Trends That Will Influence US Homes in 2017

During the past few decades interior design in the US has borrowed much from other cultures, as has Europe, to the extent that both have truly become reflective of global influences. This is not at all a bad thing, as many of the home-grown European and US trends have likewise caught on elsewhere.

Colorful Fashions

In 2015, the Pantone color of the year was Marsala, which is a wine produced around the Italian city of the same name in Sicily. In 2016, for the first time the company nominated a blend of two colors known as Rose Quartz and Serenity.

After the deep plum red of Marsala and the baby blue and pink shades of the pairing of Rose Quartz and Serenity, many design experts are looking towards shades of green as a possibility for 2017, although others believe that earthy shades and pastels will continue to be popular.

Emerald was the Pantone color of the year in 2013 and Turquoise in 2010, so although some interior professionals have touted dark green as the new replacement for navy and midnight blues, variations on hues such as sand (2006), orange (2012) and yellow (2009) may yet be resurrected.

One thing is for certain: every aspect of interior design will be touched by the result of Pantone’s 2017 color of the year, including decorative schemes and accessories, textiles, and flooring, as well as indoor and outdoor furnishings.

Pantone color of the year, Marsala.
Marsala was the Pantone color of the year.

Sustainability

Taking care of the environment has soared to the top of the agenda for those concerned with many aspects of home interiors and lifestyles. In 2016, increasing climate change pressures helped architects and design professionals respond by taking a creative approach to construction methods and building materials.

The trend to improve power generation within home sites with the adoption of eco-friendly alternatives to fossil fuels is likely to last well into and beyond 2017, as the benefits include saving both energy and money. Rising sea levels and increasingly strong hurricane winds mean it is both responsible and cost-effective to apply environmentally friendly techniques to home building.

On Trend Materials

While cool marble and sizzling copper were sought after in 2016, it looks like 2017 may well be the year of clay and wicker in place of marble, while mixed metals seem to be on course for a new lease of life in 2017. It’s likely that dusting off the family silver, gold, polished nickel and brass may well be worthwhile, as well as burnished metals and black steel.

Terracotta has also been mentioned as part of the new décor for 2017, but this is not a throwback to rustic tiles. Instead, it represents a segue into stylish fireplace cladding and elegant interior feature walls with a matte finish. With the trend towards homes becoming more open plan, feature walls are a useful way to break up larger spaces and absorb some sound.

Another material that is making something of a comeback in this respect is cork – placed underneath stone tops on coffee tables, on side tables and also stools. Some interior designers predict the rise in working from home will not only result in the creation of more home office spaces, but also encourage homeowners to clad some walls completely in cork, the better to pin-up maps, schedules and fun notes to family members.

Wood and Textiles

It seems like there’s a kind of swap going on between timber and fabric for 2017. Just as wooden bed frames are giving way to elegantly plush upholstered bed heads, fussy drapes seem set to be replaced with chic spare elegant shutters.

In a way, this is all about bringing modernist architecture into interior design – specifically, form follows function. The bedroom atmosphere should be calming and perhaps a tad glamorous and can be softened by additional fabric to achieve this effect.

On the other hand, the functional areas in homes such as living rooms, kitchens, playrooms and the home office are activity spaces. These can be stripped back to showcase the clean lines of the window openings. To find out more about padded bed heads, check local retailers, and to learn about the benefits of installing shutters, click on window shutter video guides.

Quirky Corners

One trend that is set to really take off in 2017 is the creation of interesting and customized nooks and crannies. So many homes have the same interior layout that they can end up looking like every other house on the block, both inside and out. This is one of the reasons why the flexibility of open plan living is becoming more popular. Whether a household needs quiet calm corners for study, soundproof basements for playing video games or relaxing tranquil spaces with a comfy sofa for reading, it looks like being able to personalize even the smallest of spaces is a surefire winner for the creation of the dream home in 2017.

Structured Plants

Statement indoor plants change with the seasons, and in 2017, it looks like the olive tree could just dominate the domestic interior. Despite this, some experts predict that the best plants for improving air quality may come into their own, as people are more conscious of environmental issues. Among these are the succulent Aloe Vera, the bright and breezy Gerbera daisy, and the Chinese evergreen, which produces beautiful blooms and red berries. All these are known to cleanse the air of a variety of air pollutants and toxins, thereby promoting a cleaner home atmosphere.

Modern Vintage

Finally, one enduring trend seems to be the fashion for contemporary furniture based on vintage styles. This is not likely to go away anytime soon. It includes items that have natural textures and are also durable, such as abaca, cane and rattan.

The desire to make the best possible use of natural and sustainable resources makes sense in the context of how popular upcycling and repurposing has become. Indeed, it may mean that 2017 becomes known as a revitalizing game changer in terms of what has become the throwaway society.

Whether it’s new color schemes or a mixture of different textural choices around the home, the design trends that will influence US home interiors heading into the New Year are bound to be exciting ones.

Alan Gray is the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of NewsBlaze Daily News and other online newspapers. He prefers to edit, rather than write, but sometimes an issue rears it’s head and makes him start hammering away on the keyboard.

Content Expertise

Alan has been on the internet since it first started. He loves to use his expertise in content and digital marketing to help businesses grow, through managed content services. After living in the United States for 15 years, he is now in South Australia. To learn more about how Alan can help you with content marketing and managed content services, contact him by email.

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Alan is also a techie. His father was a British soldier in the 4th Indian Division in WWII, with Sikhs and Gurkhas. He was a sergeant in signals and after that, he was a printer who typeset magazines and books on his linotype machine. Those skills were passed on to Alan and his brothers, who all worked for Telecom Australia, on more advanced signals (communications). After studying electronics, communications, and computing at college, and building and repairing all kinds of electronics, Alan switched to programming and team building and management.

He has a fascination with shooting video footage and video editing, so watch out if he points his Canon 7d in your direction.