image source | design by jessica helgerson interior design

Trends, trends, trends. A term we love to hate but also can’t wait to see what crazy idea is up next in the ever elusive zeitgeist. And if we are honest, we love reporting on them because there are few things (design-wise) more fun than discussing with you a beautiful and/or whacky trend on the come up. SO with it being almost nine months into the year, we thought why not see if all (or some?) of the trends we predicted and reported on are still “a thing.” Even I’m curious to take a real look to see what has lasted, what never really hit and what may be around but never got a big trend ranking. So put on your tie-dye T-shirt, shell necklace and Tevas sandals (yep all current big fashion trends) and let’s see where they all stand…

1. 9 Kitchen Trends for 2019 We’re Betting Will Be Huge
image source via remodelista | design by megan pflung designs
What We Thought Then: At the beginning of each year, we turn into design detectives, scouring our pins, saved Instagrams and general zeitgeist sources to see what’s on the rise. It is usually a mix of common ideas picked up from the end of the previous year, a cool idea that some ultra-hip influencers have dabbled with and straight up interesting things we think just should be a trend. For kitchens, we had nine strong feelings. I personally was very into the trend of mirrors in kitchens and the all stone counters, backsplashes and shelves combos. But we also felt strongly about seamless walls of storage, darker stone countertops with dark cabinets, statement appliances, statement hoods, linear pendant lighting, inset handles and cutouts, freestanding islands and finally mixing metals.

What We Think Now: So some are an absolute yes such as the “wall of storage,” linear pendant lighting and all-stone counters, backsplashes and shelves, darker stone countertops with dark cabinets and statement hoods. These were all very popular this year and we know they’ll continue to expand in popularity from there (as kitchen trends tend to turn roughly every 10 years). There were others that, while they were “in” enough, maybe weren’t exactly “trends” as much as they were just fresh ideas we wanted to see happen harder than they did, for example, I’m most sad about the mirrors. So pretty and useful but not enough people saw the light.

Lasting Power through 2019: 3.5/5
2. 10 New Bathroom Design Ideas We’re Super Pumped About For 2019 image and design via sarah sherman samuel
What We Thought Then: A lot of new was on the rise for bathrooms at the beginning of 2019. Classic mirror shapes were being challenged, both vanities and toilets dare not touch the ground beneath then, faucet placement was turned on its side, nickel was making a play at brass as the king of finishes, long skinny tiles were the most popular kid in design school…and more. What a trend-forward year.

What We Think Now: The big stars were rounded rectangle vanity mirrors, floating vanities, long skinny tiles and marble used as art. As for floating toilets, it’s a little hard to know if those hit because most photos of bathrooms don’t actually show the toilet, so maybe it’s a secret trend? However, for the rest like console sink vanities, dam-less showers and floor-to-ceiling glass enclosures, while beautiful, they were not heavy hitters, though they still had their place in fresh bathroom design, specifically in higher-end homes.

Lasting Power through 2019: 3/5
3. Is This What’s Next In Furniture And Decor? (If So, We’re Very, Very Into It) image source via architectural digest | design by athena calderone
What We Thought Then: While I do love new kitchen and bath trends, what really gets my heart pumping is furniture and decor. The whole team contributed to this article and we came up with 12 solid predications. They are as follows: rust colored velvet, biscuit tufting, the new “it” chair, the other “it”chair, thin bench cushions, chunky wood-framed furniture, mixed modern dining chairs, burlwood, “shaped” pillows, mixing framed and unframed art, pleated lamp shades (my personal 2019 crowning jewel) and rocks as decor. A lot of great ideas but not all made the zeitgeist cut.

