This website is about design through the decades, and with that in mind, we’ve done stories and open threads about top residential interior design trends in the 1940s, the 1950s, the 1980s, and the 1990s. We’ll fill in those missing 20th Century decades soon, but meanwhile, I was thinking: Now that we are about 2/3 of the way through the 2010’s, let’s try and begin to capture the top interior design trends while they are all around us.
A KEY RULE RE COMMENTS: Regular readers are aware that I am not a fan of certain contemporary trends. But for this story, I will not opine. Let us — with objectivity and no judgment on aesthetic or other values — just make a list. Note, I may not approve judge-y comments; I am trying to keep myself focused on equanimity — it’s is not something I’m naturally programmed for, I’m working on it.
Top interior design trends of the 2010s:
I’ll start with a few that I think make the list.
- Gray is the Color of the Decade: Did the popularity of this color reflect the economic malaise of the Great Recession? Gray was used in abundance, on: Walls, kitchen cabinets, flooring, upholstery, and more. By 2017, the gray trend is fading (white walls, for example, seems to be ascendant.)
- Bye bye Granite, hello Quartz: The long-lasting supremacy of granite on kitchen counter tops came to an end. Trendy folk who can afford them want quartz countertops. Even trendier folk, with even more dough re me, want giant slabs of Carrara marble.
- Retro Renovation Revival: The time finally came for midcentury design to experience a revival. Circa 1995, when I first started looking, there were like ZERO midcentury modern-style sofas for sale. Today, there seem to be HUNDREDS. Classic midcentury modern design penetrated the design and decorating culture, and midcentury “modest” got its due, too: The success of the Save the Pink Bathrooms campaign — which made these vintage bathrooms desirable again, at least among some cohorts — is just one example of how granny’s choices finally started getting some respect.
- Upcycle This: Propelled by online sites like etsy and pinterest, the 2010s saw the biggest revival of crafting since perhaps the 1970s. Chalk painting old furniture… turning ball jars into pendant lights… ‘put a bird on it’ everythings… and much more
What do you think of my list so far?
What else should go on the list?
More stories on design trends:
- Top decorating trends from the 1940s
- Top decorating trends from the 1950s
- Top decorating trends from the 1980s
- Top decorating trends form the 1990s
Robin, WA says
Let’s not forget Tiny Houses! I think it’s easy to focus on how overblown current trends are with luxe materials and huge square footage but there is definitely a simple living contingent among us too.
JoAnn says
These are not so much fixtures and finishes but use of space in the home: man caves, she-sheds, craft rooms (dedicated to the Etsy home based business), “family command centers” in the kitchen (complete with chalkboard and burlap), cubbies and baskets to “organize” everything in every room, and “charging stations” everywhere to keep up with the family’s digital demands.
Carolyn says
JoAnn, they need a “family command center” because they can’t hang stuff on the stainless steel fridge anymore!
Pam Kueber says
Good one! My family command center is now my vintage Geneva Kitchen cabinets!
JeffK says
I draw upscale homes, mostly in the residential ring outside the city proper and in the nearby mountains. We do a mix of contemporary ‘boxy’ and more traditional ‘woodsy’ designs. These homes are 4,000-10,000sf and $500-1300/sf.
Design-du-jour choices these days are:
Boxy: polished concrete floors, Nanawall or similar door to outside, oil rubbed exposed steel beams, steel stair stringers with wood plank treads, black frame windows, pivot entry door, zero-threshold showers, steel plate on walls and/or reclaimed wood, show-off wine storage (temp. controlled room w/ windows or glass-front chiller), glass railings, pedestal paver decks, roof decks, Edison bulbs, exposed concrete walls are starting to be on the wane
Woodsy: 8x/10x/12x/16x timbers, outdoor living space with fireplace, dark-paneled mancave, wine cellar w/ windows, Nanawall or similar to outdoor living, carriage-door faced type garage doors, bunkroom for grandkids, two dishwashers, mudroom from garage plus laundry near bedrooms
Generally we are finding that clients ‘want what they want’ and are unwilling to compromise because of space requirements or cost. And they have to ‘have it all’ – every feature they have run in to or realtor told them about. The maximum square footage allowed on a lot is almost a given, we are usually under 10sf from the maximum. Some clients seem to think their homes will cost half of what is realistic.
