DECOR TRENDS SNEAK PEEK FOR 2022
We love trends! I’ve been researching trends for 2022 and I have a sneak peek at some of the strongest home decor trends coming our way in 2022! You will be surprised by how classic many of these styles are on the horizon for 2022 and beyond! Here’s a sneak peek at decor trends for 2022!
LET’S LOOK AT TRENDS
Trends are born as a reaction to the world around us. They are creative and beautiful solutions to what is happening in our lives. These can be practical or inventive or sometimes even a bit ridiculous!
When we talk about trends we are talking about interior design styles that are hot or very very popular right now. We are not saying that other interior designs are out of style or bad or ugly because they are not! They are just not the bright, new or, popular thing on the design scene!
No matter how you feel about trends, always, always use what you love in your home! Because your home is just that… YOUR HOME!
But keep an open mind to other styles that are becoming popular too. You might find something you really like!
THREE TYPES OF TRENDS
Let’s talk about three types of trends.
MEGATRENDS
A Megatrend is a trend that usually extends for a decade and beyond. This usually happens in response to some big life event like changes in demographics, scientific leaps, or global events. These are trends that change the way we live and also decorate.
The Pandemic has certainly changed the way we live and has changed many aspects of decor. We were all hunkered down and began looking around our homes needing to change them to create warm and safe spaces in an uncertain world.
These types of global occurrences create megatrends!
MACROTRENDS
The other trends we see are macro. They are trends that gain huge appeal in a section of a population. They are a response to the megatrend.
These are the trends we see most easily in interior design. Trends like Farmhouse Style, and Gray paint color that become part of the interior design marketplace.
These trends have staying power! They usually are pushed to the front of interior design visibility for several years and up to a decade or more. And as their popularity wains, the trends often still have some longevity as they trail off in years to come.
MICROTRENDS OR FADS
These are like the shiny things magpies love. They come on the scene and gain huge interest and are wildly popular. Bloggers often latch onto microtrends and push them forward in the decorating world! They often last for months to a few years and fade off as other microtrends become popular!
The thing to remember about microtrends is they time-stamp our homes. These fads can make our homes look dated quickly!
The gorgeous moody blue that became so popular for the last year or so is a fabulous example of a microtrend. Pretty for the moment but here and gone soon! And that beautiful blue wall we just had to paint will say, “I was painted in 2020-21”!
Now that we know a bit about trends let’s see the decor trends for 2022…
This post contains affiliate links. That means when you click on some of the links in this post and you make a purchase I earn a small commission at no cost to you. All my opinions are my own.
WALLPAPER
Let’s start out with one of the biggest trends for 2022… wallpaper!
This trend started a couple years ago. And is huge, huge, huge! It will be even more popular in 2022.
My Two Cents:
Let’s start decor trends for 2022 with wallpaper!
It’s that whole pendulum swing thing. Wallpaper was so big a few decades ago. I had it in all our bedrooms and bathrooms at our StoneGable home. But when I got tired of it and tried to strip it off the walls… UGH! What a disaster! It was stuck on so well we literally damaged our walls trying to get it off.
I was so completely over wallpaper after that I swore I would never, ever, ever never put wallpaper on my walls EV-ER again!
Well, never say never! I’m so ready for the elegance and luxury of wallpaper! And thank goodness wallpaper is not the same old same old! It’s now peel and stick or repositional! Yay!
Wallpaper will have a good long run before we tire of it again! And when we do, it will be easy to take down!
See other pretty wallpaper here…
PATTERN
We are seeing a resurgence of patterns in interior decorating that will be strong for 2022. Floral patterns are going to be popular in 2022.
This trend is helped along by the popularity of Grand Millennial style we will discuss later in this post.
My Two Cents
Oh, how I love patterns! And when I think of patten I think of wallpaper and pillows, and bedding and more! And this trend that I see on the horizon will be strong.
I know my home will never be a magazine cover for its mix of color and pattern but I will be adding a bit more pattern to my home in my own way and style. And that is the secret to using beautiful trends in our homes. Do it your way!
