Interiors trends that will be big in 2021: how to update your home for the year ahead

As we approach a Tier 4 January, aka Lockdown on Ice, our homes are going to be seeing even more of us than ever before. So it's a good time to finally take the plunge with some of those home improvements — be they quick fixes or big-ticket purchases — that have been languishing on the to do list.

Houzz’s home design trends report for 2021 offers “a generous dose of trends impacted by our response to the Covid-19 pandemic”, and is a good place to start for some inspo.

Based on analysis of what their 2.5 million users have been searching and posting on the website, as well as interviews with interiors professionals, the Houzz report gives a glimpse of a year ahead spent much like this one has been – hunkering down in hard-working, flexible, calming spaces. 2020 2.0 if you will.

Here are the top trends you can expect to see a lot more of in the new year.

This will come as no surprise to anyone who has been attempting to work, cook, relax and exercise in anything other than a palace but hybrid and convertible furniture is going to be big.

At the start of the year, few people predicted that ‘murphy bed’ was going to be an emerging search term but with many offices closed until at least June, many bedrooms and spare rooms are doing double duty as offices.

“The biggest trend we’ve seen since lockdown is for desk beds, where a bed folds over a desk. A lot of people working from home don’t want to work on the dining table so have converted an existing room to accommodate a desk, which they can then use as a bedroom or TV room when they’re not working,” says James Harland of Wallbed.co.uk.

Searches for ‘home gym’ and ‘garden gym’ have soared this year and houzz expects 2021 to extend the trend with exercise equipment that fits seamlessly into interiors, as well as pieces with stain-resistant, waterproof or anti-odour properties.

Speaking about trends in wellness design with upscale brand Technogym, Kelly Hoppen says the future of home gyms lies in equipment that is integrated in design. “We should no longer close the door on these spaces.”

Pink, gold and navy bathrooms were big search terms in 2020 and Houzz says the trend for bathroom maximalism is set to explode in 2021.

Coronavirus isn’t the only global issue that’s been thrust on our consciousness this year – the environment is also hotting up, distressingly literally.

Buying vintage is a more sustainable option than buying new but Houzz says that, rather than junk shop finds, the emphasis now is increasingly on high-end pieces of second-hand furniture.

“Buying vintage is always a smart investment because it tends to retain its value. Adding vintage furniture allows us to add a touch of the unexpected and a touch of drama to the room,” say Studio Duggan.

They recommend Kempton Market, Portobello Market or vintage websites such as Vinterior, 1st Dibs, and Ebay, for “interesting and unique pieces with a story”. They suggest novice thrifters start with glassware and tableware.

A preternatural fear of germs has seeped into the collective consciousness and with it return to all-white kitchens. While other rooms are getting bolder, cosier and more eclectic, Houzz has noted a significant rise in searches for ‘white kitchen’ this year, while white worktops are also gaining in popularity, reflecting a desire for clean-looking cooing spaces.

While white kitchens feel light and calming, they do show up food smears and dust so it can be more work to keep them looking fresh, cautions Leila Touwen of Pluck.

However, she does note: “There is definitely an association between white and cleanliness and obviously the idea that the space where food is prepped and cooked is clean is appealing.”

Dulux’s colour of the year, a warm putty neutral called Brave Ground, has thousands of posts on Instagram, while earthy terracotta and foresty sage and pine are also popular.

Rattan, jute and wood all proved stratospherically popular in 2020 and Houzz expects the trend to continue well into 2021. The perfect backdrop to all those houseplants we’ve been nurturing.

As it’s improved to offer services people actually want, home tech has become a growing priority in recent years. Once the preserve of millionaires’ homes automated household items are now a feature of the most middle of the road home but Covid-19 has accelerated the trend.

No-touch tech is set to be a boom industry in 2021 with voice- and sensor-controlled taps and lights increasingly popular, according to designers interviewed by Houzz.

Given the industrious gardeners who sprouted last year, growing your own produce is an unsurprising entry on the list with ‘vegetable garden’ one of the new popular terms on Houzz.

Expect window sills, balconies and small planters groaning under the weight of home grown courgettes next summer.

Another popular search term, albeit one that seems sadly optimistic now, is outdoor entertaining, with searches for firepits, hot tubs and outdoor kitchens proliferating almost as fast as coronavirus.

With any luck, we’ll all be happily enjoying our pizza ovens with people from outside our household before we know it.