Our fees are a fraction of the overall cost, sometimes even cheaper than the appliance package, but we still encounter push-back on just about every job on our fees since everyone thinks they deserve a deal. Contractors are becoming beholden to their own subs and have been losing negotiating power with them on schedule and price.
Chinese customers are a real thing, and a growing part of the high-end market. These designs have a separate wok kitchen adjacent to the typical Western kitchen. Secondary bedrooms are plentiful and really set up more as suites for extended family.
I’ve probably gone beyond the ask here, but that’s the market here in the NW.
Pam Kueber says
I now need to look up “nanawall”. In my life, that would be a wall for … grandma? But I don’t think that’s what you mean. 🙂
JeffK says
They are large folding doors 12′, 16′, or wider in 3′-5′ wide panels. Height varies too, but 8′, 9′, or 10′ are pretty typical. They are usually installed with the outside floor surface flush (or nearly so) with the inside floor surface to create a seamless indoor-outdoor space.
When they are in the closed position usually one panel opens like a standard swing door so the whole unit does not need to be opened.
Nanawall is a brand, but LaCantina and others also offer them. Here’s a pic: https://www.nanawall.com/files/projects/1024x768_SL82_Burnaby_Residence_BC_18.jpg
Pam Kueber says
That’s a lotta window washin’…. and, don’t these people have flies and mosquitoes?
Jay says
Yes, once I read Jeff’s description I realized what they were, impressive but I’ll pass. I prefer the wildlife to stay outdoors – chipmunks, squirrels, rabbits and whatever else that passes through my yard would take it as an invitation to walk in and raid the fridge.
Martha63 says
Ok, so add doggy doors, I have seen quite a few in my home search and all I can think, here in Texas, is hello rats, possums, raccoons, and snakes!
Elisabeth says
In the PNW, mosquitoes and flies are less of an issue than you might think – very dry summers and cool weather help. In the summer here the evenings are very comfortable and I grew up opening every window in the house as soon as the sun dropped below the hills. Nanawalls and similar products are very popular in the UK right now, and understandably so – they have a similar temperate climate to the NW.
Thematically, the PNW exteriors of the 2010s – boxy “Craftsman” houses that would make Gustav Stickley roll in his grave, mixed materials on the exterior, stained wood accents, etc.
LuAnn says
That’s exactly what I thought too, Pam. A wall for all the photos of your grandchildren. And I ran straight to Google too. ????
Pam Kueber says
yes, a “nanawall”: the wall for all the photos of your grandchildren!
Haha, I looked it up, it’s folding glass wall/doors to the outside. Not likely a winner where I live, in snowy Massachusetts. 🙂
Kathi says
I remember seeing a Nanawall in a model home we toured for some charity thing several years back and absolutely thought it was the silliest thing for Iowa climate and, yeah, the fingerprints. *shudder*
Donna in SC says
or dog nose prints!
Ree says
Nanawalls aren’t very popular or practical here in south Louisiana because it’s too hot and humid most of the year and a/c is necessary. We also have tons of insects from moquitoes to roaches (ICK) that can get in through the smallest hole. The newer upscale developments here feature a lot of screened porches that are a throwback to the pre-airconditioned south.
Db says
You’ve described the ideal habitat for the craft beer drinking, hipster bearded, ecologically minded, new young tech professional millionaire! More power to them….leaves more mid century pieces for me 🙂
JustAnotherPam says
Sounds beautiful!
CarolK says
I love how the Chinese customers want a wok kitchen. I’m not Chinese but a range/cooktop with high heat burners for wok cooking is a consideration for me as well.
Meghan says
Giant furniture!
Sarah says
Words words words. The popularity of signs probably pre-dates 2010, but as I look at real estate listings lately it seems common to decorate with words–“eat”, “family rules”, entire song lyrics or scripture.
cynthia says
sarah, yes all those words! commands everywhere. I always think, stop telling me what to do! LOL.
