Debbie Jacobs: What's HOT in Interior Design Trends for 2018

What is a trend?

A general direction in which something is developing or changing.

I am not one to get all bent out of shape about trends,

especially in Interior Design.

I won't go as far as Karl Lagerfeld and say they are tacky,

but I do believe your home is a reflection of you and

the interior design of your home should be approached that way.

It is still fun to use trends in small ways. That way you don't have

large sums invested in something you may get tired of quickly!

Something that is talked about at the beginning of each year are the

paint colors. Pantone the Color Institute chose

Ultra Violet for 2018.

Oceanside, SW6496 Sherwin Williams 2018 Color of the Year,

reflects a decor trend toward blue-green hues that many in

the design world agree is on the rise.

Hues of blue: Every year, top paint brands try to influence color trends (and stir up paint sales) by declaring their own color of the year. These color choices often have no common denominator. However, for 2018, three top paint brands anointed shades of bluish green as the defining color for 2018: Behr chose In the Moment; Dunn-Edwards picked a similar shade called The Green Hour; and Sherwin-Williams dubbed Oceanside as the color of the year, a deep, opulent shade that the company's director of color marketing called, "the color of wanderlust." Whatever you call it, shades of marine blue are surfacing in decor this season.*

Beyonce got it right when she sang Lemonade.

Yellow is a hot color with the millennials

Karen Wolf, of Karen B Wolf Interiors, calls it "positive, confident, vibrant, and enthusiastic.""We have not seen this color emerge for quite some time," Wolf adds. "It feels fresh, happy, and young."

Designer Sarah Hullinger agrees, predicting the color will continue to be huge well into 2018. “It’ll certainly make an impression, whether a bright ‘minion’ color or a burnt shade resembling curry or turmeric,” she says.

Another trending color is Green. Although all earthy tones will be in,

green is going to steal the limelight. Such calming greens as emerald,

olive, and even avocado project a welcoming aura

to anyone entering the room.

A velvet explosion: Watch for surges and splurges of velvet, which is poised to take over the design stratosphere, said New York designer Elaine Griffin. "Design now is about celebrating everyday luxuries, and no fabric does that better than velvet," she said. Unlike linens and microfiber suedes, velvet adds instant sophistication to any seating group. It's the it fiber for the new year, especially in jewel tones, like sapphire, citrine, emerald, amethyst and pink garnet. Fear it's too fragile? While pure cotton velvet can stain easily unless its stain-guarded, new poly-blend velvets have a lush, luxe feel that is as childproof as it is elegant.*

Anything but stainless: Consumers are experiencing "stainless fatigue," said Beverly Hills designer Christopher Grubb. "Thus, we are paneling kitchen appliances, so they disappear and make the space look larger." Sarah Fishburne, director of trend and design for The Home Depot, agrees and adds, for kitchens the biggest shift is away from stainless steel to black slate and black stainless appliances.*

Black is also back as the new hot plumbing hardware.

The fact that it is easy to keep clean makes it very popular.

Floor tiles for bathrooms in black and dark charcoal

are gaining in popularity.

Live accessories are growing in popularity. Houseplants

are coming back in vogue in a big way,

from ivy topiary, orchids, palms to herb gardens.

Fiddle-leaf figs are still growing in popular.

Mixing Metals use to be a big No No! But in the past year they have

slowly been showing up in design showrooms and showhouses.

"Buyers really love to see modern, eclectic choices such as a hammered copper light fixture above the kitchen island paired with sleek chrome faucets and cabinet hardware,” says Ken Fixler of Barnett Homes in Chicago.

Quartz vs Granite has been a big debate recently for countertop

selections. The clean lines and ease of maintaining is making

quartz the leading choice for 2018. Quartz is designed

especially for kitchens and surfaces that get a lot of abuse.

It also uses waste materials rather than quarrying new materials.

It is fine to enjoy reading about trends, but don't go overboard.
Trends will come and go and before this year is over
there will be new things on the horizon.