RATTAN
Rattans, cane, and other gorgeous natural fibers will be in the list of decor trends for 2022. It’s part of the sustainability movement that started almost a decade ago. But it has gone from design studios to the marketplace in the last couple of years. And will be a huge trend in 2022.
My Two Cents:
I’m going to sound like a broken record but the Pandemic has swung the pendulum back from harder surfaces like acrylics and painted surfaces to softer, more natural, and sustainable surfaces like rattans. I remember the rattans of the ’70s and honestly, I think we are seeing the nostalgia of this decade come back a bit in design. Heaven help us!
But wait, the newly designed rattan furniture has a beautiful slimmed down and upscale look!
WHITE
Home decorators have seen many interpretations of white in decor for well over a decade. Remember when everything in a room was that dead, dull white?
White walls will still be white hot and on-trend for 2022 as white is a macrotrend that has changed our lives and the way we live.
My two cents:
I must admit I cannot be objective when it comes to white walls. Every wall in our home right now is white. White is the perfect backdrop for making the furnishings in a home the star!
But white is not an easy color to get right! There are so many undertones in white and over 500+ white colors to choose from.
I think a white that is just a bit warm works best in most homes and can make a home look beautiful and fresh!
Whether white is in or out it is a classic and here to stay!
You might like to read 9 BEAUTIFUL REASON TO PAINT A ROOM WHITE.
WARM NEUTRALS
Nature is calling! Our need to feel safe and cozy and in tune with nature is a direct effect of the Pandemic! Yes, the Pandemic has affected color. So warm neutrals will ge a big deor trend for 2022!
Cool neutrals have been popular in recent years but warm neutrals feel more in tune with how we want our homes to look and feel.
My Two Cents:
We have been living in a cooler, gray-influenced decade. And we are so over it! Warm, cozy, muddied color, and neutrals are big, big, big! But don’t worry if you like gray, we will be seeing warmed up and toned down grays and greiges as well.
You might like to read IS GRAY TOTALLY OUT?
BEIGE
This gorgeous soft color, although a classic, is being pushed forward as are other warm neutrals. Beige comes in and goes out gracefully decade after decade!
My Two Cents:
If you think beige is boring think again, my friend! Beige is warm and light and plays so well with other colors in our homes because it is not bossy! It is the Miss Congeniality of the color world!
Beige is the perfect color for 2022. It’s like a warm, familiar happy blanket we can wrap around our home! Use beige liberally and enjoy how well it plays with other colors in your home. Just use lots of white and texture with it too!
If you are using beige on your walls, keep it light and on the off-white side.
You might like to read WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE COLOR BEIGE.
BLUE
Did you know blue is the most popular color? It started its trendy revival in 2020 and we will see it going strong in at least the first part of 2022.
My Two Cents:
Blue is such a classic color! It is the perfect and comfortable choice for 2022.
I’m seeing the entire world of blue show up on the design scene! And lots of blues with undertones of green!
Although blue is a classic right now I think the blue craze is a microtrend!
But a word of loving caution… use blue as a great accent and not for investment items in your home. A blue kitchen will look dated in a few years! Instead, use classic colors that don’t show their decade when purchasing big foundational pieces!
You might like BLUE AND WHITE DECOR WE LOVE.
MINIMALISM AND MAXIMALISM
I see both minimal decor and maximal decor being big decor trends for 2022. We can walk and chew gum at the same time!
KINDS OF MAXIMALISM:
Here are the trendiest kinds of Maximalism interior design going strong in 2022…
Grand Millennialism:
A new way to decorate with traditional furnishings. Pretty, floral, wallpaper with white backgrounds, a mix of patterns, and colors. Often pastel and very feminine.
I’ve seen this new style in 2021 and I love it! It is fresh and happy! Just what we need in our lives now!
Neo-Victorian:
A super dark mix of patterns, patterns, patterns! Lots of trim and edging on pillows and sofas. Very moody and dramatic!
Not for the decorating novices!
Neo-Gothic:
Large furnishings, almost totally black, charcoal, and white. Somber and elegant. Think of neo-gothic as the opposite of Grand Millennialism.