JustAnotherPam says
As I’m planning on painting in early September I gave my granddaughter a bucket of markers to do as she would to the walls and it’s so heart string pulling I’m not sure I can paint over her work especially as it’s not everywhere but contained. On the other hand these signs leave me cold while I love vintage letters. It’s complicated even though I do have a huge WHY on one wall I made with old sign letters and, no doubt, more of them will find their way out of storage soon enough. 😉
Laurie says
Sliding barn doors and shiplap
JeffK says
I forgot barn doors in my write-up. Yes, these are still popular. In use they are definitely more ‘interior design’ than ‘function’.
Jennifer Kepesh says
That would depend on the space in which they are installed. For our space, a barn door between a long, narrow room and the shallow laundry room/pantry at one end looks great and doesn’t cut the room in half.
JustAnotherPam says
The only thing I regret about my “barn door hardware” is I bought it before it became so affordable. The double one is industrial, the one on the mid century sized bathroom has textured glass panels and added much more space. The rest of the house runs to mid century European furniture and it works great together. I’ve love “picture walls’ since I first saw them in Europe and then here in the early ’70’s and am going to do one because fashion forward doesn’t interest me at all but when I love it, I love it.
Laurie says
From the home shows I’ve been to, I’ve noticed more elaborate laundry rooms (always with huge front loaders), huge decks (usually made with composite materials) with enormous grills & refrigerators, and bigger spa bathrooms. Built in fire pits. Glass tile for kitchen back splashes and showers and subway tile in the bathroom. Concrete counter tops were popular for awhile. From looking at the big box stores, I’ve noticed that engineered wood floors and wood-look laminate flooring are getting a lot more space as wood flooring is getting so popular, but too expensive and impractical for many.
Pam Kueber says
Hi Laurie, your commend made me remember: I think that Luxury Vinyl Tile is now a mass-market phenom in the flooring industry, overtaking laminate flooring (90s? 00s?) for sure…
Jay says
Wish someone would explain what the difference is for luxury vinyl vs. regular vinyl. Is it genuine or just a marketing scheme.
Joanna says
We have luxury vinyl plank by Downs. It comes in actual planks. It is an extremely durable surface and actually waterproof. It forms a waterproof seal between the floor and the foundation. Ours is free floating. It snaps together and doesn’t need to be glued. We could actually remove it and take it with us if we moved. LOL! If the house floods, it can actually be dried out and reused. One positive with vinyl plank is that it is more flexible than ceramic tile and won’t crack. We don’t have that, but in Florida with the sandy soil this can be an issue. Unlike laminate, you can use it in wet areas and it won’t swell or get damaged like wood. I grew-up with wood floors and although I thought they were beautiful, the care of them was a pain. I am lazy and we have four cats. When I saw the flooring we currently have I loved it, thought it was real, but was something we couldn’t afford. Even after I touched the sample. We had it almost three years. It looks still looks new and people comment on how pretty it is all the time. It doesn’t have the snob appeal of wood, but it works for me.
CarolK says
Joanna, I think we’re going with wood-look vinyl planks for our kitchen reno. I have two dogs that sometimes have accidents (my dachsie gets her business end off the pee pad) and want to get a puppy before we’d replace our floors. Vinyl is better for peeing dogs.
Jay says
Thanks! Sounds like it might work in my basement, I have a cat and might get another dog.
ineffablespace says
No window treatments
Matching faux wood plantation shutters or venetian blinds on every window
A narrow piece of cloth on each side of the window standing in as a window treatment.
(Although I live in an area where there is a small sub-market of extremely over-the top draperies being installed)
Louise says
Reclaimed wood that hasn’t been through a planer and is probably offgassing…!
Exposed bulbs.
Pam Kueber says
Yes: Those Westinghouse bulbs.
Robin, WA says
Edison bulbs. Edison bulbs in things like Mason jars or other reclaimed items.
Pam Kueber says
Put a bulb on it!
Joan massey says
Good list and another thing we will remember is gallery walls, the end of dinning rooms, pallet upcycling, tiki bars, fairy gardens…