Emerging Interior Design and Colors for 2020
Materials
Interiors continue to revolve around raw wood, usually light-colored oak or darker walnut. Thin furniture legs in powder-coated or galvanized black metal are continuing to have momentum.
Terrazzo and light-colored woven rattan are essentials, while sophisticated notes dot interiors in the form of brass details and marble finishes. Armchairs and sofas are upholstered in short-pile velvet or curly wool.
Patterns
Geometric patterns — herringbone, stripes, small checks and circular patterns — are being paired with floral motifs. Speckled patterns are continuing to rise to the occasion.
The turning point of the year for patterns lies in the evolution of florals into less exotic but equally refreshing patterns based on both large flower patterns and tiny prints.
Patterns from the 1930s are continuing to be on-trend, inspired by the Art Deco movement. These include patterns featuring palms, cornices, hand fans, fringes, semicircles, rectangles and squares.
Colors
The colors of the year are muted, earthy and close to nature, with green still in the spotlight. Fir green, the big color of 2019, is still present here and there, but the new green of the year ahead is tinged with yellow and tends toward warmer khaki or olive.
A number of warm colors — powder pink, peach, coral, terra cotta, blood red, wine red, burnt orange, ocher, amber, sienna and nutmeg — will be enlivening interiors this year. Blue is in decline, though Klein blue and denim are still popular shades.
With its theme of “Work!” the September 2019 Maison & Objet established itself as a laboratory for new workspace ideas. As societal changes affect our relationship to work, the office is being reinvented.In this context, manufacturers and space planners turned to the home office, thinking of ways to make it more convivial and interactive, and transforming it into a rich and varied living space that can be personalized for an individual or designed for the whole family.Prominent at the fair were new layouts for workspaces, which are now brighter and more open and allow people to focus and get inspired and reenergized.
Photo from Aethion
“What’s New?” displays brought together novel ideas featuring innovations, new materials and new techniques in four areas: Share, Living, Care and Work (the latter also being the overall theme of the fair).
Share. François Delclaux has reinvented tableware using inspiration from hotels and restaurants, “places where it is put on display and where it is possible to bend the rules in both a minimalist and maximalist direction,” Delclaux says. “The ‘min-max’ dichotomy is a way of exploring minimalist chiaroscuro aspects and a maximal theatrical exuberance.”
Photo from Aethion
Living. Tired of stereotypical decor trends, François Bernard wanted to emphasize “the desire to experiment with fields of creation that are a little more new, more unique and emerging.” He explored elegance through three realms — Modern Living, Sculptural Living and Soft Living — with influences including animist art and abstract geometric painting from the first half of the 20th century.
Photo from Aethion
Care. “We are seeking reassurance at a time when everything is becoming virtual,” Elizabeth Leriche says. Such tactile comfort is ideally expressed in bedrooms and bathrooms through four approaches, which formed the themes of displays at the fair: functionality, natural materials, the evocation of nature and urban sophistication.
Photo from Aethion
Work. This exhibit, designed by Philippe Boisselier, illustrates the changing look of workspaces. Chantal Hamaide, founder of Intramuros design magazine, selected the furniture, objects and accessories on display.
Photo by Jérôme Galland
Designer of the Year
Maison & Objet’s September 2019 Designer of the Year, Laura Gonzales, created this display showcasing her style and furniture designs. She told Houzz, “I work on intuition a lot. Patterns are also an essential element for me. I love when there is life and spirit in a place.”
More on Houzz
Color Trends From the 2019 Maison & Objet Design Show
Q&A With Laura Gonzalez, Maison & Objet Designer of the Year 2019
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Furniture
Straight lines are giving way to rounded shapes, and circles could be seen everywhere: in lamps, rugs, mirrors, furniture and more. Ovoid and oval shapes also are seen. The sofas and chairs of the year have curved lines, giving interiors a soft feeling.