional style.

You can find inspiration and recommendations for Green Living in our Pinterest collection

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2) Boho Chic / Bohemian Design

In recent years, the bohemian style -also called Boho Chic or Bohemian Design-has developed into a global trend. People in different parts of the world not only opt for clothing in the Bohemian Style, but also look for ideas, suggestions and inspiration to give the interior of their apartments and houses a Bohemian finish.

Distinctive character

Boho interiors look unusual and imaginative. They combine exceptional designs shaped by wonderful, rich space colors with a vintage style, eco-style, gypsy decor and glamorous bohemian details.

The interior design in Boho-style is a unique style, very original, brave, colorful, cosmopolitan and at the same time cozy and inviting. Often an unmistakable hippie flair with an adventurous character causes a little wanderlust and arouses curiosity about foreign, exotic cultures.

It celebrates inner freedom, slows down the traditional rules for the interior, shows personality and creativity in space decoration and creates apartments that are very comfortable and created for the owner's own lifestyle.

What does boho mean?

The term was derived from the French expression "La Bohème" , which means as much as gypsy. Bohemia was a region in which a strong gypsy population lived in the past.

At that time it was assumed that the people in Bohemia justified the style. The gypsies had their own rules, which they followed for centuries. These people had handed down, unique solutions for situations with which people are confronted in their daily life for generations.

This creates a colorful and warm mix of color, full of natural materials such as rattan, bamboo & Co., hand-carved wooden workpieces with a unique-and-character and unconventional art objects.

Self-realization is the goal of a modern interior design in Boho style. It is a great furnishing style for everyone who likes to collect unique objects, or are creatively predisposed and design artistic objects themselves.

How can you combine boho?

Oriental and ethnic patterns, tassels and bobble, materials in the used look are prevalent features of the Boho Chic.

Simple and inexpensive furnishings can be combined with antiques and vintage furniture, handmade residential accessories with recycled and upcycling articles in spectacular and convenient ways into a very personal furnishing composition.

Straw hats and souvenirs brought by trips to different countries, old ties, porcelain and wooden figures, glass vases and paintings, unusual objects and objects with complicated patterns are also ideal for modern interior in this style.

Retro-poster, wall decorations from India, Asia and Africa , creative garlands, crystal pendants and globe lanterns, various textures and bright curtains, floor carpets and window curtains, fur and cotton, wall carpets and decorative pillows made of silk fabrics are other elements of this living trend, which is above all a kind of lifestyle.

Modern interpretation

While, especially in the last decades of the past century, various achievements and souvenirs from the respective trips were preferred to show in their own home and combined with existing interior, the modern trend is something new.

The new Bohemian Interior Design is no longer just a wealthy, and far -traveled, sophisticated social elite. The key popes of modern adaptation are no longer necessarily costly, but rather uncomplicated, adaptable eye-catchers.

A large number of furniture stores and online shops have jumped on the Boho Bandwagon. If you add the international shops and offers from all over the world - which are only a click of the mouse thanks to the Internet - then there is an almost inexhaustible selection in all price categories. Great!

It is also new that Boho elements can be seamlessly integrated into neutral basic furniture and optimally upgrades it. Especially with the popular, simple Ikea furniture, the playful, colorful Bohemian textiles and patterns harmonize excellently.

The dose can then be decided.

Measure large boho design

The Frankfurt Mass Ambiente presents Boho Designs of different manufacturers every year under the motto "Artistical + Diverse" .

At the French Messe Maison et Objet , many exhibit makes the heart of the Boho lover beat faster.

Boho living styles on Pinterest

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3) Sculptural design / sculptural venue

Cheryl iron from Interior Marketing Group attests: "There is a growing trend for using unusual, unique pieces of furniture that create a sculptural moment. "

This trend, which is largely based on mass consumption, will continue to grow in the 2020s and become increasingly accessible to a wider population.

Sculptural furniture and living elements are made from structured, organic fabrics such as Bouclé, boiled wool, linen, sisalhanf and natural wood.

People want something unique, but also pay attention to product quality, environmental friendliness and sustainability.

Anyone who has the necessary change will be able to see themselves at the extraordinary furniture designs by Fernando Mastrangelo, Michael Beitz, Vincent Poscik, Elissa Lacoste, Jinsik Kim, Stéphanie Marin, Michal Coffey, Warren Platner, Sabrina Möllers, Camiel Weijenberg and Talia Phua Gajardo.

It can be hoped for us normal consumers that there will be increasingly affordable pieces with sculptural beauty in the coming years.

Great curves

Hard edges belong to the past. Today, soft curves in furniture and decorative items indicate the sound. This was strikingly evident at all important trade fairs around living and modern living.

Round seating, upholstered furniture and wave-shaped sofas bring cosiness into the room and ensure a touch of 60s retro flair. Tables, chairs, vases, lamps, lights and sideboards also come with organic shapes.

The soft, feminine formal language fits seamlessly into almost every interior, fits both minimalist , modern furnishings and nostalgic retro-chic .

Sculptural venue on Pinterest

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It continues in Part 2 of this series: Interior Design Trends of the 2020s: Part 2 - DIY and Vintage, Garden Rooms and Art Deco