As professional interior designers with many years of experience, we know that design trends come and go. If something was popular in the past, it usually will become popular again at some point. There was something there, after all, that inspired people, that caught the eye, that piqued people’s interests. People tend to romanticize the past and grow bored with the trends of the present. As much as we like to glorify the innovators, nostalgia retains its hold over our tastes.
Past styles are an endless source of inspiration for designers. There’s no shortage of trends that are staged for a comeback in any given year. We’ve seen a resurgence of interior design styles from days gone by as modern-day tastemakers borrow from the likes of mid-century modern, farmhouse, and even art deco designs. Design features such as brightly-colored floral accessories, concrete accents, gold decor, and mid-century modern furniture have all made comebacks in one way or another. Let’s take a look at some of the characteristics of these throwback design trends and figure out what they have to offer us in the modern day.
Looking Back to Mid-Century Modern
The mid-century modern design movement came to prominence in a time of cultural and technological upheaval. It was after World War II, during an era characterized by economic booms and the space race. Around this time, designers were increasingly influenced by science fiction, a quality that’s apparent in many mid-century modern design pieces from the time.
Popular furniture pieces from this movement are defined by sleek lines and organic shapes. There is a focus on celebrating the modern while harkening back to nature. This design movement emerged during the mid-20th century, when traditional notions in home design were first being challenged. This was the era when designers and architects first sought to open up floor plans and introduce new kinds of spaces, intended for multipurpose use and defined by boundary-less flow. Stone fireplaces and wood planked ceilings helped capture a natural vibe, while vast glass walls and sliding doors introduced natural lighting back into spaces. Mid-century designers aimed to challenge the spread of cookie-cutter suburban development homes with innovative design features and imaginative use of space.
Floral Revival
Taking a page from the fashion world, interior designers are reintroducing floral concepts into their design schemes. If the bright, vibrant colors that accompany floral designs had fallen out of style before, now they’re being seen as fun, joyful, and charming.
If modern design’s pivot to neutral color palettes makes you feel trapped in a world of gray, then it may be time to jump back on the floral wave. Floral patterns and colors allow you to keep the summer spirit alive well into the winter and autumn. There’s no shame in clinging to the joie de vivre of designs from the 90s when the rest of the world seems to be settling for earth tones and minimalist patterns. And besides, if designs that incorporate the shapes of nature are what’s most en vogue today, then what could be more natural than patterns inspired by flowers?
Going Bold with Gold
Decorating with gold reached its pinnacle in the 80s, when making bold and showy statements with gold decor was comfortably in line with opulent styles that marked a relatively prosperous age. Those tendencies in interior design fell out of fashion, of course, when designers and laymen alike began to regard such shows of wealth as tone deaf and tacky. But now gold decor is making a comeback, though maybe in a way that’s subtler than in years past.
Gold has an especially striking appeal when contrasted against dark materials like black marble. Even small bits of gold accents or shiny brass objects will stand out against dark, dramatic colors.
Design trends of the past can often be the best source of inspiration for styles of the modern day. After years of working in the interior design industry, we’ve seen so many popular styles come and go. When we borrow from the past, we’re making an homage to the designers that came before us, but we’re also creating something new. And that’s what makes interior design so fun and rewarding.
Trends come and go, so what matters most is making your home right for you! Let us help tailor your home to your personal style and make your home a reflection of you!
