Interior designing takes a drastic leap year by year. New trends and introductions happen every year and people are left confused regarding the designs or trends to follow. It’s sure that the trends get outdated at any point of time. For example, the comeback of black colour in the interiors and decors, return of wallpapers, introduction of nature themes to indoors and giving curvy and smooth edges to furniture designs were some of the followed trends last year.
However, it is not going to be the same this year. “I believe the introduction of asymmetrical painting on the walls in the interiors will be one of the trends in 2019. This is relatively a new concept, where one part of the wall maybe painted in white and the other part will be done with some vibrant colour. In the previous years, most of the small rooms were designed with light colours. This year, earthy colours will take over. The advantage of asymmetrical walls is that the room can incorporate colours while still keeping the room open,” says Keerthi Balakrishnan, an interior designer based in Kochi.
She asserts that the major change she expects this year is the people’s change in approach towards interior designing. She says that people built good houses, but were reluctant to spend much on interiors. Now with the trends changing, they have changed the mindset. She believes this year, there may be more colours in interiors and fabrics like velvet and those with patterns are gaining the attention now. “I see much change in the home decor items. Glass decor would be less in demand compared to ceramic, stone, metal and wood decors.
Currently people are also in pursuit of handmade and sustainable decors. Majority of the clients are asking for handmade decor. Traditional Indian decor is also making a comeback. Sustainability is a factor people are concerned with now. 2018’s Design Kerala Summit’s main agenda was sustainability too .”
She affirms minimalism will continue to be the trend this year, too. This year, colours are sure to play an important role rather than the number of decors used. Her tips for New Year? “Include one decor item with colour in it to tie up the whole space together or even reuse and upcycle the decor you already have at home.”
(Keerthi Balakrishnan is a civil engineer and an interior designer who runs a Home Decor shop called ‘The Decor Box’ in Kochi. Latest trends are kept in mind while curating the products. Unique designs and rare products are a specialty.)