Dramatic to the point of extreme!
Cottage Core:
Think of Cottage Core as a not quite as fancy cousin of Grand Millennial style. The colors can also have a warmer feel and it has the quaintness of a simple life in the country. To see more of this style look for English country cottages.
A cozy style that is gaining popularity!
MINIMALISM STYLES:
New Minimalism:
This style is about featuring art! Very little furnishings and lots of glass.
Unless you collect real art pass this style up!
Japandi:
This is a mix of Japanese style and Scandinavian style. You might not think these styles have a lot in common but they do! Japandi is a mash up of these styles which focus on minimal furnishings that are beautiful and highly functional.
This is a microtrend for sure!
My Two Cents:
It’s okay for two opposing styles to be popular at once. We all don’t love the same thing. My best advice is to avoid these styles unless you are committed to jumping in with both feet. These styles are hard to mix into a style you probably already have.
And I don’t see most of them being a macrotrend.
ROUNDED SHAPES
Think of a chubby-looking chair. Not overstuffed. But the shape is rounded and so comfortable looking. This is a style born out of our wanting to feel safe in an unsure world.
My Two Cents:
The rounded craze is a bit over exaggerated for me. If you want a cozy style go for a chair like the one above. It is softly rounded with beautiful curves. Some of the sofas and beds and other rounded furniture looks almost cartoonish.
Choose a classic chair, like the one above with softness and structure!
A WELL ORGANIZED AND LAID OUT KITCHEN
A functional kitchen has gained so much popularity in the last year. Kitchens are designed not only to look pretty but to be functional first! This trend will continue right through 2022.
My Two Cents:
For a decade or more people going out to dinner was the trend. Take-out dinners were very popular too. So our kitchens were deemphasized.
Since the pandemic made us hunker down and eat at home, and so many of our favorite restaurants have been forced to close, our kitchens have again become the hub and heart of our homes.
And having a beautiful, functional, and well-appointed kitchen has become so important! I love to see the elevation of our kitchens no matter how big or humble!
HOME WORKSPACES
Carving out quiet and practical workspaces in our homes has become paramount in home design and will continue to be important in 2022.
My Two Cents:
Again, because of the pandemic, the way we live and work has shifted in a huge way. Many companies are now giving up their brick and mortar buildings and more and more of us are working from home. I think this will be a growing trend.
The scramble to find an acceptable work environment at home has changed the way we look at our living spaces. Now we mix home life and business life under one roof. So finding a place to “go to work” is changing the way our homes look and operate.
OTHER TRENDS
These trends have been strong for a few years now and will continue to grow and be big decor trends in 2022.
MARBLE
Marble is still very popular and leads the rest of the hard surfaces we use in our homes in popularity and beauty.
My Two Cents:
I see marble going strong on lists of 2022 interior design trends. It’s nice that it is still so popular but honestly, let’s just call it a beautiful classic because it has stood the test of thousands of years!
SUSTAINABILITY
Sustainability has taken on a wider meaning. It’s not just about choosing products that don’t hurt the environment. Sustainability is about finding and repurposing furnishing that has been used and giving it a new life.
My Two Cents:
I adore this trend! I always say a paintbrush is like a magic wand! Upscaling home decor and repurposing it helps to keeps the 9.8 million tons of furniture waste out of landfills every year.
I think repainting or reupholstering used home decor gives it a second life and creates a one-of-a-kind look in our homes.
GLOBAL INFLUENCES
This is a design trend that has been popular for a while now and will be popular in 2022.
My Two Cents:
What I love about what I call “travel style” is the storytelling ability of furnishings a homeowner picks up on their travel. It is an interior design travel log, so to speak, that says a lot about a person’s personality. This gives a home a curated, collected, and more eclectic look and feel!
But don’t let the word global put you off this tend if you are not a world traveler. It’s fun to pick up interesting items from local shops in other nearby places you visit! The main idea of this style is to show off what you love and collect.
