Interior trends for 2021 - the essential element - vintage!

After the turmoil and uncertainty of 2020, we are all delighted to be able to look ahead to 2021 and embrace the positivity of the New Year!  

Not surprisingly the experience of spending more time at home, has meant that we have all reassessed how we use our living spaces, along with the colours, furniture, interiors accessories and fittings that we have in every room.  We have looked long and hard at what we like, and dislike, and have come to a new understanding about our homes.

Home offices and work spaces have been hurriedly concocted to allow business to be conducted away from family noise and interruptions.  Then, as this situation has become the ‘new normal’, the home office has become an essential part of every interior designer’s brief.   Detailed planning has been incorporated into every aspect, to make working at home a pleasurable experience.

Homes & Gardens magazine has encapsulated the key interior trends for 2021 and they make exciting reading for anyone who has an interest in vintage pieces and has taken comfort in nostalgia when ‘nesting’ at home this year.  

Amongst the stand-out trends with fashionable titles such as Rustic Vogue, Arts & Crafts, and Cottagecore, throughout there are consistent references to mixing old, retro and salvaged with new decorative items, finishes and textiles.

Antique and repurposed furniture, hand-made and decorative pieces are newly appreciated.  Natural materials, particularly reclaimed wood, fit happily into most themes for 2021 with grain and texture being a priority.  Original features in a home are a bonus, but can be installed with sympathy creating a balanced canvas to maximise the contrast of vintage and new. 

Popular online antique trader platforms such as the Virtual Vintage Fair (VVF) recommend that the best vintage interior schemes are added to and created gradually over time.  Layering is the key with vintage finds - and textured fabrics and contemporary lighting work to bring this look together.  Joint founder of VVF, Samantha Hansard adds, “The holy grail is to find pieces with a rich, naturally aged patina.  In fact lots of character and fading and chippy paint often add to the authenticity of the item!” 

Not surprisingly other themes that get a mention in Homes & Gardens’ article are travel and internationally inspired looks, along with French country chic (we’ve all been missing our holidays!).  Warmer paint colours make a welcome return, along with growth in the use of leafy house plants - a nod to the natural world that has helped sustain us all during 2020!

Roll on 2021 and remember to shop vintage!

Reference: Homes & Gardens - Interior design trends 2021 - the 12 biggest looks for the New Year by Jennifer Ebert.

https://www.homesandgardens.com/news/interior-design-trends-2021