Home Trends to Look for in 2017
You can love the colors but also keep your scuffed-up dinner table, and glory in a faux-furry comforter while painting your room in Pantone green.
Wallpaper Is Back
But not the tacky florals or bland stripes. Metallics and geometrics are popular themes in contemporary wallpaper, though the range is endless. Choosing a traditional damask might convey an English nobility upon your living room, while a subtle duotone pattern on a single wall can lend the perfect metropolitan touch.
Range: $40-$142 per roll. West Elm.
Lake Blue
People always think of "earth tones" to mean neutrals and browns, but more than half the earth is water! It goes with earth tones very well, unsurprisingly—lending lake, river, and sea splashes to a more conservative palette. While green won "color of 2017," a vivid blue is interior experts' favorite for everything from lamps to carpets to home accents.
Anthropologie Velvet Glenlee Sofa, Wilcox; $2,298. Behr paints available at Home Depot.
Faux Fur-niture
From the comfort of velveteen to the 1970s-throwback quirkiness of flokati, furry furniture is a wonderfully cozy thing even when it's not so sophisticated. But in 2017 it's going to be a trend—yay! For cold weather, we recommend faux fur lounge chairs, duvets, and beanbags.
Faux Flokati Gunnar Chair $279.99. Faux fur throw $100. Cost Plus World Market, Red Modern Furniture
Textures Inspired by Nature
We're pretty used to only having two to three texture options for chests, cabinets, and drawers: wood—or wood veneer—with occasional MDF or metal surfaces. In 2017, experts at Wayfair say that designers are getting much more creative with their textures, trying out parchment, faux animal skin, cork and more.
Range: Zebra print 2-Door Chest by Pulaski, $283 at Home Depot; Parchment finish 4-drawer cabinet $703. CB2, West Elm.
Overdyed Rugs
For those of us who have something inexplicable against traditional Oriental rug patterns, but don't love solids either, the over-dyed look might be pleasing even if you didn't know the technical name for it. These rugs feature the intricate and classic design motifs of Persian rugs, but are dyed to vivid shades of peacock blue, crimson, deep green, etcetera. Usually they're just one color, and that hue takes the spotlight away from any kind of pattern. Some people like this aesthetic enough to make it a contemporary design trend.
Range: $184-$2,000+. Rugs USA , RugVista, Anthropologie
The Shabby-Friendly Party
It was very exciting to read recent think pieces in favor of "the crappy dinner party" or shabby-not-chic home décor, and realize that Instagram-perfect style does not really exist in the real world. Know that, and use your knowledge to proudly invite your friends for an event where food is plentiful — even if you just serve snacks — and relaxation is the priority: Not hiring a large temp staff. Not bringing in pricy champagne. Not furniture shopping beforehand. Just company and nice nibbles and a cozy place for people to catch up.
Range: Free – up to snack + drink budget. Publix – snacks or Cost Plus World Market.