5 Grounded and Cozy Trends

Status Check

It’s a reassuring sense of normal to see designers and style-watchers publishing their usual mid-year style predictions. The fact that trends are in motion this year shows that the home décor industry is alive and well, with product designers and brands meeting the demands of the moment. Artisan finishes and organic materials are the fashion, reflecting innovation and environmental ethics in our homes right now. Here’s what we’re seeing:

High-Back Furniture

Good news for your inherited sofas and armchairs - high-backs are in! Accent seating with a high profile is great for filling out a space vertically, and making it feel like home. Curvaceous, cushy, curl-up furniture is certainly taking the helm this year where we have needed so much refuge in our homes, but the high-back look of a sofa or chair still evokes a feeling of structure and elegance to a comfortable space.

Natural Materials

Attention to material is really guiding home décor trends right now, especially the materials that evoke a sense of nature or grounding. Natural textures like jute, clay, and rattan sell fast in the second-hand marketplace, and are a cornerstone to many home style bloggers and DIY aesthetics. We’re seeing trends of wooden bowls and wicker baskets repurposed into pendant lights, and a joyful resurgence of wicker and caning that looks clean, earthy and modern. A piece that nods to its origins is the way to go with this trend, like with this smoothcypress root coffee table that takes a much more organic approach to wood furniture.

Textural Elements

Our homes are just as touchable as they are visual, so paying special attention to texture can add depth and character to any space. Plush upholstery, cast concrete trays, hammered metal accents, and thick woven throws are detailed choices that just make your room feel collected and intentional. Look at texture as an opportunity to bring in unique artifacts from your life and make them work with your aesthetic. Adding a variety of texture gives you an opportunity to keep playing with the natural material factor as well, if baskets and pampas grass don’t fit your style. This Ethan coffee table is one of our favorite pieces because of the straight, minimal leg base and the hand-finished cross-section top. Next to fabric and leather, the live edge is a texture that brings cohesion to the furniture around it.

The Return of Color

Neutrals will never be out of style. There is a constant rotation of white shades being recognized for their versatility and “blank canvas” opportunity. However, 2021 is seeing a return to colorful furniture, wallpaper and paint, as more and more people look to bring their personalities to life in the space that surrounds them. Blue, as a generally soothing color, is still a prevailing choice for rugs and throw pillows. Green, a standout color and call to nature, is making room for itself in furniture and accent walls, from light and dusty sage to bold and unapologetic emerald. Velvet sofas are known for their vibrant colorways, like a blue sofa from TOV Furniture, and we consider them an elegant way to embrace color in your living room!

Handmade Touches

It’s a sign of the time we live in, where handmade quality is becoming more prevalent and valued as fast furniture with a shorter lifespan takes a backseat to eco-conscious shopping. People are interested in pieces with a handmade touch, that one-of-a-kind value-add that draws you to something you can hold onto for years to come. Heirloom quality pieces like Amish built furniture from Fusion Designs is focused on craftsmanship rather than mass production. 

As a rug retailer, we’re delighted by this trend. Like the Amish furniture, area rugs have a history of craftsmanship that gets forgotten as fads come and go. Rug making technology is improving the quality and durability of machine-made rugs with environmentally friendly materials, but the handwoven, hand-loomed, and hand-knotted pieces are made with the original sustainable material: wool. We’re looking forward to watching these trends and seeing a growing popularity for the handcrafted quality we hold such regard for!