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
Laurie says
Rustic live edge dining tables & waterfall countertops.
Dana says
Barn doors for no particular reason, ship lap, chalk paint that feels weird to the touch, and vanilla. Everything is vanilla!
Linda says
Turquoise
Joanna says
Chalkboard everything — walls, placemats, labels, tabletops, etc.
Birgitta says
Last summer we toured about 12 brand new homes in the Parade of Homes Tour. There were three things that stood out for me personally.
1) The Master bedroom and children’s bedrooms were on opposite ends of the house. I asked how would the parents hear the child cry in the middle of the night and they told me, baby monitors. I also had visions of teenagers sneaking in and out late at night. In the house where I grew up you had to walk past the parent’s room and the floorboards always creaked.
2) No dining room or kitchen table to eat at, just a kitchen island with stools to sit on. I was told that families don’t have the time to eat together anymore. They all eat at different times .
3) The master bathrooms only had extra large showers, most of them did not have a tub or a jacuzzi tub which seemed popular in the 1990’s houses. I was told that people don’t have time to take baths anymore only showers.
So those were the things that I noticed for houses built in 2016 in our area. I don’t know it it’s the same everywhere.
Lynn says
The “don’t have time” part makes me so sad, especially about having dinner together. We make time for the things that are important. Plus, those blasted baby monitors keep you up all night. My children were across the hall in the house we lived in when they were babies and I’d have it no other way. Our floorboards in our house now creak too, and the kids are very close to us, so there hopefully won’t be any sneaking here!
Joanna says
Clear shower stall doors. Trend toward leaving up only a partial class wall and leaving the rest of the shower “wall” open — no door or curtain. Clear doors are a pain to clean, get water deposits on them and that missing door thing made for a wet hotel bathroom this weekend. Also there is a trend towards patterned bold, patterned tile in graphic “artsy” designs. I also think I may be the last person in America who insists on white appliances and a top loading washing machine.
Dana says
No, you’re not the only one who insists on a top loading washer! I’m with you!
LuAnn says
Me too! I really don’t like the front loading washers. They don’t use enough water to get the clothes clean and you need a very deep space for them so that you can maneuver. It’s a white top loader for me too.
GlenEllyn says
Same here. White kitchen appliances and top-loader washing machine. Heck, I even have a real clothesline that I use whenever the weather permits.
KStacey says
We owned an appliance repair company, and trust me, the front-load washing machine already has one foot in the grave. Besides the fact that they are not as efficient as people would like? Having to constantly perform maintenance to avoid slimy mold growing in gaskets, and ghastly smells that no amount of Afresh can conquer? Yeah, not great. Not to mention that if something as simple as your lid switch fails, you get to go to the laundromat!
Annie says
I have a front loader. I cannot wait for the thing to die so that I can get my top loader with an agitator back! Front loaders do NOT do a good job with hard water. What they save in money in water I spend in extra bleach and clothing replacement.
Annie says
I got my wish. My front loader died OVER THANKSGIVING, leaving me to make emergency trips to the laundromat! It was replaced with a WHITE TOP LOADER with an AGITATOR!
Annie says
I hate clear shower doors. I have to share a bathroom with a spouse and I STILL want my privacy.
Jay says
I thought of front loaders but then saw how big they are, you need one of those deluxe laundry rooms. The dryer vent tech said to avoid front loaders as they tend to develop mold issues and are more prone to break downs.
daisy says
Me, too – to white appliances and a top-loading washing machine!
When went in to buy a 2-3 years ago, I said just show me a white, top-loading washer with a lid that can be lifted and does not lock during the wash cycle (no kids or pets in my house). The salesperson said he got that request more and more often.
When I used the front loader at my son’s, it just seemed like clothes were sloshing around in a small amount of (dirty) water.
Annie says
I seriously just bought a top loading washer on a Black Friday sale. They clean better, it has an agitator, it holds more laundry. $399 out the door + tax. Beats my $900 one that died in 6 years.
Molly C. says
I think we’ve reached Peak Mason Jar. At least I hope so.
Fairy lights everywhere. They’re not just for winter anymore!
Chicken Chic. Chickens are the new black. I say this as a recent convert to the chicken lifestyle. We’re currently building a mid-mod style coop to complement our 1960 ranch.
Pam Kueber says
“Peak Mason Jar” — I love it!
Jenny says
Modern farmhouses, open shelving in the kitchen, brass fixtures, mixed metals, low-sheen cement tile in the bathroom, patterned tile floors (yay!), and clawfoot tubs.
Annie says
Why would I want open shelving in my kitchen. Do I look like someone who wants to dust my dishes on a daily basis? The modern farmhouse look leaves a LOT to be desired when it comes to storage!
Kathy C. says
I would add
1) More bathrooms, perhaps more than there are bedrooms,
2) Huge “master retreats” with big closets, bathrooms and bedrooms, perhaps a study or sitting area or balcony, that is bigger than many studio apartments, and seems to take space away from the smaller bedrooms,
3) Separate living areas for movies, play areas, laundry, storage, guest suites and granny flats, crafts, animal care, man cave, she sheds, and so forth, so that large areas of the house are unused most of the week.
4) Multigabled facades, complex rooflines, multiple synthetic materials textured to look natural, closed “porkchop” soffit returns, steel or fiberglass doors with stained glass inserts, multiple window styles and sizes, prominent garages, oversized porticos, narrow porches mostly for show, not function.
5) Larger houses on smaller lots
6) Rip out and replace rather than care and restore–most modern building materials are designed to minimize labor, not for ease of repair or durability. Craftsmen who know how to do things the old way are becoming rare as the old timers retire and we have turned to synthetics in the name of low maintenance.
Linda says
* open kitchen shelving
* chimney range hoods
* interest in 70’s style, including related kitsch
* shag carpeting revival
* the “spa” bathroom including curbless showers and other stylish modifications that help Baby Boomers age in place
* painted, vintage Spanish/Mediterranean furniture
* revival of the vintage Spanish style of the 60s and 70s, especially light fixtures
* industrial everything
* ubiquitous, cheap, imported, Mid-Mod, knock-off decor
* Moroccan patterns
* large drapery grommets
* the Restoration Hardware look