Interior Design Trends on Their Way Out in 2024
By by MIA SHULMAN.
If you have a quote poster hanging in your room, be warned, its days are numbered. We asked, and you answered: what interior design trends are on their way out in 2024? The results are in! From boucle everything, to subway tiles, modern farmhouses, and oversized kitchen islands, these are the 20 trends we’re kicking to the curb in 2024.
All-White (Boring) Kitchens
All-white kitchens are a thing of the past and it’s time to celebrate a creative kitchen with more texture and colour. If you’ve been following kitchen trends during 2023, you’ve noticed less white colour schemes and more depth in hues, textures, and materials. While we’re on the topic of introducing colour to your kitchen, the Pantone colour of the year for 2024 is apricot crush which pairs perfectly with neutrals and represents nourishment for the mind, body, and soul. We can’t imagine a better room for this colour.
Open Concept is Closed for Business
With families spending more time at home since the pandemic, the desire for separate rooms has grown. People are craving their personal space and open-concept layouts don’t allow for that type of privacy. Also, who wants to see a messy kitchen when you’re unwinding in your living room? Out of sight and out of mind is an interior trend we can get behind.
The Brass is Always Greener
Trends are cyclical and knowing what to invest in and what to avoid for your home can be confusing, especially when there’s a budget to stick to. Popular opinion would say brass fixtures are too reminiscent of the ’70s and ’80s but design experts are saying not so fast. Brass fixtures are coming back in evolved shapes and sizes that look nothing like their ancestors. We think your instincts are always in style, so never underestimate your taste and what suits your space and lifestyle.
Reduce, Reuse, and Restore
In with the new and out with the old is on its own way out. With inflation and sustainability top of mind for people, it seems wasteful to tear something out just because it’s older. What’s on trend is finding beauty in something no matter what the trend forecasters are saying.
This Train is Going, Going, Gone
Experts are predicting kitchens will continue to be designed around a statement backsplash, but subway tiles are leaving the station. While the classic subway tile emotes a clean look, keep your eyes peeled for unique stonework that makes the most social room in the house that much more appealing in 2024.
Gray Days are Numbered
Gray tones have dominated interiors for the past decade. What was once a sophisticated and elegant color scheme now feels drab, lifeless, and draining. Since we’ve all been spending more time at home, warm neutrals are heating up interiors such as beige, rust, and amber. If you’re not ready to say good day to gray, consider textured gray accents as a compromise.
Open Shelving Equals Open Book
If you can’t stand the look of clutter, you probably can’t wait to see this trend fade away. Open shelving has been a huge kitchen design trend and you have Pinterest to thank for that. Although open shelving is a way to showcase personality, it’s also a way to attract dust and showcase your messy side if you’re not careful.
Shiplap Has Sailed
Classic shiplap became stylish during the farmhouse craze (more on that later) and popular opinion is saying it’s more shabby than chic. Experts caution ruling it out entirely as there are contemporary and fresh ways to apply this look especially if it serves a purpose in your home or adds a layer of interest in a monochromatic colour scheme.
Lofts Have Left the Building
Lofts sound cool in theory, but when you’re in one and can’t find a private spot for some peace and quiet, you’ll wish you never heard they existed. Similar to open concept layouts, lofts lack privacy and can be loud and echoe-y. While they are the epitome of cool and sophisticated city life, they have many drawbacks when it comes to functionality. Yes, the tall ceilings and sunlight photograph well, but lofts often lack storage space and with those tall ceilings, heating a large space can be challenging and expensive.
You Can Quote Us
Inspirational quotes can always have a place in your heart but leave your home out of it. Quotes as framed art had a huge following over the last decade, but it has overstayed its welcome and should have left the party with the shabby chic trends of the past.
Don’t Go Chasing Waterfall Counters
With the trend of sustainability on the rise, people don’t see the need for waterfall counters and are opting for leaving the sides of their cabinetry exposed. This is a wise choice if you’re designing on a budget or want to showcase millwork. On the flipside, waterfall counters can serve a functional purpose if the cabinetry is exposed to water on a regular basis, think bathroom vanities close to a bathtub.
Exposé on Brick
Showcasing exposed brick as an element of design can add texture to a room or outdoor space that may otherwise lack character and charm. We’re seeing less paint applied to brick and more celebrating its rich texture.
Painting Over Wood
While we’re on the topic of celebrating materials in all their natural glory, painting over wood should also be avoided at all costs. People are opting for less artificial looks and a more natural aesthetic. Building off of house and home 2023 trends, cultivating natural materials in the home is one way to connect to the outdoors and has relaxing benefits on our nervous systems. If you work from home and find it hard to wind down, consider drawing on nature as inspiration for decorating your home.
Cooling Off the White Hot Trend
As with all-white kitchens, all-white everything in home interiors can take the exit ramp off the style pages. Not only does it lack personality and charm, it fails when put to the test of functionality in the real world.
Exit Through the Barn Door
Barn doors look great on a farm but in an urban residence it looks out of place. The biggest 2024 design trend we’re seeing is geographically appropriate designs. Like shabby chic and the modern farmhouse, barn doors should go back to where they came from and stay there…the farm.
Back to Black
If Goldilocks was an interior designer, what colour scheme would be juuuust right? Along with monochromatic white and gray, monochromatic black colour schemes are fading out. Since the dreary days of the pandemic, people want less oppressive interiors and are increasingly drawn to airy, bright, and carefree colours. Black, white, and gray are great neutrals but we’re seeing their place in the home take on more of an accent role as opposed to the focal point.
Sent to Pasture
The people have spoken: the modern farmhouse has been sent out to pasture with framed quotes, shiplap, and barn doors in tow. The modern farmhouse look has had its place in the sun for years now, but its place should be on a farm or at least on the outskirts of urban areas. Designers are opting for designs that suit and are relevant to their locations. However, if you’re in love with the modern farmhouse look but don’t have a farm, don’t stress. There are plenty of ways to adapt this look to suit your home, wherever it may be.
Minimalism Schminimalism
Home decor trends in 2023 have seen a seismic shift away from minimalism. Simple all-white interiors, grays and black colour schemes have been slowly overtaken by a variety of colours to liven up spaces. Even Marie Kondo has given up on bringing herself joy with a neat and tidy home and embraced a carefree attitude towards interiors. Predictions for interior design trends in 2024 are geared towards relaxation meaning people are adopting a carefree attitude towards how they adorn their homes.
No Kitchen is an Island
Huge kitchen islands are great for a chef’s kitchen but not everyone needs that amount of prep space. In the spirit of less is more, people are realizing that that amount of counter space can be costly to install and time consuming to clean. Whereas the kitchen island was the focal point of the room, going into 2024, kitchen design trends are seeing natural stonework as a backsplash take center stage in the kitchen.
Boucle Today, Gone Tomorrow
The purposefully pilled fabric made a big splash as people everywhere were drawn to its comfortable texture. It was a new and exciting look that added new dimensions to the living room. It still has a place in our hearts but it doesn’t have to adorn every couch and chair in a house. It’s lovely as a stand-alone but we don’t need to boucle all day, every day.
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Interior Designers Institute was founded in 1984 and is one of the few Interior Design Schools in California offering an Avocational Certificate Course, Associate of Arts Degree in Interior Design, Bachelor of Arts Degree in Interior Design, and Master of Interior Architecture Degree and is nationally accredited and also accredited by CIDA, Council for Interior Design Accreditation.
