Need to Know These Are the Top 5 Interior Design Trends of 2022 So Far

From the yen for natural materials to comfort-first interiors, here are the top design trends of the year

As the leaves brown and cozy season arrives, many are looking inward—that is, to their nest, making it an excellent time to assess the top design trends of 2022. Much of what we’ve seen this year has riffed on the themes of 2020 and 2021, but, thankfully, it’s not because we’re resigned to the fact that every day feels much like the one before. Instead, we’re being more true to ourselves and what feels good.

Much like recent evolutions in fashion, interiors are increasingly becoming less about what’s trendy and more about personal expression. “Rather than specific trends declining, we are seeing the lines between different styles blurring,” says Gemma Riberti, head of interiors at WGSN. “A key example of this is minimalism and maximalism. As the line blurs between these two approaches, this has empowered consumers to find their own take on either. This is leading to a highly personal and more nuanced approach to interiors.”

Regardless of our want for individuality, several decorating trends have emerged thus far this year. After having collectively endured more than two years of tumult, it seems we’re clinging to familiarity more than ever. Our homes have become refuges and their interiors are all about feeling calm, seeking comfort, and loving color.

Landscape palettes

Consumers’ love affair with soothing greens, grays, and earth tones continues, but it’s not necessarily a simple case of aesthetic preferences. Neuroaesthetics, an innovative area of scientific study, has found a proven correlation between mental health and beauty in both natural and designed spaces, and it’s infiltrated the design trends of 2022: Savvy designers are embracing the call to create rooms that feel connected to the outdoors in the color of walls, furniture, and accessories.

“Research shows that natural color schemes and organic forms like those found in nature reduce stress, lower blood pressure and heart rate, increase productivity and creativity, and make us happier,” says Michelle Lamb, editorial director at The Trend Curve. “Perhaps because humanity has never needed the healing powers of nature more than we do at this moment, there is a quest to take this approach even deeper.”

AD100 designer Jake Arnold notes that his clients have been drawn to “all shades of brown from ecru to rust to chocolate, dusty pinks, and moss greens” in their interiors. Known for his studio’s warm minimalist approach, Arnold has reached for Farrow & Ball’s Broccoli Brown and London Stone paint colors often this year. “In California, we even incorporated a deep coral shade in a beautiful powder room,” he shares.

Though initial 2022 forecasts called for major inspiration from the skies, designers report that clients instead are looking to stay grounded. “We are seeing more warm grays, moving away from strictly cool tones,” say Anna Baraness and Kristin Tarsi of New York–based Studio AK. Terra-cotta has maintained its intrigue, most recently seen enveloping the bedroom of stylist Colin King’s Tribeca loft. But beyond paint, the hue has found use throughout the home. “The appeal of terra-cotta tones translates to interiors products across the board, from hard materials like natural stone, oxidized metals, wood, and clay as well as soft materials like linen, leather, suede, and brushed pile fabrics,” says Lisa White, creative director and director of interiors at WGSN. “We are even seeing products being beautifully upcycled by being dipped in terra-cotta paint.”

Natural materials

The design movement toward biophilia has evolved beyond the inclusion of plants in decor, and into the furniture itself through natural materials like rattan, wood, and stone. For Arnold, they often start from the floor and work their way up. “We used a lot of abaca rugs this year,” he says. “They serve as a great neutral base that grounds furniture and works with so many types of textiles.” When it comes to furniture, however, “especially in the bedroom, rattans and jutes in bedside tables or consoles, and even vintage lighting, create that sanctuary vibe we’re always after,” he says, also noting that his studio incorporated “more textures, more textiles, more print and color, with an important focus on timelessness,” in all projects this year.

“We are all drawn toward natural materials, particularly oiled or stained woods with grain and stones with movement,” say Baraness and Tarsi. One such stone that has proven popular this year is onyx, stylist King says. “I first noticed the material being used in a bold way when I was styling the home of Gwyneth Paltrow. She has the most beautiful onyx bar floating in the middle of her living room. More recently, I styled these divine onyx works by artist Ian Collings for the new Future Perfect Goldwyn House.” He continues, “These unique stones are being used more and more” in interiors.

Designs that foster a seamless transition from living room to backyard—where extensive outdoor kitchens and multipart seating areas bring the comforts of home into the elements—have been on the rise over the last two years and counting. Now, the exterior is influencing what’s inside. “Indoor-outdoor fabrics are in high demand” this year, Baraness and Tarsi note, prompted by development that has “moved leaps and bounds in terms of comfort, color, and texture offerings.”