In the 1970s, Americans swathed their living rooms in shag rugs and outfitted kitchens with avocado-colored appliances, which they set on the formica counters that had defined 1960s. In the ’90s, wood paneling covered finished basements, while the early ’00s brought yellow oak cabinetry and that ever-controversial open-concept floor plan. As can be said for fashion, every past decade has had its distinctive looks and while this one comes to a close, [Carrie Bradshaw voice] we can’t help but wonder: What will design enthusiasts someday call the defining styles of this decade?
I looked to the experts, surveying a slew of our favorite designers, from the folks who have seen several decades of design go by to those who have begun their careers in this decade. Spoiler alert: They had a lot to say.
I. The Internet Changed Everything
There is one aspect of the ’10s that no one can ignore: the rise of the internet and its indelible impact on shopping, design, and style. For some, this was a welcome change. “I think that design has universally improved over the last decade due to accessibility, both in terms of resources and price points available to the masses,” says Nate Berkus Associates partner and Next Wave designer Lauren Buxbaum Gordon. “Sites such as eBay, Etsy, and 1st Dibs have changed the way people shop for and see potential in their homes.”
Designer Marie Flanigan seconds that: “Both the general public and the design industry are consuming information in all new ways, gaining unprecedented access to design inspiration, purchasing, and knowledge,” she says. “This has also given everyone a voice and the ability to share their work regardless of their location, education, or reach, and the opportunity to make an impact on the industry and join the conversation.”
The result of this increased accessibility is that, quite simply, more people are interested in design. “In the age of Instagram, Pinterest, and new design books flooding the shelves, it is a very design-saturated market,” says designer Josh Pickering. “People are enthralled by design, and want it sooner, which has made for a more youthful and playful aesthetic.”
Related: Social Media Is Unignorable
“The growing popularity in social media sites mean that design at every level is much more accessible to everyone,” says designer Sara Hillery. “People can go beyond catalogs and a few select magazines, and it’s possible find inspiration for every style. As a result, clients come to me, the designer, with a better idea of what they want. They have better visual cues to give me, which is great for both sides: it has helped to make projects more collaborative.”
In addition to being able to discover design more easily, people are able to share their own interiors. At the beginning of the decade, this resulted in a certain sameness: a proliferation of that bright, airy, Kinfolk-style interior you saw as a backdrop for every Instagram influencer you followed. Designer Chad James calls it “the bright white movement: Everything being blown out and white in photography.”
But, James notes, “I’m thankful that era is departing us.”
II. Individuality Rose Above Trends
If the early era of Instagram was about the same aesthetic everywhere, many designers saw that paradigm shifting towards the end of the decade. Hillery notes that the more collaborative work style afforded by the internet’s unprecedented access makes for “a room or a home or a space that is more in tune with what the homeowner wants.”
Mally Skok agrees. “With the advent of blogs and Instagram over the last decade, it meant that the public became aware of new and off-beat design ideas that were previously only available to them through the lens of the media,” she points out. “Slowly, people felt emboldened to experiment with fresh and interesting new ideas for their homes.”
“The past decade has been a golden era for eclecticism, from whimsical classicism to bohemian chic; layered textures and patterns and diverse mixtures from antiquity to modernity,” argues Sean Leffers.
Designer Cathy Austin sees one possible reason for that: politics. “Interiors are more important than ever as a source of comfort during the political and economic roller coaster of the past ten years,” she says. “At the beginning of the decade, many preferred anonymous and neutral spaces evocative of a hotel room.” Now, though, she notices, “people are yearning to be uplifted through joyful colors, soothing textures, and bespoke items that have been commissioned uniquely for them.”
III. Pattern Made a Comeback
That’s likely one of the reasons for the return we’ve seen in design to bold, saturated pattern—a style echoed in the exuberant maximalism of Alessandro Michele’s newly-beloved Gucci.
“Without a doubt, colorful, patterned wallpaper has fully returned,” says designer Elizabeth Cooper. “From classic old school Colefax & Fowler to newer designs by Katie Ridder and Farrow & Ball, these days there are more options than ever.”
Another joyful return? “Florals came back in a big way,” says Victoria Sanchez. “We saw them printed on wallpaper in oversized scales, clothing, and classic chintzes.”
