Statement pieces
Out with filler pieces, in with conversation starters. Sculptural furniture is coming to the fore, which means that even your smallest side table can make a big statement.
New neturals
The evolution of Scandi-inspired design, from cool and minimalist to cosy and cocooning, informs an array of warm neutrals in 2024. Greys are (finally) being swapped for earthy beiges, contemporary off-whites and taupes that sit so well with the natural materials and modest decoration of Scandi homes.
Ruffles
Ruffles – for the most part applied to cushions and table linen – are adding a bit of fun and whimsy to our homes. It's usually matched with a gingham print, ice cream shades or candy cane stripes like these fabulous Amuse Bouche examples from Rose & Grey.
The one-wall kitchen
Small kitchens will always require a good deal of planning, but the one-wall kitchen is truly an exercise in ingenuity. This diminutive layout requires a real balance between storage capacity, functionality and flow – it can be tempting to install a whole row of cabinets on your one-wall kitchen, but that can be imposing.
L-shaped and chaise sofas
Sales of L-shaped and chaise sofas are rocketing, as we see more value in a single XL piece than an arrangement of two-seaters and armchairs. Many have modular components, reflective of our ever-evolving lifestyles, and hidden ottoman storage for a totally economical use of space.
The new utility
The utility room is like the final frontier for design in the home, so often given over to bulky white goods and clad in sterile materials that can withstand stringent cleaning. A shift had to happen at some point, and 2024 is the year for it. Thanks to its usually diminutive size, the utility room is becoming a space for experimentation with colour and pattern, new ways of laying tiles or playful wallpaper.
The updated sofa silhouette
New sofa silhouettes signal a real return to comfort and lounging. Backs have been lowered, armrests too, and cushions have become increasingly sink-in squishy.
Illustrated tiles
Whimsical illustrations have superseded geometrics as a way to introduce colour, pattern and depth to tiles. These pretty pink examples are the work of British artist and designer Sasha Compton, who has created a collection of tiles for Ca’Pietra covered in delicate hand drawn vessels and intricately decorated borders.
New ways with boucle
Boucle sofas, accents chairs and pouffes have been popular for a few years, but boucle is the perfect fabric for a bedroom, where its balance of warmth and cosiness is an asset. A great one too if you lean towards Scandi interiors, for its ability to soften an occasionally stark design scheme.
Checkerboard
Checkerboard is part of a resurgence in sweet vintage detailing in the home – alongside scalloped accessories, ruffling and candy cane stripes – that feels playful and nostalgic in equal measure. Checkerboard can work in larger doses like a tiled feature wall or large area rug.
A seventies revival
The long overdue migration of vintage and antique sellers online has nourished an appetite for all things retro, with the free-spiritedness and optimism of the 70s holding particular appeal. Dark woods, lacquered surfaces, shaggy faux fur rugs and furniture that sits low to the ground are favoured for their retro references.
Spathroom
The ‘spathroom,’ or spa-inspired bathroom was a bit of an interior design inevitability, influenced by the growing popularity of self-care spaces. In 2024, bathroom materials like stone, quartz and marble replicate an indulgent spa experience, while fluffy robes, an abundance of candles and plants, and considered mood lighting all contribute to a sense of serenity.
Chrome
Chrome is not a new material in the home – it has a near permanent presence in bathrooms and kitchens – but this retrofuturistic take sees chrome softened and curved into fluid, organic shapes in vases, side table and lamps. These new pieces are highly polished and reflective, to catch surrounding light and colours with a lustrous and otherworldly effect.
Innovation in tiles
We’re really taken with these wood-effect ceramic tiles from Mandarin Stone that make an utterly durable alternative to panelling in a busy kitchen. Design developments are such that ceramic tiles can replicate more premium materials like solid wood or marble with barely perceptible differences.
Vintage and antiques
Buying vintage and antique furniture is often a shortcut to creating a home that is full of personality and charm, and a relatively new wave of online stores and apps are making it easier to discover and shop. Marketplaces like Vinterior provide a platform for vintage resellers to sell their wares worldwide, while Narchie does so in a handy app format.
Curtains
More and more of us are using curtains in doorways, as room dividers and in place of kitchen cabinets. They have a quaint and slightly retro feel, especially with prints like gingham or stripes. They are a bit of a secret money-saver too, and far more affordable than replacing worn out or outdated cabinets.
Window seats
Window seats are a really useful space-saving trick in small kitchens or under awkward bay windows, where you can combine handy extra seating with concealed storage.
Pop art-inspired florals
2024 marks the 60th anniversary of Marimekko's Unikko print, the pop art-inspired floral – ‘poppy’ in Finnish – created by textile designer, Maija Isola. Expect some big celebrations from Marimekko – they've adorned everything from teacups to hot air balloons in the Unikko print – and watch out for graphic and contemporary floral references popping up on homeware and soft furnishings.
Candy cane stripes
Candy cane stripes are having a bit of a moment in interior design, adorning floor-to-ceiling curtains, accent chairs, cushions, and ceramics in delicious primary colours. Stripes are a deceptively versatile tool in your design armoury, providing some clever visual effects to widen, elongate or heighten the proportions of your room.
Fluted wall panelling
The next big thing for walls. This is very much part of the seventies references returning to homes, but stands alone as a really lovely and affordable way to add warmth to a plain room. We've seen it taken up onto ceilings too in an effect that replicates smart mid-century and postmodern homes.
Heritage
Heritage influences very much began in our kitchens, where we've seen traditional design details like farmhouse sinks, pantries and café curtains return en masse. There is a distinct emphasis on entertaining in this trend, in the kitsch roll out bar carts topped with gleaming cocktail shakers and champagne buckets, and mismatched tableware poised for an informal dinner party.
3D shapes
3D pieces offer a wonderful counterbalance to the elegant but spindly silhouettes of mid-century or Scandi-inspired design, popping up in the form of chunky coffee tables on globe-like pedestals, decorative stone objects carved with arches, curvy accent chairs with cocooning frames and organic fluted lampshades like this fabulous example from lights&lamps.
Lacquered
Lacquered finishes have a wonderful way of lifting colour – even whites and creams can look bold and striking when applied to a lacquered surface. This quality really lends itself to accent pieces like lamps and side tables.
Post-barbiecore pink
Pink has been slowly creeping back into interiors – Dulux’s colour of the year 2024 is a soft blush – hastened only by the popularity of the Barbie movie. But the real-world take is far more moderate, favouring a whisper soft rose, natural clay or reddish mauve.