What We Think Now: It’s pretty interesting because a couple of these were just a hair off of what is actually SUPER trendy nine months in. For example, biscuit tufting didn’t fully take off but tubular furniture is everywhere right now, and despite my initial hesitation at Arlyn’s suggestion, burlwood absolutely had a comeback. On that same note, pleated lamp shades exploded despite Arlyn’s massive raised eyebrow when I threw it out there. That’s why we need to collaborate. No one person has all the answers. And while “shaped” pillows are happening, it’s been mostly in shell form (more on that trend later). The other trends that hit 2019 hard were rust-colored velvet, both “it” chairs and chunky wood furniture. The “not quite there” ones were mixing framed and unframed art, thin bench cushions and rocks as decor. Again, all those are a thing we love and hope to continue seeing more of but just not “a thing” in terms of mainstream popularity.

Lasting Power through 2019: 3/5
3. 2019 Paint Color Trends image source via sf girl by bay | design by deVOL
What We Thought Then: Early in the year when we were young and naive to what this crazy year had to bring, we were predicting a big shift to dusty colors like mossy green, gray blue, dusty rose, etc. with a couple of wild cards such as schoolhouse green and bright yellow. But don’t forget dark teal and coral were also on our radar. I think we thought that decor and furniture were getting a little funky so to offset its “over the top-ness,” we focused on a majority of muted but pretty colors.

What We Think Now: We weren’t wrong but we weren’t 100% right either. One very surprising all-star was the new and improved beige. She is lighter, less yellow and very soothing to look at. Also, cobalt blue is damn near taking over the modern design world at the moment and it has us pretty excited. Are we going to be painting all of our walls electric blue? No. But small accents do really funk up a space and make it cool. In terms of the ones we predicted we say that mossy green, dark teal (so pretty), gray blue, light coral, and dusty rose are all a yes for 2019. The no was schoolhouse green and bright yellow was a sort of (though we think it might get its day in the sun in 2020).

Lasting Power through 2019: 3.25/5
4. Faux Florals & Plants: Yay Or Yuck? Let’s Discuss… photo by sara tramp for ehd | from: a boho ’70s-inspired bedroom with opalhouse by target
What We Thought Then: Just saying the words “faux flowers” ignites a sort of “ugh” emotion. I grew up in a house where real flowers were non-negotiable. “You should always have something living in your home that isn’t human,” my dad would say. However, the only real reason faux plants and flowers have been so looked down upon (me included) is due to the fact that the past versions were, well…bad. But then, as 2019 rolled around, the floral decor world really got its act together and there were all of a sudden SO MANY great options. The black thumbs of the world (me included) could finally rejoice and have a pretty and “alive looking” plant in their home.

What We Think Now: Same if not more on board for this trend. As the year has progressed, more and more compelling (and convincing) products have come onto the market. I mean look. Nothing beats a real plant but if the faux florists have anything to do with it, a faux plant is a close second.

Lasting Power through 2019: 4.5/5
5. The Unexpected Trend We’re Seeing That Makes Any Room Instantly Timeless image source
What We Thought Then: Like a lot of home design trends, it usually hits the fashion world first. The color brown had already been all over Instagram so it was likely it was only a matter of time before it hit our homes. But could brown really be here to stay (again)? I mean, it initially evoked the memories of bad ’70s basements. But if this generation does anything best, it’s to make the old and “ugly” cool again. Lauren (the post’s author), Arlyn and I were finding ourselves into it and also shocked at the idea of its sudden hip-ness. However when done right, brown is a rich beautiful color that has A LOT of potential.

What We Think Now: I don’t think it’s hit as hard as it might in the future in terms of wall paint color but it definitely has some traction with darker warm-toned wall paneling, giving an updated ’70s vibe. However, I for one will keep my eye on this one.

Lasting Power through 2019: 2.5/5
6. A Controversial ’80s Trend Is back…We Think image source | designed by autumn hachey design
What We Thought Then: This was my first real trend report I pitched to Em and Arlyn. I was nervous because it felt kind of controversial but also I was positive that it was a trend worthy of a conversation. I mean the ’80s hit 2019 HARD. and while luckily, teased and crimped hair hadn’t reared their ugly heads yet (no one is ready for that again), shells as decor were here. It was in fashion first, so I knew it was headed for our homes. Now, while I may not feel inclined to “shell up” my home, I do have to say the playfulness of the modern shell is pretty fun and whimsical. I can get behind a dusty rose velvet shell pillow like in the photo above. It’s design so let’s have some fun, right?

