Design Trends 2021
Category Property Advice
As 2021 clicks into gear, we take a look at some of the interior design trends expected to take hold this year. As is expected, much like everything else in the past 12 months, the Covd-19 pandemic has played a hand in some of the thinking. That's not all bad news, with homeowners starting to focus on making the best use of their interiors and paying more attention to their outside spaces.
Less clutter
One of the major trends expected in 2021 is 'less-is-more' and the removal of cluttered spaces.
"People are looking keep their lines as clean as possible and have less furniture as opposed to more," says Sharon Sager of Sager and Associates Interior Design.
Sager adds that low-maintenance is key, with lots of ornaments and accessories a thing of the past.
"When it comes to second homes, and even primary homes, the focus is on very low-maintenance. Things that require cleaning - nooks and crannies with funny ornaments - have completely gone out the window. There is an emphasis on larger things now. So it could, for example, be a beautiful big tree stump, a lovely sculpture or a beautiful pot with a plant in it as opposed to six plants dotted all over the place. People are not wanting to wash a lot of things, so lots of glass vases or ornaments that need to be cleaned are on the way out."
Functionality is key
With the on-set of Covid-19 in 2020, the majority of people were forced to work from home and as more companies look to continue this model, it's unsurprising that office spaces on the home front are a major trend in terms of interior design elements for 2021.
"The majority of my clients are creating the office space at home. Again, less is more, and you have what is needed, keeping it low maintenance. That situation of working at the dining room table is not happening anymore, with special spaces being created for office work, without having to make any extensions to the home. People are using the space they already have to elegantly incorporate their work needs.
Sager adds that the same can be said for furniture. There is no need to add more furniture, but to use what you already have and incorporate it into what you need.
A garden escape
While much of the focus has been on interior spaces, the pandemic has also had a major impact on how people consider their outdoor spaces, with a lot more focus being put on these areas.
This is understandable when you consider how much time is being spent at home - both by virtue of personal choice and government regulations.
Comfortable and multi-functional spaces will be the order of the day as home-owners seek refuge from their home office in their outdoor spaces.
"People are spending more time out in the garden," says Sager. "South Africans find it very difficult to be indoors for too long and the outside area has certainly become a place of refuge.
"Outdoor furniture has become pivotal now and it's comfortable outdoor furniture. Beautiful, big, oversized chairs, places in the garden under trees, where you can put down benches to sit, and to relax. There are lots of outdoor dining tables, awnings, with the outdoor area becoming very important in terms of design and space."
The colour palette of choice
This year, Pantone has named not one, but two colours as their shades of the year: Ultimate Grey and Illuminating, a bright yellow shade that is meant to evoke the ''optimistic promise of a sunshine-filled day''.
"The selection of two independent colours highlight how different elements come together to express a message of strength and hopefulness that is both enduring and uplifting, conveying the idea that it's not about one colour or one person, it's about more than one," Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Colour Institute was quoted in Home and Garden.
Sager says that South Africa does tend to follow the global trends, but generally, and in Cape Town in particular, these trends are given a local twist.
"Whatever is trending internationally is very much part of the way we react in South Africa, but with our warmer weather we generally freshen it up a lot," she explains.
In 2021, Sager says we will still see lots of very neutral, earthy tones, the combination of timber, and lot of light colours. But interestingly, charcoal and greys are still trending locally, with a focus on contrast, by using both white and a darker colour like charcoal together.
Author: The Agency Property Group
