If there’s one thing we look forward to at the start of every new year, it’s forecasting new interior design trends. What will we be seeing a lot of in Singapore homes this year? Will it be new palettes, new decor ideas or new textures that await us? We fill you in in our latest trend report.
1. A Dedicated Coffee Station
Let’s start with a micro trend. It seems a lot of us are really taking our coffee really seriously. Like with indoor gardening and sourdough baking, making barista-level coffee at home likely started from the pandemic. We are all becoming home baristas with thousand-dollar coffee machines that cost more than our entire bathroom renovation. It doesn’t make economical sense to hide these thousand-dollar babies in an obscure part of the home; you want to be able to show them off + they make great lifestyle elements.
Design: Le Interior Affairs
Enter the dedicated coffee pantry. Ideally located at a prominent spot in the home and usually sandwiched between the living and dining/kitchen for convenience. Your expensive coffee machine should be located out in the open or have it placed on a pull-out tray. You don’t want to have to lug it in and out of a cupboard every time you need a cup of coffee. Go with display shelves to store prettier cups and stow away thermal flasks and accessories in closed storage. A sink nearby will make things easier during clean-up or to install a filtered water system.
Design: Salt Studio
2. Scaled-Back Bohemian
You may not know what the term for this style is, but you’ve definitely seen it everywhere on your social media feeds. We are talking a reinvention of the wild bohemian look—a more minimalist, sophisticated and scaled back version if you will.
Design: Ethereall
Design: Third Paragraph Interior
Think interiors mostly decked out in warm neutrals and blanketed in rattan, unfinished timber, raw concrete, natural fibres and plenty of indoor plants. For an extra elegant touch, most homes will also incorporate gold finishes or marble textures. While they evoke a relaxed, laidback casual vibe, you do get the sense that they are very put together.
Design: The Alchemists Design
3. Rattan’s Everywhere
And in line with the previous trend, rattan’s literally everywhere. Even in the unlikeliest of styles, rattan’s making it work. You see them on headboards, on lighting shades, on benches and on counter and bar stools. But we are also seeing a lot of them fronting wardrobes and kitchen cabinets.
Design: Couple Abode
What’s not to love about this natural material? They provide plenty of textural interest, are more sustainable than wood, incredibly versatile and they stand up to our finicky weather really well.
Design: Couple Abode
4. Small-Space Workspaces
With most of us returning to our offices or adopting a hybrid work arrangement, full-fledged home offices no longer make sense. Instead, we are carving out nooks and crannies within our living rooms, dining areas, kitchens and bedrooms to create workspaces that don’t take up too much floor estate.
Design: In-Expat
Increasingly, homeowners are seeking out multipurpose furniture, built-ins that can do more than one function, as well as ideas to hide away workspaces to make the most of their rooms after work hours.
Design: Weiken
5. Tiled Kitchen Islands
In the kitchen, an interesting trend has popped up—tiled kitchen islands. While they feel quite American, we are definitely seeing more of them here in Singapore homes.
Design: Salt Studio
Tiled kitchen islands offer a ton of personality and design possibilities. It also adds an extra layer of texture to your space. Most tend to tile the sides and back of the island, but you could always have it tiled all the way across the countertop. While it may not be the most practical especially if you do a lot of heavier cooking, we can definitely see it work for a dry kitchen island.
Design: Home Philosophy
6. Sculptural Furniture And Built-Ins
While 2021 was the year of arches and curves, that trend looks set to take on a whole new dimension in our choice of furniture and built-ins. We are seeking out sculptural pieces that feel a bit more organic and comfortable (yes, 2022 is BIG on comfort) and we are requesting our contractors and interior designers to round off our structural columns and give our carpentry curved edges.
Design: Intr Studio
As home becomes a refuge in these uncanny times, we are building a space that we can feel safe in. And these curvy furniture and built-ins read as welcoming and friendly, contributing to a softer, more inviting vibe to our homes.
Design: Linear Space Concepts
7. Textured Glass Panels
Glass panels have always been popular here. They serve as a way to divide up spaces and create privacy without blocking off light and the sense of openness, crucial for our small spaces. But instead of clear glass dividers, we are seeing more homes adopting textured ones.
Design: Collate
Embossed, fluted, ribbed or chicken wire, these textured glass panels are not only more interesting to look at, they also add a vintage slant to your space, lending an air of old school. But it’s also more practical since they can better hide stains and scratches and they also provide more privacy.
Design: Intr Studio
8. Warm Neutrals And Mid-Century Hues
In terms of colour palette, neutrals are still going strong—BUT instead of stark monochrome, we are embracing warmer neutrals. Think soft greys and whites, chocolate hues and beiges. Natural looking colours inspired by nature are also in. Not only are neutrals comforting for the eyes, they can also stand the test of time, which is great for the long haul.
Design: Ark-hitecture
We are also seeing a lot of hues inspired by the mid-century style. Think mustard yellows, ochres, olive greens, burnt oranges and terracotta reds. Use them as accents or combine them together as a feature wall.
Design: Ascend Designs
Design: Ascend Designs
9. Guests Are Returning To Our Homes
As we are slowly opening up our homes to visitors, the more extroverted among us are planning our homes around creating a conducive environment for our guests. Whether it’s extra seating in the living room, a large kitchen island to serve up a buffet spread or a Murphy bed for those staying overnight, we are looking at more entertaining-friendly spaces this year. While the year before was all about our own private sanctuary, homes in 2022 will see a more open and embracing space.
Design: D’Phenomenal
10. Japanese Tea Nooks
It seems fitting that we began our article with caffeine and we are now also ending it with caffeine. Our last interior design trend is the Japanese tea nook. Usually seen in minimalist, Muji style homes or homes with Japanese influences like the comeback kid, Japandi theme, the Japanese tea nook takes the form of raised platforms decked out in tatami mats or Zaisu (Japanese floor chairs) with a Chubudai (short-legged table) set in the middle for laying out a Japanese tea set.
Design: Metre Architects
Akin to breakfast nooks of yesteryear, they promote the ideal of slow living—the philosophy itself a big trend in recent years—and they are great for folks who miss travelling to Japan.
Design: Space Atelier
This article was originally posted on Renonation.sg, Singapore’s leading renovation and interior design site.
