Upcycling and Recycling

Sustainability is the new consciousness, and everyone’s looking to ensure a safe and healthy planet. Upcycled décor that breathes new life into items that have outlived their usefulness is very in, and you can try your hand at transforming junk into practical pieces for your home. 

How to put the look together:  

Stretch your imagination and think of new ways to reinvent old things and give them a fresh lease on life. Here, veggie and fruit crates are reclaimed and given a coat of clear varnish or white spray paint. Stand them on end and stack them together to store books, cushions, shoes, towels or clothes.  

Zen Retreats

The work from home lifestyle enforced by the pandemic has put us all on digital overdrive, underlining the very real need to get away from it all and move to the quiet calmness of Zen spaces. Just imagine how you’d love to detox in this calming space, at the end of a day that was filled with way too many gadgets and technology! 

How to put the look together:  

Light coloured woods and a minimalistic palette are at the heart of this Japanese style bedroom. The emphasis is on empty spaces and soft colours, with walls that are delicately touched with Japanese artwork. The low bed emphasizes the feeling of expansiveness. 

Home Grown Crafts

There’s a lot of buzz around ‘Make in India’ these days, and the pandemic this year has made us all realize we should do more to support our local craftspeople. Whether it’s furnishing materials, accessories or paintings, look to home grown fabrics and materials to do up your home in 2021. 

How to put the look together:  

A handmade rattan basket, straw hats on the wall, a hand-knotted cotton dhurrie on the floor and organic linen bed covers combine together to create a look of effortless elegance in this bedroom. Look for products from village craftspersons and support local crafts.

Colours of the Year

Pantone has announced its Colours of the Year 2021, and Ultimate Gray and Illuminating Yellow are going to be trending. These colours convey the message of happiness supported by fortitude, and it’s what we hope the New Year will bring to all of us.

How to put the look together:  

This is a combination that never fails to work. Use gray in the backdrop, and add bursts of yellow in the form of accessories, artwork, furnishings or accent chairs.

Biophilic Décor

Décor trends that embrace nature in all its forms, bringing the outdoors in and strengthening the connect between humans and nature are all the buzz now. Green living walls, indoor gardens and courtyard homes are trending. Even if you have a pocket-sized apartment, filling it with potted plants would be the way to go.

How to put the look together:  

Mix and match succulents in recycled tin cans, herbs in terracotta pots, creepers in hanging pots and leafy fronds in ceramic urns to get a happy collection of indoor plants that look good together. 

Global Décor

2020 forced all of us to be armchair travellers, starved for a real holiday in an exotic destination. 2021 will, no doubt, let free the traveller in us and we will all end up holidaying to our heart’s content, picking up pieces of décor from all over the world and putting them together in an eclectic collection at home.

How to put the look together:  

Eclectic décor marries diverse styles, textures and colours, bringing together art and artefacts from various sources to create balance and harmony. This designer has skilfully blended a Turkish ceramic jar, a rug from India, an Arabic lantern and English sofas, tying the styles together with a neutral colour palette. 

Graphic Art

Abstract prints and graphic designs will take centre stage in the coming year, being widely preferred to traditional artwork and old fashioned paintings. Patterns with repetitive shapes, line art and word art are expected to gain popularity in home décor.

How to put the look together:  

Simple black and white framing draws attention to the graphic images. Mix and match neutral shades in the background, strong pops of accent colours and bold black and white graphics for an arresting aesthetic.

Co-Living Spaces

Co-living is trending among the younger population, and home décor trends are getting redefined by this new way of living. Shared common facilities and separate smaller bedrooms offer opportunities for like-minded people to connect. 2021 will see more co-living spaces coming into their own, and with young people choosing to work from home, multifunctional spaces with space saving furniture will become very popular.

How to put the look together:  

This multipurpose room is a seating space in the day and transforms into a bedroom at night, with a pull-down wall mounted bed and a sofa-cum-bed for extra sleeping space.

2021 is going to be all about individuality, with homes that are strongly based on the owner’s personality. So go ahead, put YOUR look together!