Interior Design Trends to Watch for in 2021

Posted by Jenni Barnett on Friday, January 8th, 2021 at 11:34am.

During our nation’s year of being quarantined at home, Americans have made bold changes to their surroundings. Now that most of us must use our limited living space to work, supervise the education of our children, and conduct distanced social interactions, we’ve begun to prioritize comfort and functionality more than ever before. Whether this year has made you long for a workspace that’s as cozy as the sweats you secretly wear to work meetings or a room that feels like an escape to an island paradise, you’ll find you’re not alone as we highlight Parks' Top Ten Interior Design Trends to Watch for in 2021.


1.) International Aesthetics

Most 2020 international travel plans were canceled, which makes this the perfect time to draw on global influences as you reimagine your décor. From the timeless elegance of France to the bold vibrance of Spain and on around the globe, restyling your home with nods to your favorite travel destinations is a great way to get your cultural “fix.”


2.) Cozy and Comfortable

If 2020 hasn’t made you question the benefit of glamor over comfort, few events will! This is the year that many people ditched high heels and contour, ties and oxfords, opting to embrace our necessary isolation in comfortable clothes. 

Comfortable interiors are a natural progression of this trend, so we predict 2021 will see the addition of lofty throw pillows, plush blankets, and throw rugs we can dig our toes into. More importantly, this trend is wide open to interpretation; anything that speaks comfort into your soul is the ideal addition for your home.


3.) Cottagecore: Beyond GenZ

If you long to bake slow-rise sourdoughs and tend to a garden farm from the bustle of modern life, cottagecore is calling your name this year. While cottagecore began as a distinctly GenZ aesthetic, it has emerged as a mainstream trend in the last year. Notably more refined than the rustic trends of the last decade, cottagecore incorporates florals, personal touches, and rich, maximal flourishes. Gold-hued cutlery, vintage prints, and muted ginghams will help your efforts feel trendy rather than shabby.


4.) Botanical Beauty

One afternoon on the internet will reveal that houseplants are having a full-on moment. While faux plants are on their way out, living greenery can provide pops of color or populate entire walls, all while providing fresh air and interaction with nature. No matter your home’s stylistic leanings, there are dozens of houseplants that can help complete your spaces. 

Our recommendation? Set up a budget, make notes about the direction and amount of light in the room, then pop on a mask and visit your nearest independent garden center for help choosing the perfect plants.


5.) Subtle Vintage Flavor

While a florid embrace of mid-century modern is no longer so chic, it’s still on-trend to carefully select a few vintage pieces to mix with new. With all-matching living rooms and bedroom sets still in decline, these are great zones to revive with high-quality selections from bygone eras.


6.) Coastal Escapism

Shiplap is on the way out, but beachy hues and aquatic touches are surging in to replace the all-white and all-gray kitchens, living rooms, and bedrooms of the last decade. Choose from the palest icy blues, cerulean, or deep cobalt, and suddenly these previously stark rooms will be awash with life. 


7.) Playful Colors Make a Resurgence

If blue isn’t quite your thing, the coming year offers a plethora of choices. Warm bronze, terra cotta, and other earthy hues are entering the scene, providing a backdrop against which playful pops of color can shine. Rather than adhering to a specific palette, the trend here is highlighting your own personal favorites. After all, if you must remain in your own home, you should be surrounded by colors that bring you joy!


8.) Deep, Neutral Green

On either kitchen cabinets and living room walls, we’re seeing a strong trend toward greens that are a perfect blend of cool blue and warm yellow, making it more flexible than it seems at first glance. If you’re ready to move on from the single accent wall popularized in the last 2 decades—aren’t we all—this hue is an excellent way to embrace color without restricting your décor options too much. Lending itself well to cottagecore, plant-rich interiors, coastal blue accents, and vintage furniture alike, there’s no color that we’d recommend more to support every flavor leading this year’s décor trends.


9.) Well-Crafted Furniture

Whether for financial reasons, ecological concerns, or to satisfy the need for comfort, this year we’ve noticed that disposable furniture is out. Now, homeowners are in search of durable, beautifully-made furniture that will last for decades to come. This can come in the form of vintage, reclaimed, locally-made, or high-end pieces, making this a trend that’s achievable on a range of income levels and target budgets. Once you begin swapping flat-pack furniture for more substantial selections, we don’t think you’ll look back!


10.) Working and Learning at Home

Irrespective of your home’s aesthetic, you’ve likely realized that it needs a few additions to sustain your family within its confines. Most households have prioritized additional comfortable seating, expanded, multi-functional workspaces, and appealing backdrops against which to appear on-camera. 

Consider your favorite trends as you refine your home for these purposes. For example, a plant wall makes a stunning backdrop, and perhaps your home office would be more appealing in deep green or oceanic blues. 


Thank you for visiting Parks! Our New Year’s wish for you and yours is one of safety, health, and happiness. We believe that continuing to make your home a place of comfort and beauty will make it easier to spend more time inside until it’s safe to resume usual levels of activity. 

Of course, if you are purchasing a home this year, or would like to list your current home for sale, the agents at Parks are here, ready to maintain the strictest standards of safety so that your family’s health is protected throughout the process. 

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