It's that time of year again when we publish our 2022 trends blog full of predictions, insights, styles and advice to help you enhance your home. With the help of our award-winning designers, we share our insights on emerging interior design trends and our learnings from our most recent KCA designs. This blog will explore broader interior design trends for 2022 and focus specifically on the big kitchen and furniture trends for this year and beyond.
Multipurpose Living Spaces
We've all been spending a lot more time at home; as a result, our homes need to work harder than ever before. In response to our new way of living and working from home, multifunctional spaces have become increasingly popular post-pandemic.
"As we continue to live and work through the pandemic, our homes need to cater for different users, activities and occasions. Over the last two years, we have been designing more furniture to cater to flexible uses. Whether it's adapting your guest rooms to serve as a study or designing your kitchen to accommodate a workspace or place to home school, every space in the home is being carefully considered and designed with multipurpose in mind." – Jonathan Wing | KCA Commercial Manager
Broken Plan Living
As we spend more time at home, families have had to learn new ways of sharing the space, often juggling various tasks and activities. As a result, open plan concepts are evolving to overcome some of the pitfalls of one large communal space. From a lack of privacy, cooking odours, noise disruption, and even being difficult to heat, open plan living spaces have changed as we spend more time at home.
The concept of broken-plan living isn’t new; however, we are seeing a revival partly influenced by the post-pandemic desire to create a functional multipurpose, open plan space. In essence, broken plan living spaces are the halfway point between open plan and more traditional separate rooms. Broken-plan living is about the clever use of space and flexibility. Distinct zones can be created by using architectural elements such as half walls, split-levels, partitions, or furniture such as bookcases and screens. These subtle divides retain the spacious feel that open plan living provides, but also create the sense of separation, meaning that people have their own space and privacy. Broken plan layouts are versatile spaces that allow different members of the family to inhabit and adjust the spaces for the task or occasion, creating harmony within the home.
Core Features of Broken-Plan Living…
If you are planning a remodel or extensive renovation you may want to use architectural elements to create your broken plan space. Half walls are a more cost-effective way to achieve two separate spaces without completely closing them off from one another, maintaining the social elements of an open plan space. They work very well to separate a living room from a kitchen, or even a living area from a dining/workspace. By using half walls, you can maintain a sense of openness and design continuity whilst creating clear distinctive spaces.
There are several alternatives to a stud wall which can often cut off a room’s flow and reduce natural light. Instead, architects are designing more flexible broken plan spaces and creating zones by widening doorways between rooms, adding columns, fixed screens or glazed partitions or doors. Varying floor levels is another way to create the feeling of separate zones, from mezzanines to sunken living spaces.
Home Offices and Workspaces
As we predicted in 2021, home working looks like it's here to stay at least in a hybrid model of both home and office working. Statistics show that 27% of people surveyed use the living room for home working, second only to a dedicated study at 28%, with 10% using the kitchen. Now, not every house can accommodate a study, but this data does indicate the need for multipurpose living spaces and kitchens that can transition into professional and practical workspaces.
As a result, clever fitted furniture solutions will be popular in multifunctional spaces this year. For those who can’t accommodate a dedicated home office, fitted furniture can be designed to create efficient and stunning workspaces that integrate seamlessly into a multipurpose room such as a spare bedroom. Successful studies and workspaces create an environment that is a joy to work in whilst adding a touch of personality and warmth.
Colour Trends for Interior Design in 2022
The Pantone colour for 2022 is PANTONE 17-3938 Very Peri which is a red-violet infused blue hue. In more recent years companies like Pantone, Benjamin Moore and Sherwin-Williams, have used their colour choices of the year more as social commentary which means they rarely reflect mainstream fashion and interior trends. For example, the 2021 Pantone colour was selected to represent a cheerful optimism much-needed mid-pandemic. Whilst the Pantone choice for 2022 signals a sense of optimism and hope for the future, as well as a move towards incorporating elements of wellbeing into the home.
Last year, neutral colours were very popular in interior design, with shades of cream and greige set to stay. This year, we expect to see more clients injecting colour into their homes using natural tones. Colour palettes will focus on natural hues with accents of chocolate brown, terracotta, caramel, pastels, and botanical greens.
Despite being on our trend lists for the last 2 years, green remains a popular interior colour choice this year, with many emerging designs utilising green in some way or other. Green will remain a favourite for interiors and kitchens in 2022 but we expect a shift towards lighter hues such as sage, mint and mid-greens. If you are interested in green as a colour choice for your kitchen design check out our "Get the Look" article on Green Kitchens.
Traditional Interiors
We are seeing traditional designs and details making a big comeback as people are drawn towards timeless designs full of comfort. From pattern mixing, skirted or flanged furniture, and the incorporation of antique pieces, this year is all about going back to consistent, enduring styles.
Curved Architecture & Furniture
As we lean towards traditional, relaxed and comfortable spaces, we predict that softer forms and angles will be a key trend in furniture and architecture this year.
Designers are using softer, curved and organic lines to create a sense of comfort, resulting in more casual and homely spaces. Curves can be incorporated through form, such as rounded kitchen worktops, curved cabinetry or sweeping staircases. Alternatively, motifs and patterns with soft, circular motifs can be used to create a similar impact.
