Well, it’s that time of year again. All eyes are on 2022 and the trends we can expect to see in the new year. While clients may come to you with a Pinterest board full of ideas for their home’s design, not everything is going to work in their project.
However, that doesn’t mean dealers can’t help bring their customer’s dreams to life. Let’s take a look at some of the most pin-worthy 2022 trends, along with tips for explaining each design to builders and homeowners.
Color and Contrast
There’s nothing like color to help amp up a home’s style. Finding the right palette for a project makes a big impact on the space, and colorful elements are a great way to support creative expression and custom design for your client.
Some of these elements can be easily updated, and homeowners might consider working with a neutral wall color (like gray or sandy brown) so that they can swap out details in the room, like textiles and decor, on a seasonal basis.
OR, dealers can suggest using color as a budget-friendly, easy way to deliver lots of ambiance to a space. These wall panels from Metrie, painted a bright yellow, add lively energy to the dining area featured above. The contrasting white panel gives the room balance, and dealers can help homeowners find design solutions just by offering products that make customization simple.
“These fun, unexpected color bombs infuse your home with personality. And (most importantly) they can cultivate a sense of happiness when you’re holed up at home,” says Claudia Guthrie for The Spruce.
Details That Matter
Details are where a design truly speaks. Even a detail as seemingly mundane as the bathroom sink can be elevated to higher ranks in the home.
“From statement sinks fit for Fred Flintstone to slick hunks of high-impact, super-polished marble, the verdict is in: Your basic bathroom sink is no longer cutting it,” writes Hannah Martin for Architectural Digest.
Statement pieces like this are always on-trend, and these can include accent walls, original artwork or unique bathroom vanity spaces. Dealers can help homeowners find one element of their space to focus on, like the sink area or a piece of furniture, and use that to inspire the rest of the room’s design.
Homeowners and builders can complete this look if they have a variety of finishes and materials to choose from. And by using details like trim and moulding consistently around the home, homeowners can easily integrate style from one space into the next.
Look Back to the Classics
Repurposing old furniture or bringing in antique pieces to your design is also on-trend. The old church pew above was added to this gorgeous entryway design and adds a subtle sense of calm in this sometimes high-traffic (noisy) part of the home.
“A touch of retro is more than enough to spruce up a home,” according to Decorilla. “Make a pass at your local flea market for these pops of color and patterns, or reupholster a vintage couch.”
Dealers can help their builder and homeowner customers enhance their vintage-inspired design with complementary details like panel moulding and trim. Explain how the more traditional, clean white finish of the panels contrasts with the warm brown of the wooden pew, along with how the lines in the paneling reference the ceiling design, intentionally resembling church rafters — all details that successfully finish the look of the space.
Eco-Friendly Finishes
Dealers will win big in 2022 by offering products that are more eco-friendly.
Using these more environmentally responsible materials delivers a few benefits to your clients. Homeowners want products that will promote indoor health, and this feature quickly becomes a selling point with customers, since all of us spend so much time indoors.
“Showcasing sustainable living in interiors serves a dual purpose,” according to Decorilla. “On the one hand, it elevates the ingenious and environmentally-friendly design. This can encourage others to look to eco alternatives for their own homes. On the other, it’s a reflection of a clear and undistracted mind.”
Dealers can partner with manufacturers who offer low-VOC products and LEED accreditation to give builders and homeowners the materials they’re after. By providing all the benefits of green materials, you’re bound to get more builders on board with using new, planet-friendly products and brands.
More of the Outdoors
Getting outdoors is always a good idea, and it’s especially trendy after we’ve been stuck inside more.
“The trend is indicative of a universal yearning to find new ways to connect as we turn to the great outdoors as the latest (if only) conduit for sustained intimacy,” writes Andy Wright for Elle Decor.
Dealers can help customers bring in elements of the outdoors to their interior design with the right products and materials. When homeowners and builders come to you, it’s important to talk about the ease of this design. Simple touches can create an organic, outdoorsy feel to the space.
For example, adding a window design, like the image above, brings an expansive feel and offers plenty of visual access to the outdoors. By using organically-inspired colors throughout the trim, shiplap and furniture, homeowners can achieve a Pinterest-worthy room design, enhanced by the home’s natural surroundings.
Fully Functional Homes
Spending so much time indoors for the last year and a half has given us time to audit the spaces we’re working, playing, cooking, sleeping and living in. Many homeowners have come to realize that their spaces just aren’t functional, especially when it comes to finding privacy to do things like have a virtual meeting or get some homework done.
The best design, after all, is a design that people actually want to use and engage with over the long term. Dealers can help homeowners think about the functionality and comfort of these spaces:
- If there’s enough seating and space to get around
- If materials are low-maintenance and durable
- Using design details like flooring or shiplap to visually distinguish a workspace
- Incorporating color to help set the tone of a room
“It’s time to focus on functionality, which might mean saying goodbye to those formal dining rooms or living rooms you use once every six months. Instead, turn that dining room into a work-from-home office, a place where your kids can do schoolwork or even just a lounge where you can chill,” says Claudia Guthrie for The Spruce.
Trends That Stick + Materials That Work
Working with the right products is the best way to achieve the design your client is after and knowing which materials are most reliable can make your project a success. Partnering with the right product manufacturer can help you win big on projects — and working with Metrie means you can expect your design to shine.
Check out our gallery for more inspiration and ideas as we look toward the new year.
