2021 Interior Design Trends From Your Favorite L.A. Designers

02/23/2021 | specs+spaces staff |

Which top interior design trends are you most anticipating this year? With each new year design publications around the globe prognosticate about the interior design trends they think consumers will gravitate towards - the surprising, the exciting, and sometimes the contradictory. Worldwide events over the past year like the Coronavirus pandemic have shaped interior design both functionally and aesthetically. So we’re checking back in with some of our favorite Los Angeles designers previously featured on the Dunn-Edwards design blog to get their take on which interior design trends we can expect in 2021. From trends in color, to trending new spaces — we’ll explore how the past year is influencing the design decisions we’ll make tomorrow.

Private Spaces
At the beginning of COIVD-19 we wondered if the pandemic might spell the end of the decades-long love affair with open floor plans. After years of open concept kitchen-dining-entertaining spaces, some are choosing traditional, closed floor plans with rooms that are defined and divided from one another. In fact, interior designer Paul Heintz of Local Studio Interiors, believes that people are yearning for privacy and quiet like never before. “Having been home with our families for the past year we are more aware of our surroundings and having private spaces are more important than ever,” he stated.

PHoto Credit: MARCIA PRENCTICE

Embracing Adventure At Home
Michelle Qazi of vintage home décor store 6th and Detroit believes that people are feeling emboldened by the craziness of last year to go big with color. “I expect to see people put aside their fears of paint and get adventurous with accent walls and doors.” Getting adventurous with color, of course, comes naturally to Qazi, who boldly incorporated The Green Hour (DET544) throughout her Long Beach, California home. After a brutal year, she notes, “our homes are everything, so incorporating joy through our décor is a sure fire way to boost your mood.” Steven Miller of Sub-Folk Collective says that even a bold color can be still serene. “Teal bedrooms are relaxing,” Miller explains about one color trend he’s eyeing. Maybe it’s a color we’ll see Miller enlist in his own Echo Park bedroom sometime soon.

PHoto Credit: BETHANY NAUERT

Warm Neutrals
For every person who wants to go bold with color, there is another who finds earthy palettes bring a sense of calm in a very hectic world. At Dunn-Edwards, we aren’t the only ones noticing an embrace of tans and other warm neutrals. Designer Carly Waters of Carly Waters Style bets that consumers will commit to neutral hues this year. “I think this year is going to be all about the calm neutral — the taupes, the creams, the browns, the warm whites,” stated Waters. “The world feels like an insane place right now, and all anyone wants in their home is relaxation and calm.” See how Waters used neutral tones such as these to create a calming abode for herself in Los Angeles.

PHoto Credit: BETHANY NAUERT

A Focus On Mental Health
Coronavirus has helped normalize discussions around mental health, physical wellness, and self-care to the degree that mental health considerations are now influencing the world of design. In addition to choosing the calming neutrals like those Waters highlights, designers believe clients will also reach for earthy shades like blue and green. “Mental health is a priority in every setting and it is crucial that our homes are designed in a way to help our well being,” stated Heintz of Local Studio Interiors. “I think green is a great color for those spaces. Fresh Sod (DE5655) and the colors in that family are very rejuvenating.” Designer Miller of Sub-Folk Collective echoes a similar sentiment, noting that a primary goal of his design practice is creating spaces that reflect the owner’s personal style and also has the ability to soothe. For more on colors in line with clarity and transparency take a look at our Fresh & Free Color + Design Trend story.

Organization
From feng shui to extreme organization, Sub Folk Collective’s Miller emphasizes the trend for keeping everything in its place. “The new norm for modern people is working from home while trying to create a cozy positive atmosphere.” With so many of our spaces playing double-duty during WFH, keeping them organized is key to maintaining a sense of serenity at home. One way Miller suggests adding a sense of organization and purpose to our belongings at the same time is by creating a gallery to show off mementos and personal belongings rather than trying to find a somewhere to stash them. In fact, Annette Vartanian of A Vintage Splendor did just that, adding a gallery wall and library along the length of her stairwell into her home office space.