For the past three decades since the downfall of the Memphis Milano movement, the biggest, most overarching trend in interior design and build has been based around minimalist design principles.
Whilst not every interior designer explicitly designs with minimalism in mind, the prevailing style of clear lines, neutral colours, maximising light and enhancing space is something that is common with a lot of the most popular design trends since the mid-1990s.
This is where trends such as Scandinavian minimalism, wabi-sabi, neo-industrial, hygge and Japandi forge their core design principles, typically combining them with natural materials and a philosophy based on extreme decluttering.
Whilst many of these homes were undeniably beautiful and appealed to a designer’s love of clean, pure design, there were concerns that this philosophy of design led to rooms and homes that were designed to be looked at but not lived in, becoming artistic statements rather than part of a home.
This concern came to the forefront in 2020, when a lot of people who had typically only spent a few hours per day at home would spend several months living, working and socialising in homes that were designed more to be looked at than lived in.
As a result, design trends such as maximalism began to see a surge in popularity. A reaction of minimalism and the extreme purge of clutter, maximalism is about the celebration of “stuff”, of bright colours, interesting designs, collections of unique trinkets and a concept of more is more, within practical limits.
Even with more people returning to workplaces, many people are spending more time at home than they did even three years ago, and that has had an effect on how we see our homes.
This has led to a greater focus away from neutral colours with universal appeal to designs that embrace and reflect who were are, with bright colours, accent walls, experimentations with texture and pattern, as well as more comfortable rounded styles.
Comfort and personal preference have taken precedence over adherence to minimalism, and that trend is unlikely to disappear anytime soon.
