Five interior design trends for summer

Colour psychology, design trends and conscious design is something a few people would know until they start the process of revamping a room, a house or an office.

People now more than ever are spending extra time in spaces they need to feel comfortable and calm in. 

The interior design industry goes through phases and trends that people and designers live by for years. Home interior has been in the era of neutral colours – black, white, greys, beiges – but this era is slowly going away.

Pop of colours, black and gold is all the rage currently.

During a Brunch, Bolsters & Bubbly event with The Pillow Fluffer in partnership with SHF Home, a strong panel – from interior trends forecaster and owner of The Pillow Fluffer Interiors, Lungile Nkosi, colour expert Patty Mulauzi from Kansai Plascon, and the director and Professional Interior Architect member of the African Institute of the Interior Design Professions (IID) Juliet Kavishe – discussed these styles.

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The women shared the upcoming trends and tips to embrace African aesthetics.

Five interior design trends this summer:

Three tone colours                  

Mulauzi, a colour expert from Plascon, says this colour palette is pure fantasy. It is a pastel yellow that opens up your space and she suggests adding an African blanket and whatever your heart desires to give it more vibrancy.

The other two colours are desert water (blue), a colour associated with calm, and lastly, the colour Zanzibar, which is a light brown. The three tones are attached to how people feel.

Mulauzi says colour psychology is centred around emotion and means different things in different cultures. As African interiors are moving away from Western standards, the panel reiterated that black homeowners are getting back to their roots.

Vacation fantasy 

As an expert on transforming spaces, Nkosi says people are travelling to their dream locations, such as Zanzibar and the Maldives, and want to bring that tropical essence to their homes.

Whether it is the hanging egg chairs seen in Thailand or Bali, a neutral colour palette executes this interior design inspiration with lots of plants.

Some people want to walk into their homes that gives them constant calm and an escaping feeling.

Pop of colour

This trend is going nowhere because South Africans are considered a conservative bunch when it comes to their homes. Nkosi explains that clients can become quite rigid and they need to get out of this. “People should be allowed to express themselves, experiment and explore,” she says.

The women agreed that neutral tones work well with a pop of colours – think bright pinks, blue, red and gold. The pop of colours can be cushions, candles, lights and chairs.

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Black walls are here to stay

A style that was shocking for many, black walls has become something of a must-have when it comes to staging spaces.

Black allows for many colours and tones to work with accessories, even in kitchen instalments. Black walls give the opportunity for add-ons to shine, from plants, gold-encrusted mirrors to white furniture, things don’t blend in or disappear.

African interiors

The old, and some might say tacky, bush lodge style for African interiors is outdated. Embracing your culture in your home can come in the form of customised pottery, baskets, chairs and pillows. This aesthetic works well for people who want to mix African elements with contemporary.

The speakers also talked about how the interior space has opened up to more black people, especially assisted by social media as interior designers can express themselves as artists on their personal accounts.

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