7 hottest home trends for 2017

By Yanic Simard
December 21, 2016

It seems design trends change every year, but most of us don’t change our decor quite that often. For this reason, it’s important to avoid flash-in-the-pan fads that may leave you with buyer’s remorse. Here's my 2017 style forecast: staying power. Here are seven essential home trends that I’m confident will last for years to come, and how to apply them to your space. Let’s make 2017 the year of no design regrets!

Vertical horizons

Your walls can be home to unique art – or they can be the art themselves. More and more people are boldly bringing drama to their vertical surfaces, with oversized paintings and prints, statement-making wall coverings, or both.

Trend to try: Explore local art events (such as emerging-artist expos) to find wall-filling canvases – the scale can actually make a room look larger. Apply a lively patterned wallpaper to add incredible personality, such as an oversized floral, or try a sumptuous grasscloth for rich texture that says “classic haute couture.”

Quartz composure

For decades the de-facto countertop was a slab of granite. Designers have long preferred quartz for its beauty and durability, and more and more home-renovators are catching on. It’s nonporous, but has the character of stone, with near infinite colour options.

Concetto 8311 Gray Agate by Caesarstone
Concetto 8311 Gray Agate by Caesarstone

 

Trend to try: Splurge on a particularly covetable quartz variety like an agate style for the kitchen island, and trade-off a budget-friendly option for the main counters – a little contrast can be beautiful.

Jewel energies

Benjamin_Moore_Shadow
Benjamin Moore's 2017 Colour of the Year: Shadow

 

Vivid-but-sophisticated jewel tones: they perfectly offset demure neutrals, brighter hues (like last year’s sky blues and bright pinks), or both, so they can and will be infused into nearly any decor scheme.

Trend to try: Add small glass or velvet accessories in amethyst or emerald to refresh your palette without a big investment. Also... Paint a deep hue like Benjamin Moore’s Colour of the Year 2117-30 Shadow (pictured) to make a room feel cozy.

Life alfresco

Bringing the outdoors inside is big, in more ways than one.

Rose by J&V Digital for Newwall
Rose by J&V Digital for Newwall

 

There’s a continuing trend toward introducing plant/animal motifs through prints, art and live greenery. Don’t worry about the “it” style of the day, and just enjoy a lush pattern that makes you feel happy.

Trend to try: Use “alfresco” cafe-inspired fabrics – think forest or jungle – for upholstery and drapery, to bring the joy of patio dining inside. Pot an indoor tree like an exotic ficus to add a luxe, fresh atmosphere to any space. Look to Pantone’s 2017 colour of the year “Greenery” for accent inspiration.

Earth harvest

It’s not just fabric motifs that people are drawing from the earth, but rugged textures too. Tactile materials like cork, terra cotta, sisal, burnished gold as well as dark moody varieties of stone and wood are all being brought into homes to give a sense of weight and depth.

Trend to try: Splurge on a dark marble to add masculine appeal to table tops or a luxe vanity. Use interesting flooring like cork or terra cotta, or reconsider wall-to-wall broadloom (trust me, it’s back). Try crisp “tuxedo” cabinets, with handsome wood contrasted against lighter tones.

Bohemian adventures

As times goes on, homeowners are less and less interested in strict “rules” and severe minimalism, instead embracing a more personal and adventurous style, celebrating a bohemian flair and worldly collections.

Trend to try: Use throws, pillows, or sculptures collected on your life’s travels to bring diverse cultures to your space. Mix bohemian twists like broken-in vintage furniture with crisp black modernist pieces to balance old and new. Consider small details, like the placement of a cabinet knob – in design, details make all the difference!

Aquatic age

Blue is truly timeless – it’s the most popular favourite colour – but it also might be bigger than ever. Blue shades mix well, or stand on their own, and they never go truly out of style, making them essential for 2017 and years to come.

Trend to try: Mix aquatic blues and blue-greens with whites and pale woods to create a fresh, beachy vibe. Skip super-safe grey and use navy instead to subtly enrich any palette.

Want to see more ways to tackle trends timelessly? View the Toronto Interior Design Group portfolio at tidg.ca, and find me on Twitter and Instagram via @yanicsimard.

About Yanic Simard

Yanic Simard is the principal designer of award-winning Toronto Interior Design Group, tidg.ca, and a guest expert on City’s Cityline.

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