Five 2024 Design Trends (and What to do With Them)
Consumers love trends - and brands do too. And I do too, kind of.
But before we go any further, there’s a caveat to this entire blog post. Here it is: You don’t need to follow trends.
There, I said it.
You don’t need to follow trends. Trends aren’t inherently bad, but pursuing them can be unhelpful if it’s just for the sake of keeping up with them. So with that said, here are some interior deisgn trends coming up in 2024, and here’s how you can make them yours.
Cosy kitchen lighting - add a table lamp
Okay, so I know what I said, but I love this trend. I used to live in Sweden, and one of the things Swedes did a lot was to use lamps dotted all over rooms instead of single overhead lighting. It’s so much cosier, and means you have dedicated task lighting where you need it.
I like this trend because I care a lot about the ambience in a room, and this is one of the best ways to create it, and because it’s pretty affordable. Not all lamps and lights will suit a kitchen, so make sure you think about:
Choosing something that is easy to wipe clean
Using a lamp with a profile that won’t dominate your countertops (aka not too big)
The type of bulb you use - it needs to have a warm tone vs the clinical white tones typical of a hospital
One more thing: This isn’t limited to kitchens, you can use table lamps in pretty much every room in your house. I love the idea of them in the bathroom so when you use the bathroom in the middle of the night you aren’t blinded by overhead lights.
Stainless steel countertops and cabinets in kitchens
Note: This trend will not work in every kitchen.
If you’re picturing a soulless professional kitchen or a stainless steel kitchen sink, think again. These are cabinets and countertops with integrated sinks and stunning curves, and there’s something so beautifully sleek and elegant about stainless steel when done right. Rather than being cold and alienating, the stainless steel kitchen trend exudes warmth and luxury. These kitchens are also really hard wearing, non-porous and hygienic, and very easy to clean.
As to how to make this trend your own? Just know it’s tricky on a limited budget. Here’s what I’d recommend:
Starting from scratch: Choose a contractor who knows what they’re doing. I don’t think these run cheap, but brands like Abimis (based in Italy) make stainless steel kitchens for residential settings, and their Ego model is one of the best I’ve seen. There are some other manufacturers too: John Michael, Cantilever (Australia-based), and Eggersmann, with the latter being my top pick if you don’t go for Abimis.
Modest makeover: If you have a kitchen with flat trim cabinetry and are in a position to switch countertops and backsplash, get stainless steel countertops and backsplash (bonus points for an integrated sink), stainless steel appliances, and look for a stainless steel hood that stands out (hoods are their own kitchen trend for 2024, but we won’t go there right now).
Testing the waters: This is a trend that’s hard to implement without going all-in, but I’d opt for sleek stainless steel appliances, swap out your range hood for something in stainless steel with a modern profile, and buy one of the (pricier) free-standing stainless steel kitchen islands (you’ll have to be picky because the look is less commercial kitchen and ‘help I don’t have a pantry and need storage’, and more, sleek, luxurious, and commanding - so not this, more like this).
Bye-bye brass, enter chrome and nickel
Like all the other trends, this is something I’ve been seeing bubbling up behind the scenes for a while, and honestly I’m grateful. If you love brass or every metal in your kitchen is brass don’t panic. Mixing metals is possible and allowed. And even if it wasn’t, remember the caveat I gave at the beginning? You don’t have to follow the trend.
That said, if you want to follow the trend:
Switch out cabinet knobs and drawer pulls
Incorporate mixed metals in light fixtures
Change out faucets in kitchens and bathrooms
Drinking water faucets in kitchens
Speaking of faucets, drinking water faucets are going mainstream! I love this because when we did the modest makeover of our kitchen, one of the things we were dead set on was adding a drinking water faucet. If you’re already planning to do some sort of renovation in your kitchen, I highly recommend doing it.
Our initial plan was to do a cold-hot drinking water tap, but if you look those up, you’ll see quickly that cost-wise they don’t exactly align with the whole concept of a modest makeover. We quickly decided that filtered water was the most important thing to us, and we bought the faucet, the water filter system, and the water filter cartridge for less than $200 total (here’s what we bought: faucet, water filter system, and water filter cartridge). I *hate* drinking freezing cold water (even when it’s a million degrees outside), and we can add ice to make it cold or pour it into the kettle if we need it hot, so this worked out great as a solution for us.
If you have the funds to do a combo cold-hot faucet, insinkerator does a few different kinds, but for a lower-budget solution, I’d recommend our route.
Relaxed interiors
Ummmm hello, Lived In! House & Garden described this trend as “undone interiors”, and I love that description as I think it’s a shift we need to see. The way I see it, this trend means we don’t have to be so obsessed with styling our spaces. Which, honestly is a huge relief, because styling is actually my least favourite thing to do.
This is an invitation to relax and actually live in our spaces. While I don’t think we’ll see dishes in sinks and shoes kicked off by the door, I do think we can expect (at least editorially) to see design that is a little less frou-frou, and a lot more down to earth with a renewed focus on function, repair, reuse, and embracing the way we really live.
Thank God.
Well, which upcoming trend is your favourite? Are there any trends you think you’ll be implementing in your home in 2024?
Are you working on your space and in need of some advice? Schedule a consultation with us here, or get a copy of our Modest Makeover How-To Guide
