Disclaimer: All the things I’ve listed below I’ve happily incorporated into my work over the last 6 years. As I write this post, I am working on a project featuring a custom built-in day bed, upholstered in tones of taupe, white, cream and grey (with green) and featuring industrial accents. If you look through my Portfolio, you’ll see 4 out of these 5 trends featured prominently! I’m in no way suggesting to re-do rooms you recently designed and still love, just merely pointing out that within the next 5-10 years, these are the trends that will be rendered extinct. Maybe now is the time to start brainstorming what’s next.

Grey walls– When I bought my house 6 years ago and was choosing a color for the guest bedroom, I wanted something soothing, neutral, and very different from the dramatic dark brown of my Master. Grey, which was just breaking at that time, was a revelation. The perfect color to reflect our contemporary, cool, ‘anything but tan’ sensibilities. It’s as versatile as any other neutral but the best part? It was new. Great new things spread like wildfire and now it’s just too common, the ‘new tan’, and we need to find the next grey. I’m currently using white with undertones or a very cool off-white.

Reclaimed wood- I believe that in 20 years when we look back at the style of this time, reclaimed wood walls will be our mascot, like shag carpet + wood paneling in the 70s, dusty rose formica furniture in the 80s, funky track and pendant lighting in the 90s, granite countertops of the early 00s. Reclaimed wood echos our overall move in the direction of a more natural looking decor, but it’s worn out its welcome.

Farmhouse– Not to sound heighty and pretentious, but the popularity of this style fascinates me on a psycho-social level. We live in a modern world almost exclusively behind screens, yet we want our decor to reflect a time where people lived very hard lives. If I were a psychotherapist, I would surmise that we’re striving for the authenticity and simplicity we feel we’ve lost in and amongst the modernity and technology of our lives. Either way, farmhouse* really rings false.

Industrial lighting– It’s hard for me to include this because I really love the industrial look. I’ve loved it since stumbling into the most amazing antique store in Chelsea that features it prominently: Mantiques Modern. But like everything good, it begins the cycle which goes like this: common becomes popular which becomes overdone, and now you can’t walk through a stylish home without seeing one or more Edison bulbs. And that includes my home too.

Greige– Greige refers to the color combination of grey + beige and in the last 5 years, it became much more than simply a color combo; it became an identity aesthetic. There are hundreds of websites devoted exclusively to greige including a substantial portion of Pinterest’s real estate and a stylish online boutique bearing its name. Greige is a big deal.

*And I’m not talking about the ubitiquous ‘farmhouse sink’, which is the best thing to happen to kitchens since the dishwasher.