New Year New Home: Interior Design Trends in 2018

With the approach of 2018 on the horizon, we can say goodbye to the good, bad, and ugly that defined 2017. A new year means fresh takes on design and new projects that will challenge designers to think differently to meet their clients’ demands. Trend forecasts show us what could be in store regarding design for the next year. The great thing about these forecasts is that they’re not set in stone; they’re creatives thinking about what may be the next to change in a big way. If these forecasts look nothing like what the actual trends of the year were, that means designers are doing the right thing and constantly evolving.

In 2017, we saw rose gold, greenery, and navy steal the show. 2018 will be the transformation of these trends into more sophisticated, cohesive, and bold concepts.

Below, I’ve listed seven design trends that you can expect to see in more and more design proposals over the next year. Designers are focused on color, pattern, texture, and bringing the outside in, all without being too over the top. Here are the seven trends in detail to get your creative juices flowing for the next year:

Dynamic Color / 3Ds Max Renders

Pantone just announced that their color of the year is a vivid deep purple, which means that bold designs and colors are here to stay. Above, we see that bright orange fits right in when paired with metals and woods that complement rather than compete for the attention. In 2017, we saw pastels in all aspects of design, especially because light greens and pinks were incredibly popular with millennials.

In 2017, we saw a resurgence of navy, especially as an accent wall color. This bold shift to dark colored walls may be a harbinger of an even more dramatic shift to choosing color. Bold doesn’t necessarily mean tacky, and the future will surely embrace that.

No More Rose Gold

Speaking of millennials, we’re saying goodbye to the most divisive trend of 2017. Reactions to rose gold finishes were as dichotomous as night and day, with people either loving or detesting them. This year, we can finally say goodbye (unless you’re a hardcore rose gold lover) and embrace mixed metals instead.

Above, you can see silver finishes throughout the space that act almost as a neutral to let the color and the pattern in the bedding shine. The metal adds a great textural element to the space, which adds complexity and depth. As I’ll touch on later, you’ll be able to see more mixing and matching happening in 2018, which means that you should expect to start seeing golds with silvers and coppers with brass.

Dramatic Accent Lighting / Light in NX

These aren’t your mother’s hanging lights. When focusing on lighting, what will be popular in 2018 will be minimal metal lighting fixtures with dramatic designs. From what I expect to see, they’ll have a bit of industrial flair, yet they’ll be streamlined enough to fit in with any kind of décor. The lines won’t be as harsh as industrial lighting has traditionally been in the past; we will instead see a happy mixture between industrial and modern.

The lights above are an excellent example of this concept. These lights would be perfect for over a kitchen island or dining room table in lieu of fluorescent lighting or a chandelier. Though this particular item is in black, many kitchens are currently trending toward incorporating aged brass fixtures. As long as your lighting design is sleek and unique in configuration, you’ll be able to embrace this trend no matter what finish you prefer.

Two-Tone Cabinetry (Kitchen – 3D Modeling & Visualization)

Why limit yourself to a single finish in the kitchen when you can easily increase the interest in your space by adding another color? Many kitchens with a farmhouse look in 2017 featured two-toned white and navy cabinetry; in 2018, this trend will grow and expand to incorporate more unconventional colors, like mentioned earlier in this post. Does that mean that orange kitchens will be the new norm? Not exactly; more jewel tones, like navy, will start popping up more often.

This kitchen is a sleek version of what two-toned cabinetry can look like. With white and wood as the features, this a classic example of what the two-toned style can bring to your space. It visually divides the kitchen into three to make the geometric backsplash the main focal point of the room. With this style, the cabinets themselves need not be the focus, but they can help guide your eye to what will make you say “wow” when walking in.

Wallpaper-Like Backsplashes / Interior Design 

If colored cabinets aren’t for you, add color through your backsplash. In 2018, you’ll see more and more spaces upgrading their style through adding color and pattern in bold backsplashes. Clay tiles have been a popular choice in recent years for both bathrooms and kitchens, despite their porous nature. Because the tiles themselves are so beautiful, designers and contractors will take the extra time to make sure they are treated properly and installed with care. That means that if going this route, you’ll be in good hands and have an amazing output as a result.

This example kitchen takes the tile all the way up the wall and the result looks as if the tile is a wallpaper rather than a backsplash. The color and pattern aren’t too overwhelming, which means that guests will want to be hosted in your welcoming atmosphere. Bold doesn’t mean that your pattern will be too harsh to live with; bold simply means unique and something that will catch your eye. This wallpaper-look tile does that job well.

Mixed Materials / Custom Furniture Modeling

I mentioned before that mixed metals were going to be a big hit in the upcoming year. I haven’t yet mentioned that mixed materials are also going to be big. Here’s why:

When designing a space, you’re faced with many decisions regarding finish, color, and material. Rather than sticking with a single theme throughout the space, more designers are trending toward incorporating many different elements into the same room. This adds a bit of depth while making sure that the space isn’t the dreaded “matchy matchy” nightmare most of us avoid at all costs.

These nesting tables show how you can easily mesh stone with metal seamlessly. In 2017, marble was the material to be, in 2018 I expect concrete to take marble’s coveted title. By the end of this year, marble table tops and concrete bases were common to see. 2018 should shift the design of these end tables to full concrete designs that focus on shape and design. You can even expect concrete to make their mainstream debut in the kitchen, with many people looking into adding poured or slab concrete to create an even more industrial look in their homes.

Natural Elements (Log House Example)

Greenery was the theme for Pantone’s 2017, which means that more designers were focused on the environment than ever before. Succulents were seen on every street corner and for the first time since the 1970s, plant hooks were popping up in homes across the nation. I think that 2018 will be a year in which more natural elements are brought into the space to bring the outside in and create a sense of harmony between inside and outside without being as blatant as creating a personal jungle. (Personal jungles are, however, still encouraged if that’s what you love.)

When deciding to make your home more focused on natural rather than industrial elements, you can add warmth through wood tones and color through plants. If green’s not your color, plants act like more of a neutral in the space, which means you don’t need to worry about buying the small aloe plant that’s been calling your name. It won’t ruin the vibe of your all-white abode, it’ll bring in the little bit of life that you’ve been needing.

Overall, we can see that 2018 will be a year of refining trends that were hinted at in 2017. Instead of using faux-marble everywhere, we’ll shift toward using concrete. Instead of using blush rose gold, we’ll make our way back to aged brass and silver. Instead of using small geometric utilitarian backsplashes, we’ll transform our kitchens into grandiose walls of color and pattern.

CAD designers like the ones at Cad Crowd are up to date on the latest technology and rendering software, and will be the ones that can help make your 2018 vision come to life. If you’re wanting to see how your home will be transformed after the addition of a bold vivid purple accent chair or emerald bottom cabinets, you’re a click away from achieving your new year’s resolution to make your home feel more like you.

Take a look at these trends, be inspired, and then figure out what you love from them and go with it. A new year presents new opportunities, so why not start at home?

What do you think that the next big interior trend will be? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.