Now that the year is well underway thanks to the neverending month that is January, it’s time to dive straight into our favourite interiors trends for 2022. We wanted to focus on trends that have longevity and that complement our love of all things natural in the home. One overarching theme of this year is how important our home environment is to our mental well-being, which will be a surprise to no-one! Here are our top picks to inspire your own take on these trends!
1. Biophilic Design
Biophilia is a term coined by psychoanalyst Eric Fromm, who defined it as “the passionate love of life and all that is alive”, emphasising the benefits of the connection between humans and the natural world. What does this mean when it comes to architecture and design? In practice it means incorporating any design elements that make the occupant feel closer to nature, which is said to promote cognitive function and mental well-being. Ways to achieve this can range from opening up a space to encourage more natural light, using natural materials and fabric and of course, adding indoor plants to your home.
Plants bring homes to life, but it’s their impact on mood and wellbeing that can be really transformative. Thriving house plants can uplift your mood and improve your mental health, reducing stress and loneliness through their calming presence.
On a practical level, plants help purify the air, reduce background noise through sound absorption, regulate temperature and increase humidity. It’s been shown that plants make a room more relaxing, so it stands to reason that you should have some in your bedroom, your own personal sanctuary. It could be one or two in pots, above side tables or on window sills, or it could be a whole living-wall dedicated to greenery.
The Nicolau plant by Patch in various sizes. Piglet in Bed's Forest Green linen bedding teamed with Sage Green and Oatmeal colourways.
2. Mindful Spaces
We are spending more time than ever in our homes and we know how much of an impact our surroundings can have on our general mental wellbeing. With that in mind, creating interior spaces that are mindful, peaceful and calming is fast becoming top of the wishlist when making changes to our homes. This doesn’t have to mean spartan, beige rooms filled with zen gardens and pictures of waterfalls. Instead, try to prioritise space and room flow with limited clutter and light, open areas. Natural light and soft electric lighting for the evenings will help to create a peaceful environment for a calm mind.
Natural materials are a key component to a mindful space, from natural fabrics (linen and wool), plants and materials (such as wood, clay and stone). Finally, limit the tech. Keep TVs to one room, avoid smart technology that creates distractions and limit attention span.
Piglet in Bed's Lake Blue linen bedding set and crinkle throw in Cream. A good example of matching your indoor house plants from Patch with your decor.
3. Embracing Textures
Natural materials and textures feature heavily in Scandi interiors and Japanese-style decor; both styles are synonymous with creating calm atmospheres. One of the main reasons for this is their relationship with nature, including a lot of woodwork, woven and clay materials. These materials all have contrasting textures. Woodwork is smooth and glossy, whereas jute/woven products are rough and matt.
Contrasting textures help to keep the eye moving around the room as it creates depth and intrigue. You can achieve this with your house plants, for example. Try pairing large green leaves (like Chaz, the Swiss Cheese Plant) with a blue fractured ceramic pot, and plants with lots of intricate leaves (such as Venus, the maidenhair fern) with a light grey concrete pot.
Piglet in Bed's linen bedding collection in White and Sage Green. Patch's ficus "Sarah".
4. Sustainable Choices
Making sustainable choices when it comes to your home can’t really be called a trend because, thankfully, it is becoming more and more ingrained in our everyday decision making. This year however, more than any other, it is at the forefront of how we decorate and design the spaces we live in. Sustainability issues can be so complex that we can often find ourselves overwhelmed and paralysed for fear of doing the wrong thing, but there are some easy switches that we can make to improve the longevity and eco-credentials of our interiors.
Shopping for vintage or antique pieces is a great way to bring character to your home, whilst knowing that you are buying furniture that has been built to last and will stand the test of time. With the growth of online vintage furniture platforms, it’s a great time to snap up a bargain. Opt for house plants that will grow and last for years to come, giving character and not needing constant replacement.
Use natural materials where you can. Wood, marble, ceramic, linen and wool, for example. The use of “intelligent” materials is on the up, such as worktops made from recycled waste. Once you start looking at these options, you quickly discover how many amazing options there are that steer you away from synthetic, less durable materials.
Lastly, choose a style that will last and that you won’t be bored with in three years time. With our social media feeds full to the brim of the inside of other people’s houses, it’s easy to be lured into purchasing those “must-have” items. Classic, neutral designs for larger items can be adapted to suit new trends, rather than thrown away and bought again. For example, a classic style of sofa can be reupholstered to suit a new colour scheme for a design revamp.
Build you own unique colour-combo with our Bedding Bundle Builder!
