10 Interior Design Trends to Ignore in 2014

Every year, designers predict the most fashionable interior design trends for the coming year. They base these predictions on the latest designs showcased at the runway and exhibitions like London’s Grand Designs Live. Design features like trending colours, textures, patterns, furniture styles, and spatial arrangements are all considered.

Customers take design trend predictions to heart when modernising their homes. By following trends, they can make informed restyling decisions. But each year, plenty of trends are totally off-kilter. The 2014 picks range from favourably fashionable to completely bizarre.

Before you mistakenly order a new animal hide or paint your walls black, we want you to know which styles are unlikely to stick.

In 2014, these are 10 interior design trends you’ll do best to ignore:

1. Fusion of Indoor and Outdoor: In 2014, designers are jazzed about the fusion of indoor and outdoor furniture designs. New developments in fabric and style take living room designs onto the patio (Elle Decor). However, they don’t evoke the same nostalgia as a traditional black glass patio set. Traditional patios carry memories of childhood summers and weddings—an outdoor look that’s here to stay.

2. Indoor Rock Gardens: Just as modern designers are eager to bring indoor styles outside, some are trying to bring the outdoors in. Ultra-modern designers showcased home interiors that resemble the outside of a hobbit hole, with quaint grassy textures, ponds, and rocks. The natural look may be a growing trend, but there’s no need to turn your home into a rock garden.

3. Abundance of Blue: Every design magazine swears that blue is the colour of 2014. Blue is a ubiquitous colour that can overtake the kitchen and provide a backdrop for textures and patterns anywhere in the home (Freshome). Navy blue can be used to saturate, while turquoise and azure complement lighter shades. But don’t go too blue crazy, or you will feel blue too.

3. Florals: Isn’t every year the re-emergence of floral? Printed flowers are one of the world’s most ancient design styles. There’s nothing more rustic than a couch or loveseat topped off with flowery, handmade cushions. Yet floral design is a double-edged sword. Designers can never create a wholly modern flowery look that doesn’t induce memories of nana’s home. Modern floral is a trend you can ignore.

4. Bringing Back Natural Wood: Ikea restarted a new trend in natural wood counters, walls, and cupboards extending throughout the home. In 2014, designers assert that polished wood is out and a rougher, rugged look is in. That means getting rid of your beautiful, refined oak or walnut dining room table in favour of wood that appears freshly cut.

5. Animal Inspirations: Furniture makers have created new sofas and tables upholstered with furs and skins, trying to bring animal hides and prints back in style. This trend simply won’t fly among the bulk of modern customers who are more inclined towards simpler prints.

6. The Man Space: Wishful thinkers assert that 2014 is the year to define masculine design in the home. The emergence of a masculine, multipurpose space may be every man’s dream, but these spaces clash with the rest of a home’s interior design.

7. Mixing Metals: Kitchens are using metal finishes for a clean, sleek appearance. Stainless steel and aluminium are becoming more popular than paint or bright tile. Just don’t follow 2014 design advice telling you to mix these with gold, or you will create the feeling of collision.

8. Mismatching Patterns and Colours: This might be the year when it’s fashionable to have no sense of style. Plenty of designers showcased a collision of inharmonious patterns, claiming to bring them together to create a unique and cohesive look. Yet the minimalist trend is still in. Feel free to throw in patterned complements—but simple interior design is the real trend for 2014.

9. Darker Tones: Navy blue, plum, and black are the trending colours of the year. In 2014, interior designers showcased dark coloured sofas, rugs, and even walls. Black paint behind a fireplace or mantle might appear modern and dramatic, but it’s a colour that will quickly wear down your mood.

10. Wall Hanging Sculptures: Macramé and fibre wall hangings are making a splash this year, as designers seek more texture and eclectic characteristics. Yet some designers have taken this to a new level, declaring that your walls should be covered in modern sculpture. Stay away from the art gallery and stick with macramé and fibre for a truly trendy look in 2014.

We hope you enjoyed reading this blog as much as we enjoyed writing it. If you’ve already got a rock garden in your living room, you obviously didn’t find this blog soon enough. Sorry. Good luck with your interior design adventures in 2014 and beyond.

Written by Rob Truslove – Digital Copywriter for a variety of interior publications including FADS.co.uk.