Pre-pandemic, our homes were only one part of our multi-faceted lives. A significant portion of the day was spent in the work environment or for some, various locations befitting to their lifestyle needs. But the coronavirus changed all that. Now, much of South Africa is working, socializing, exercising (and, well, doing mostly everything that ends in -ing) from our homes.

And as we adjust the way we live, we’re also adjusting the spaces we live in. Whether needing to create a functional home office, designing a living room for Zoom and remote learning, or pinpointing a smart pantry organizing solution, almost every corner of the home now requires our utmost attention more than ever before. To help, we at DQ Interiors decided to put together a list of some of the key interior design trends

The all-grey look is going out of style.

Dennese Guadeloupe Rojas of Interiors by Design recently shared in an interview with international online platform Insider that the trend of having all-grey kitchen cabinets and walls is fading.

“Gray kitchen interiors can look cold and lack distinction,” she said. “Instead, I foresee bolder colors gaining popularity.”

Rojas mentioned that indigo blue may be a particularly trendy kitchen colour this year.

All-white interiors may start to date themselves.

Design platform Design Boom predicted that the age of minimalistic, all-white interiors may be coming to an end.

For a few years now, we’ve been making everything from walls to countertops bright white. This upcoming season, we predict people will return to creating visual interest through colour.

Those looking to give their all-white interiors more pizzazz without adding bright colours can try combining different light-coloured patterns and textures.

The Return of Naturals

The use of natural materials in architecture and design has risen quite steadily, and it’s all thanks to the worlds growing quest to be more in tune with our natural surroundings. Thus, don’t be afraid to embrace more iron, glass, and (especially) wood in your home.

Bring outside in

Thanks to the pandemic, less and less of us have been going outside. So many of us are turning to alternative ways of reminding us of the positive connection between nature and happiness,so it’s no wonder we want more of Mother Nature inside our homes. But what are your options for 2022?

• reconsider your window treatment so that more natural light flows indoors
• opt for bigger windows and more glass doors to invite more garden views inside
• bring more plants and flowers inside the home
• add some rattan/wicker/cane furniture to boost that natural vibe even further.
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• Warm, earthy paint tones

The latest interiors trend is barely there, warm, earthy neutrals. For the past few years, grey has dominated the neutral interiors palette. But sandy shades are back and proving to be anything but boring. Think fleshy toned, earthy jute, canvas, wool, wood and hemp.

Hitting the nail on the head, the Dulux Colour of the Year was revealed as Brave Ground, a modern take on taupe. Brave Ground harks back to the first mushroom shades made popular by Kelly Hoppen over 15 years ago, but this time, instead of being paired with neutrals, it’s being used to soften deeper colours like this midnight blue.

It is a very ‘liveable’ colour and, considering that we are all spending much more time indoors, is very fitting to the new ways we use our living spaces. It allows you to build interest and focus with highlight pieces such as cushions, rugs and chairs in bolder colours which can be changed or rotated as required.