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Answering all those burning questions you didn’t know you had about home ownership.

Fall 2021 Interior Design Trends

Picture of Jessica Dabkowski

Jessica Dabkowski

Helping you with all things homeownership!

Let’s talk Fall 2021 interior design trends! As the weather starts to cool down, our minds turn to the months ahead where we will remain (trapped) indoors. October is more than pumpkin-spiced lattes and buying all the holiday-scented candles Target has to offer. As we get ready for a winter spent indoors, it is a great time to reevaluate our interior design choices. Whether you just want a little refresh or a need a complete overhaul, this article has you covered.

I read countless articles about the ins and outs of interior design trends for Fall 2021. Oh, the hardship! Here are the ones that kept popping up like that bottom-right mole in the classic 90s game, “Whack-A-Mole.”  

Green plant on a wooden table in green room illustrates fall 2021 design trend to bring in the outdoors.
Bring some foliage and greenage inside this fall.

1. Bringing the Outdoors In

The collective nation has been cooped up inside for large chunks of time over the last two years.  It comes as no surprise that designers have started bringing nature indoors to impart a sense of peace and oneness with the earth.  (Note:  I said “designers” and “attempt” because no household with more than one person is really going to have a sense of peace and oneness, am I right?)

Designers are bringing in plants and natural colors, very specifically the color green, to transform spaces.  Sherwin Williams recently announced its Color of the Year for 2022 as Evergreen Fog.  Evergreen Fog is a mid-range green with warm undertones that lends itself to a variety of spaces in your home.

Plants are a fantastic way to bring some greenage into your home as well as clean up the air quality.  Don’t worry if you don’t have a green thumb.  I can relate.  On no less than three occasions, I have killed plants that the gifter told me were “impossible to kill.”

A quick internet search will help you find plant species that are easy to care for and really add to the ambiance in a room.  I’ve had great success with snake plants in my own home.  They grow straight up, bringing some vertical interest to the room, in addition to whatever fabulous pot I have them in.  

2.  Soft and Natural Fabrics to Cozy Up Your Space

With the last few years being about clean lines and stark white spaces, designers are leaning towards using natural fabrics to layer up a space and add warmth.  Think woven rugs, chunky knit throw blankets with fringed ends and all the sherpa you can buy.  

Using these fabrics in places you can swap out allows you to go with the flow of the season and substitute as necessary.  A warm flannel throw in your favorite reading chair or a cool woven pouf next to the fireplace can change up the feel of a space in an instant. 

Bedroom in many shades of gray makes only a little sad to say goodbye.
So long, you’ve served us well.

3.  Say Buh-Bye to Grays

It seems the gray color palette’s reign is at an end.  Gray has been king for what feels like close to a decade, but all good things come to an end.  Grays are out and luscious warm palettes are in.

And not just beiges and warm whites, we are talking rusty reds, warm greens and golden browns.  So even beyond the gray falling out of favor as the neutral of choice, color is coming back, baby! 

We’ll miss you, Repose Gray.  You’ve served us well, but we are looking forward to injecting some color back into our lives!

4.  Say Bon Voyage to Shiplap

Joanna Gaines made shiplap cool with her show Fixer Upper, and that trend has held for years along side the Farmhouse Chic trend.  Apparently, shiplap has sailed its last voyage in the hearts of America’s interior designers.

For those of you who have shiplap in your home, consider an update to your space by painting your shiplap in a darker color.  This approach gives your room a fresh new look without you having to rip out all that expensive shiplap!

Knit blanket draped over beige chair livens up an accent chair.
This chunky knit throw livens up the space.

5.  Texture Is In

Texture and layered looks are going to be hot trends moving forward.  The last few years have seen a lot of white on white spaces with mid-century modern furniture cutting clean accent lines in the space.  

Texture on the walls, in your furniture, rugs or accessories makes a space feel casually lived-in and projects a homey vibe.  Woven rugs and textured furniture upholstery soften up a room and give it dimension.  

Adding texture to your walls with wallpaper, woven wall coverings or textured brush strokes brings an immediate richness to your space. Bonus if you use it to transition to a warmer color palette.

There is even some discussion that plaster – yes, that pre-drywall goop builders artfully applied to the wall – may make a comeback.  I personally doubt this one, because plaster is a dying art form that very few tradesmen are versed in, but I suppose you could easily mock up a faux plaster look.  

Rattan chair with pillows on a deck iillustrates a great 2021 fall interior design trend.
Add a touch of Golden class to your lanai.

6.  Rattan is Happening

As a fanatical fan of the Golden Girls, I can’t help but picture Blanche’s living room when any article mentions rattan furniture being a trend.  However, if you’ve been paying attention, you aren’t surprised by this fact.

Rattan furniture embodies half of the trends I have already talked about – it has a natural look with texture and warm colors.  Designers are using rattan pieces in a variety of ways to make a space more interesting.  

You can mix and match different natural colors, find a great accent piece or go wild with a bright color.  Everything from accent tables to light fixtures now comes in this throwback texture, so you can feel free to experiment without going all in on the matching sofa, loveseat and coffee table!

7.  Velvet to Soften Your Space

Now, velvet makes me think of a fainting couch in Marie Antoinette’s boudoir, but we’ve already  established that my mind goes to weird places.  (See #6 above).  Velvet, for most people, conjures up thoughts of luxury combined with a cozy softness.  

A new couch in a bold velvet can liven up any space and draw comments on your adventurous design spirit!  If you aren’t feeling so brave or spendy, get a velvet throw pillow in a bright color – a bright navy or mustard yellow or righteous rust. Historically, velvet has been thought of as a high maintenance fabric.  That being said, apparently the velvets they are using these days are actually pretty resilient and easily cleaned.  

That’s all I have for the Fall 2021 interior design trends happening for us in the metro-Detroit area! As always, reach out if I can help with any resources or answer any questions. I don’t always have the answer, but I am awesome at finding the person who does!

Photo by Charlotte May from Pexels

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