What We Think Now: I think that it is still holding on pretty strong. With each passing day, my Instagram feels more and more like 1985 so I don’t think it will be exiting soon but I also don’t see it being around in 10 years.

Lasting Power through 2019: 3/5
7. A Hight-Impact & Actually “Doable” Lighting Trend We’re Seeing Everywhere image via architectural digest | design by ashe leandro
What We Thought Then: As I said in the post, I was hesitant that “pendants” were a trend. I mean pendants have been around the block a few times. But Arlyn, Emily and the design team showed me that it was what pendants were doing that was trend-worthy. We were talking oversized pendants, mini pendants and multi pendants. They were right and I was wrong as clearly proven in the post. Plus, it was a trend that could work with any style and a lot of different budgets. We all liked that, too.

What We Think Now: The feelings are the same. We love this trend. The version that I have been seeing more and more of online is a large quantity of individual mini pendants in one area of a room. It’s mostly been in kitchens but we will see where the rest of the year takes us.

Lasting Power through 2019: 4/5
8. The ’80s/’90s Revival Trend That Surprised Even Us (Hear Us Out) image source via architectural digest | design by mario milana
What We Thought Then: “Wait. Did the design world finally get Postmodernism/Memphis right?!” We all thought the answer was a resounding YES. I had been sporting heart eyes any time a squiggle shaped object adorned my screen but aside from that, I had never been an ’80s design fan. BUT THEN there were interesting shaped furniture pieces in modern and palatable materials everywhere. We all couldn’t get enough. Emily was the first to say we needed to write about this because it’s awesome. So we did and I suggest you have a look.

What We Think Now: Well, it is probably THE biggest trend of 2019 and it ain’t slowing down. This style is everywhere from the highest of high-end design houses to West Elm and Urban Outfitters. Emily even incorporated some decor pieces of this style in the mountain house. Yep, it’s staying for the foreseeable future and we are enjoying the crazy ride.

Lasting Power through 2019: 5/5
9. Are Mosaics The New Terrazzo? image via ad russia | design by elena ivannikova and sergey tuletskov
What We Thought Then: So here’s the story (the short version): I was completely taken aback by all of the stunning mosaic tile design I had seen during my recent trip to Marrakech. I had also recently seen a few modern tile companies, like Clé Tile, and designers use mosaics in really awesome ways. So naturally, I thought this is totally a trend on the rise…

What We Think Now: I think it needs more time, to be honest. There will be a day when the US and beyond will embrace modern mosaic art but for now, it’s in its infancy. It’s an intricate and laborious art so I think that is the main reason it hasn’t really taken off in the way it could. Stay tuned…

Lasting Power through 2019: 3/5
10. The New Dining Room Lighting Trend We’re Very Into (That Also Happens To Be Renter-Friendly) image via apartment 34 | design by tom mark henry
What We Thought Then/Now: Well, this is our newest trend piece that came out only a few short weeks ago so there’s not really a difference in terms of how we feel about it from when we posted it. AKA We are still very very into it. I mean it’s incredibly chic and a powerful visual design choice.

Lasting Power through 2019: 3.5/5

Okay, that’s it for this 2019 trend check-in. We will, as always, keep you up to date on our newest findings and design musing as the year wraps up and thereafter. That’s what we are here for and we love hearing all of your thoughts about them. Just remember that trends are great but unless you LOVE something that is “trending” then feel the most empowered to just skip it. There will be more, we promise.

And in true EHD fashion, we want to know if you have thoughts or concerns about any of the trends we covered? Maybe a favorite? A least favorite? Did you see a trend in these past nine months we didn’t cover? Let’s discuss in the comments.

Love you, mean it.

The post All Our Favorite 2019 Decor Trends (& What We Think Will and Won’t Last) appeared first on Emily Henderson.
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