Renovating or updating your property? What’s hot for 2022

With a community of over 65 million homeowners and design enthusiasts and more than 2.7million home professionals Houzz.com.au has unique insights is what is trending and how people are designing their homes in 2022.

Houzz editor Vanessa Walker shared her ideas on what’s to come. “We foresee living rooms and bedrooms embracing a preppy-pastel, light-hearted approach while powerhouse rooms such as kitchens and bathrooms will remain in darker, sophisticated palettes.”

We take a look at what trends we’ll likely see this year, so if you’re looking to freshen up your home for sale consider some of these styles for inspiration.

Navy blue in all the right places

Australians’ ongoing love for darker sober colour classics, saw navy blue inspired searches on Houzz rise by 735% from the previous year. Design professionals foresee kitchens and bathrooms will take on this whimsical hue as a deeper dive into the search terms showed a significant interest for ‘navy blue island bench’ and ‘navy blue bathrooms’, jump up by 435% and 875% respectively. A colour rich, bold, and reminiscent of the oceans’ soothing qualities has earned a name for itself in 2022 interiors.

Those design forward amongst us that follow the Pantone colour of the year will also note this year’s PANTONE 17-3938 Very Peri encompasses the qualities of blue tones.

“As we move into a world of unprecedented change, the selection of PANTONE 17-3938 Very Peri brings a novel perspective and vision of the trusted and beloved blue colour family… displays a spritely, joyous attitude and dynamic presence that encourages courageous creativity and imaginative expressions” – Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director Pantone Colour Institute

“The Pantone colour of the Year reflects what is taking place in our global culture, expressing what people are looking for that colour can hope to answer.” added Laurie Pressman, Vice President of the Pantone colour Institute.

“Creating a new colour for the first time in the history of our Pantone colour of the Year educational colour program reflects the global innovation and transformation taking place. As society continues to recognise colour as a critical form of communication, and a way to express and affect ideas and emotions and engage and connect, the complexity of this new red violet infused blue hue highlights the expansive possibilities that lay before us”.

The Village House by Luigi Rosselli Architects on Houzz. Interior Design by Decus Interiors

Staying ahead of the curve

Curved Cabinetry is not a new concept, we first saw curved furniture in Art Deco furniture and again in the 60s & 70s becoming a trademark in mid-century homes and once again curved cabinetry is having a revival.

You might start seeing more scalloped furniture and rounded kitchen island finishes as well as curves migrating into fitted home fixtures so expect to see these softer edges in glazing, walls and archways too. Where possible, more organically shaped staircases will replace linear styles, with searches on Houzz for ‘curved staircases’ seeing an uptick of 735% from last year.

If you’re looking to stage your property look at swivel chairs, rounded ottomans & mirrors, plush sofas and geometric circular surfaces. Coupled with the pastel palette below you’ll see Art Deco ‘esque’ shapes, retro designs and rounded elements in modern houses and those needing a modern facelift.

Deco House by Mihaly Slocombe. Photography by Tatjana Plitt

A place to find peace

“We’ll see homeowners prioritising quality over quantity with homes optimised with mindfulness taking form in dedicated pause zones and interior features will continue to breathe into organic shapes. Looking at the future of Australian design in 2022, professionals on Houzz predict homes will require creativity in adaptable spaces to meet today’s changing household dynamics.”

Making waves in homes is the rise of dedicated zones that centre moments of mindfulness, pause, and privacy. Recent Houzz emerging search trends ‘fireplaces’ (up by 298%), ‘bay windows’ (up by 296%) and ‘sunrooms’ (up by 138%) surged in popularity over the last year, which tells us homeowners in 2022 will be looking to create appealing spots to provide joy and relief throughout the day.

Goldsmith House by NATIVE design Workshop on Houzz

Alternative and adaptable doors

In the coming years, say hello to alternative and adaptable doors moving away from their swinging predecessor. We’ll see more inventive ways to open up and close off rooms, such as sliding ‘modern barn doors’, which recorded a huge leap in searches up by 529%.

Talking about an entrance with style, searches for ‘front door’ inspiration experiencing a 666% year-on-year upswing. For 2022, this trend is all about claiming street appeal envy. 

The Courthouse Warehouse by Josephine Hurley Architecture on Houzz. Built by Benja Build

Entangled design

As it has become increasingly important for our homes to take on multiple roles, we’ll see a shift of spaces ‘entangling over’. Entangled design focuses on the quality of spaces, that are adaptable to different activities, such as business and pleasure, a key focus for the new year with the normalization of working from home and becoming more accessible even if you are living remotely.

Working from home practices have already inspired the entanglement of office workspaces in bedrooms, kitchens and living areas, rooms that otherwise had a single function. On the cards for next coming years, design and build professionals forecast clever design solutions integrated into unused or void areas, given purpose to accommodate contemporary living comforts and amenities.

Zaher Project by Improva on Houzz

Preppy pastels

‘80s meets cottagecore’… Feeling a little old and tired? So are we, with designers saying the on-trend palette for fashion-forward homes being describes as ‘80s meets cottagecore’ we asked for a please explain?

The 80s element refers to pastel brights with summery tones in the form of pinks, yellows, browns and blues in organic patterns and free-form shapes, while ‘cottagecore’ references the nostalgic romance of agricultural life, it is an aesthetic that celebrates the devotion of manual skills and handmade crafts.

This trend will be making its mark on decor in 2022 with vintage style furniture, personalised neon, wallpaper, and natural fabrics. You can personalise your space with soft furnishings, bed linens and fun décor pieces like vases, artwork and statement designs as a nod to this bright and fun trend.

Harris Street by Sartorial interiors on Houzz