LIGHTER COLORED WOOD
This move to lighter wood has been popular for a couple years now. But in 2022, this trend will be bigger than ever!
My Two Cents:
I love seeing lighter colored flooring and cabinetry made with blond wood! Again, we are seeing that warm tone color trend.
NATURAL MATERIALS
Our need for real-ness has extended to what we surround ourselves with and dress our homes in. Fabrics like cotton, silk, wool, flax, linen, burlap, rattans (see above) and more are best for home furnishing in 2022 and beyond!
My Two Cents:
The Pandemic has us searching for what is real. And although synthetic fabrics are often easier to care for we have a need for “the real thing”.
Real, natural materials are honestly a classic! And a real decor trend in 2022!
GOLDTONE METALS
This is not a new trend, but an ongoing trend. Beautiful warm gold tones are still going strong!
My Two Cents:
Materials like unlacquered brass have always been a standout beauty in home decor! No wonder this classic has risen to the top to be an enduring trend.
Even though, goldtone materials are trendy I think a mix of metal colors and finishes is the sweet spot for decorating our homes in 2022.
A FINAL 2022 SNEAK PEEK WORD ABOUT TRENDS
As you can tell the Pandemic has played a big role in changing what we are yearning for in our homes. And the effects will probably be felt for many years to come.
I was impressed by how many classic designs and fabrics and surfaces and finishes and styles are going to be big. Seems we like the comfort of things tried and true and beautiful is so important when we are recovering from a global hard and uncertain time.
There are more decor trends I see surfacing for 2022 so look for my next Trends post in January of that year!
Sustainability for sure! We have been house shopping for about 3 years now and plan a downsize move. A couple of houses fit the bill, except for one thing. We still own a beautiful dining room table that is now 40 years old that we simply can’t get rid of. We had it refinished several years ago and updated the rush seat chairs and exchanged them for upholstered parson’s chairs. The homes we have seen simply don’t have a good space for the table. I guess that table means a lot to us.
The 2022 trends in decorating is so fun to read. I will be adding a few but as you have said our home should reflect who we are not a picture on pinterest or in a magazine. As I get older it is interesting to see what comes back in style. What do you and your readers think of cluttercore? A little bit of the Victorian look and a definite rebellion of the minimalist trend. I think as the pendulum swings it will at some point return to the middle in home decor as well as fashion.
This style is not really trending for 2022. It does have a little popularity with teenagers and no wonder. It’s a very confusing and clutter-filled style. Grand Millenialism is much prettier if you like layers and patterns. Hope this helps.
We are seeing a resurgence of updating furniture and using what we love!
Hi Lyn, I found the coffee table at Wayfair but I don’t see it online right now. Sorry!
Thanks soooooo much for all you do. I’ll be doing some major revamping in the spring. Love your work.
Hi Joan, just take your time and enjoy the process.
Thanks for your observations on the new trends! I, for one, will skip the wallpaper. As a designer from the 70’s through 2000, I’ve found wallpaper to be the single most “dating” design element. Glad to know there are some that are easily removed now, though.
I know how you feel, but wallpaper is not what it used to be! It is peel and stick! Goes up and comes down when you want! The designs are so beautiful!
Just a note regarding application of wallpaper- my husband is a professional wall covering hanger and he recommends always-always paint the wall with wallpaper primer before hanging any paper. It will remove so much easier down the road
Great tip, Karen!
What are your thought on clutter core?
Thank you for your blog and your two cents!!!! Trends are an interesting read. My home is mainly traditional, neutrals, with a touch of soft blue, who knew I would be on trend. While attending a design school, leaving the name unmentioned, you have referenced it on several occasions, over the course of the years, a professor told us, trends are for herds with no vision, creativity, and no imagination. This shocked me, still today. We all need to be our own design masters and live with what we truly love.
I love the chest with the white curlycue accents!!
Could you share the source for this piece?
Hi Lynne, I’ve had the Curlacue chest for almost 10 years. I found it at Joss And Main. It was made by the Hooker Furniture Co. I don’t see it in stock anywhere. You might want to contact the Hooker Co and ask them about the “Melange” chest. Hope this is helpful.