“Clients who wouldn’t have considered wallpaper before are now seeing how it can transform an interior,” notes Lucy Harris.
Nina Nash agrees. “My generation of designers and their clients especially are embracing color, pattern and—gasp!—mahogany furniture, but mixing it all in with what is relevant today.” Indeed, we’ve seen plenty of evidence that this decade’s lasting trend is less generic, monochrome interior and more a new, personal, and often eclectic take on design, incorporating plenty of antiques.
Related: Granny Chic
We’d be remiss to discuss the decade in which millennials were decorating their first homes without mentioning the term Grandmillennial—a member of that often-despised generation who loves not only antiques, but flowery, “granny-style” chintz, needlepoint, and other frilly rebukes to a modern minimalist aesthetic, made famous in a House Beautiful article this year.
“With the emergence of ‘Grandmillenial style,’ we’ve seen a younger generation seeking out pattern and craft,” says Pickering.
Additionally, Hillery says, “I think a more traditional style has been on the rise and will continue to be. I see many clients wanting to incorporate the unique shapes from family heirlooms into their own styles. One very popular way we’ve contended with this old/new conundrum is to update antiques by painting and lacquering them and adding new hardware. The pieces feel fresh with a new paint color, and you’re not compromising the integrity of the piece.”
IV. Craft Reemerges
If reuse of antiques is one side of the push to more eclectic design, an appreciation of craft is the other. “After a full dive into mass-produced design—whether they be mid-century classics or relatively disposable goods from catalogs—interest in craft, in designs made by hand, in companies that support the communities that produce their wares and are respectful of the environment surged to new heights,” says designer Jeffry Weisman.
While we may have rolled our eyes at the overuse of the buzzword “artisan,” the truth is that millennial shoppers seek out products from independent companies with a distinct story—whether as a result of their more socially and environmentally-conscious shopping habits or a pushback from the overwhelming sameness of Amazon shopping.
“People started discovering smaller, more authentic lines, often with an interesting and personal narrative,” notes Skok. “They took pride in a fun, new, lesser known discovery.“
Adds Weisman, “Designers and their clients crave products with a durability and warmth that is more than skin-deep, pieces they can connect to, collect, and hand down. Disposability became a bad word—not a moment too soon for us.”
“I love this trend as it often supports smaller artists and companies, and embraces the imperfections of items made by hand,” says Gabriela Gargano of Grisoro Designs.
In the best cases, the love of craft and technological advancements work together:
“One of the trends that defined the decade was accessible, bespoke furniture and decor,” says Alison Murray Winkler of Ali Reeve Design. “This was seen through leveraging digital furniture platforms and finding a way to create unique and personalized spaces with those pieces.”
V. Nature Rules
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that an appreciation for the imperfections of a handmade piece would go hand-in-hand with the same attitude towards natural materials. “We’ve seen a strong commitment to simple organic materials,” Leffers notes.
It’s a welcome trend for furniture designer Keith Fritz, who works with a wide array of wood grains and veneers. “Authentic weathered surfaces and fine woods on classic contemporary forms” have become more popular in recent years, he notes.
Related: Sustainability
This appreciation for nature also comes at a time when sustainability is forefront in the design world. “There’s a more conscious effort of finding locally sourced and manufactured materials and goods in order to reduce the carbon footprint,” says Sally Williams.
Other ways the threat of global warming is impacting home design? A push towards low or zero VOC primers, paints, and finishes; “the increase in upcycling just about anything, and the rise of LED lighting,” says Williams.
So What’s to Come?
Taken together, the culmination of this decades trends point to a more thoughtful design future. Ideally, it’s one where interiors are carefully considered for the story they tell, their impact on the planet, and how they’ll age with their owners. So yes, this likely means more antiques, less disposable design, and a continuation of the education and information sharing afforded by increased accessibility.
“As the decade comes to a close, and we move into the future, I predict a greater return to embracing the past,” muses Jamie Drake. “The under-appreciated, and very under-valued, antiques of the 18th and 19th century will be reevaluated.” After all, he points out, “the savvy design consumer always loves a good deal.”
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Senior Editor Hadley Keller is a writer and editor based in New York, covering design, interiors, and culture.