- Shelby Whitfield
Behind the Curtain- 2018 Design Trends Preview
Welcome to Modern Menagerie!
I'm looking forward to a great year of design (and blog content), so as we kick off the blog and 2018, I definitely welcome your feedback on topics. I'll cover background- the whys and hows of great design, but thought trend forecasting would be a fun way to get started! Even though many authoritative designers depend, rightfully, on classic palates, the fresh start of a new year always has us all wondering what trends are coming our way.
Pantone has already dictated their color of the year- Ultraviolet- an electric purple. It definitely eclipses last year's "Greenery." While the promo banner uses a gorgeous image "suggest[ing] the mysteries of the cosmos", I'm not sold on the 2018 selection. It seems an indecisive blend of lavender and a royal purple- either of which would have been a better choice, in my opinion.
Both are much chic-er choices. But I just used the word "chic-er."
Moving on- though MidCentury style has been around since, well, the midcentury, it seems to me that we're moving out of the Mad Men era into a more retro vibe, echoing the '70s resurgence in fashion over the last year. Chartreuse and rusty colors are coming back, and so is shag! We're seeing it in crisper-toned area rugs, though, thankfully not orange wall-to-wall, as shown in the transitional photo below. (I don't have the original source for this one; if you do, let me know and I will credit!)
Bohemian style is also still trending, though it's starting to fade. The photo above also shows the influence bohemian design has had on our color schemes; things have lightened significantly from the moodier palettes we were seeing.
Rather than entire boho spaces, though, we're moving toward implementing global-inspired statement pieces. Texture is a major way we're achieving this; the light below (from a trade source) is an awesome example of that- it's chunky quartz! And it also happens to prove me slightly wrong about the color of the year...
The thin hemp wrapping and tassel is just another detail that allows this fixture to follow trends while upping the sophistication factor just a bit. One of my favorite beaded chandeliers is available here- it looks pretty close to the gorgeous piece in the last photo!
House Beautiful is calling the natural vibe an artisan trend, and I can definitely get behind that. Shopping local and artisan-crafted is a welcome part of the eco-friendly lifestyle shift we've seen progress past basic trendiness over the last decade.
This Ukrainian hotel is a fantastic example of the textural, handcrafted trend, and a modernization of the retro paneling. We're also shifting back to darker woods and finishes- walnuts and irons/bronzes, rather than pine or oak and brass.
Another note I want to point out in this photo: grey has been giving way to taupes for a while, but I'll argue that neutrals are always classic. We're even starting to see a shift back to creams, though less yellow than you may remember from last time it trended, so if you're choosing what you like and what works best in your home, you can't go wrong with any of the neutrals.
Muse Interiors
With all that said, which trend are you looking forward to (or dreading)? Let me know what you think on the livability of these projections! Feel free to take a peek around and let me know what you think of the new site!