I’m in love with the leopard print rug in the picture with “BEIGE” as the title. Do you recall where this rug is for sale?
Thanks!
Kim Warren,
Gardendale, Alabama
Hi Kim, this rug is in my bedroom and it is really gorgeous in real life. You can find it at Ballard Designs.
After waiting nearly 4 months to receive a sofa and two recliners I was sorely disappointed with what I got.
The warm gray tweed I picked out for the sofa came with a very cool gray and clashes with the cream chairs which have a yellow undertone. UGH! The store refused to take it back because they considered the difference to be minor.
I have considered selling it but hate to take such a loss. My floors are a medium cherry (teracotta). My open floor space includes a 1990’s Almond kitchen counter. Any suggestions for a wall color to help blend?
This is so tough, Carolyn! I’m so sorry! It’s all a matter of UNDERTONES. And understanding clean and dirty colors. This is the second comment in as many days about choosing a gray that did not work with the rest of the decor. I know this does not help, but your dilemma is not uncommon. Here’s how to lessen the undertone clash. Try adding pillows in both colors to your sofa and a cream throw. That will help somewhat. But here’s the hard truth, (sorry!) you will probably never be truly happy with your sofa since you will probably see the “clash” of undertones. Try the pillow and trow tips but if you are really unhappy you should cut your losses and sell the sofa. Make sure you write a bad review for the company you bought the sofa from. Next time get swatches and live with them in different lights. Also, this post on undertones and clean and dirty colors might be helpful.https://www.stonegableblog.com/can-you-mix-warm-and-cool-colors-in-decor/ andhttps://www.stonegableblog.com/clean-and-dirty-colors-what-decorators-know/
Thank you, loving both minimal décor and maximal décor!
I think what I am most excited about is the trend to pretty decor. Yay! Let’s hear it for pretty
Wow, these look amazing!
Loving some of the pieces in here. Need to get a couple for myself! Super interesting
Thanks, Samantha!
I love your decorating style…..it just about matches mine perfectly. We recently moved into our new home and I am slowly purchasing furniture for every room.The two spindle chairs in your living room are beautiful. I would love to have a pair like them. Please share where you found them. Thanks so much.
Here is a similar chair. It is beautiful and the fabric comes in so many colors. Hope this is helpful!
Hi
I am so in love with your beige rug with the diamonds in it. Where did it come from? Your home is just a breath of fresh air.
This is a great rug. Here you go:https://rstyle.me/+DF9OcYN_rlfzShtOr5HJgw
Thank you, Marianne! Here you go:https://rstyle.me/+DF9OcYN_rlfzShtOr5HJgw
Yvonne, I have followed you for a number of years and have loved seeing your beautiful rooms and getting your great tips. At the moment I am in the process of preparing to sell the first house I’ve ever owned, after living here for 20 years, and after a divorce I’m getting ready to move to a new state. As I’ve been depersonalizing my decor here… which was admittedly stagnant, if quirky and colorful and perhaps more suited to the family life now that my family is different and my daughter is 20. I’ve been toning things down to a more neutral look. I have found myself going back to look at your old blog posts, getting inspired to create a new look and small vignettes, retrieving things from the garage that suit a new look (baskets! Trays! Well loved vintage finds!). This is not only making me see this house in a new light, but it is getting me excited for a new life in a new home. I so appreciate your lessons. I just happened to watch your post about making moss balls, and then on another errand came across moss and styrofoam balls so that’s my project for tomorrow! watch your post Thank you again for sharing images of lovely peaceful spaces. I so appreciate your inspiration.
Diane, I love your attitude. May you find your style, your perfect home for you and your new life! Hugs from StoneGable.
Interesting you should include a comment about the popularity of marble in your trends post today. The only white marble in the U. S. is found in Sylacauga, Alabama. This is a link to an article about the marble, current uses, and some history: https://am3stone.com/the-stone-that-built-a-city/
Is there a link on your site for the decor you use.
I see 2 rugs in the photos that I absolutely love but don’t know where to purchase them.