4 Interior Design Trends to Inspire You in 2020
Looking to freshen up your rental space, but not sure where to start? Why not start on the cutting edge of interior design?
2020 is a big year for interiors, marking a shift away from the currently popular minimalist style and towards bold colours and patterns instead. We also see tastes trending towards the latter half of the 20th century rather than the middle section (but not as late as the 1980s yet, thank goodness).
As interior stylists let color back into their homes, they are bringing softer fabrics and shapes too. Think cozy, opulent, eclectic, and joyful. These are the vibes that will carry us all into 2020 and beyond.
1. Maximalism
According to the 2020 Ikea catalog, minimalism may have peaked in 2019—the year in which Marie Kondo turned her extremely popular book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up into an even more popular Netflix show.
Within the pages of said catalog, you’ll no longer find white walls and infinity shades of grey, mid-century couches. Instead you’ll find boldly patterned pillow shams, artfully cluttered collage walls, brightly coloured velvet couches, and even disco balls. These are just some of the hallmarks of maximalism, a design aesthetic defined by excess and redundancy.
While a minimalist designer might live by the motto “less is more,” a maximalist designer would embrace the idea that “more is more.” And in 2020, it seems that most people are ready to embrace the latter.
But maximalism doesn’t necessarily mean messy. In fact, some would argue that a maximalist interior style is even more difficult to pull off than a minimalist one, as it requires an artful eye for layering and knowing which colors and patterns work well together.
To pull off a maximalist apartment, embrace your inner child and shop with your gut. Maximalism allows you to showcase your own personality, as is clear in this mural-filled California home, and there are almost no rules.
Hint: If you’re going to wallpaper in your rental, do yourself a favour and make it removable.
2. Rounded shapes
Mid-century modern furniture has been dominating the interior design market for the last decade. And rightly so. Clean lines, solid wood, beautiful craftsmanship—what more could you ask for from your chairs?
Turns out, a lot more. Tastes always repeat themselves, just like history. And it turns out that interior design tastes are moving away from the 40s and 50s and into the 60s and 70s. We can see this most clearly in the new popularity of curved furniture.
Think this velvet feather collection bed frame from Anthropologie, or this blush sofa from Coleman Furniture, or this Roar + Rabbit pleated ottoman from West Elm, or this deep green velvet swivel armchair from Structube.
3. Power clashing patterns
If you can’t embrace a fully maximalist lifestyle, that’s fine. Take your first baby-towards it by embracing power clashing instead. That’s right: polka dots and stripes, on the same couch. It’s a power move.
This trend is where the details of your home get to shine. Maybe you have a grey couch, but you can spruce it up by adorning it with some truly outlandish throw pillows and blankets. Or get out your staple gun and reupholster your chairs with that flamingo fabric you’ve been dreaming of. Maybe even trade your white linen curtains in for something textured and colorful.
Here’s Apartment Therapy’s guide to pattern mixing. Hint: 3 patterns is the magic number.
4. Colourful tiles
The 2020 Ikea Catalog is full of symmetrical, colourful tiles in all shapes and sizes for backsplash building and bathroom decorating.
Is your apartment blessed with a boring bathroom? Look no further than these examples of bathrooms that have been completely enlivened by colourful tiles. Free yourself from the tyranny of the white and gold bathroom now. It’s time to pretend we all live in California!
And speaking of tiles, irregular backsplashes are a new trend too. Check these examples for backsplashes that use interestingly shaped tiles to create unexpectedly “live” edges.