4 Things You’ll See More of in Design in 2019

From exploring other options for hues (apart from Living Coral, Pantone’s Colour of the Year) and utilising accent walls to considering simplicity and adaptive reuse, we’ve rounded up key directions for design this year.

Industry experts in Hong Kong and beyond also share their insights on the trends they’ve witnessed are gaining traction all over the world.

Emboldened and earthy

4 Things You’ll See More of in Design in 2019

Sherwin-Williams‘ Cavern Clay is a terracotta shade that exudes warmth

Bolder palettes with a touch of earth are coming to the fore as we gradually loosen our embrace of the all-white, minimalist aesthetic. For their colours of the year, brands have unveiled different hues with a common denominator: a move into bolder territory that harks back to nature. Pantone’s Living Coral is a spritely coral, Dulux’s Spiced Honey and Sherwin-Williams’ Cavern Clay revolve around sandy amber and warm terracotta, PPG’s Night Watch and Mojito Shimmer are a deep and velvety emerald and frosty green, while Behr’s Blueprint is a slate blue. The most neutral of the bunch is Benjamin Moore’s Metropolitan, a light grey still a touch beyond white. We are seeing more variations of grey, hues with a neutral grey tone, says Joakim Cimmerback, managing director at eicó, an eco-friendly paint company based in Hong Kong. Mangkhut Eye, for example, is a very soft grey-purple we created for a client who wanted a specific tone in a form of off-white.

Graphic simplicity

Tacchini’s Polar modular system designed by PearsonLloyd

There’s no shortage of changes taking place in the world today, whether from a political, social, or cultural standpoint, and design in 2019 is poised to reflect that through an aversion to visual clutter. Reviewing the Salone del Mobile.Milano exhibition in Shanghai, one of my impressions is for a new kind of simplicity, says designer and architect Luke Pearson of London-based design studio PearsonLloyd, who delivered a lecture co-hosted by Element Plus and Tacchini at the fair in November. There are more and more products that convey strong emotion through a confident and simple but elegant form of language. There’s also an interesting juxtaposition between the masculine and the feminine, allowing great accessibility for the consumer. Simplicity need not be dull, according to interior designer Elena Collins of the conservation architecture firm Purcell: Investing in an iconic piece of furniture to be the centrepiece of your interior can do wonders for a space and is a great conversation starter.

Space transformations

A historic firehouse in Chicago is now home to the new headquarters for hat maker Optimo

Land comes at a premium – and this holds true especially for high-density cities like Hong Kong. While continuous development is inevitable in keeping pace with growth, adaptive reuse of space is set to prevail for the coming year in the residential market, according to Rodrigo Buelvas, a professor of interior design at SCAD Hong Kong. This trend will see the revitalisation of older buildings, notably in less populated areas where communities are introducing a more modern type of lifestyle, he says. The projects will preserve the integrity of the structure while breathing new life into the space. This sustainable solution also effectively reduces waste and environmental impact by limiting the building materials used without compromising modern living standards. People are responding well, as it creates a positive impact on the local architectural culture and the urban built environment, adds Buelvas. It also helps with the gentrification and diversification of older neighbourhoods.

Making a statement

Weitzner Isolde wallcovering, available through Altfield Interiors

Unusual, creative details help add excitement to any space – and it’s also a perfect way to break up a large room and visually expand a compact area. New York-based textile designer Lori Weitzner of Weitzner agrees and confirms that there is an increasing demand for creating unique moments in homes nowadays. An accent wall adorned with a dramatic wallcovering is one way to achieve the effect, she says. Be it a digital print that looks like a piece of artwork, or a hand-painted panel with distinctive finishes and patterns, people are finding these efficient to transform their homes. Our paper tile collection imbues dimension and depth for a special scene that is key to any individualised living environment, too.

This article originally appears in our January 2019 issue, available now.

The post 4 Things You’ll See More of in Design in 2019 appeared first on Home Journal.