This week You! talks to Karachi-based furniture designer Beena Asim & interior designer Ainee Shehzad, who share a few trends for 2020 to make your homes look fresh as new and pleasing to the eyes…
interior
In Pakistan, people usually don’t revamp their spaces every year. It is because not everyone can. However, adding some furniture or making a few changes to your home such as: flooring, wall colour, decoration items or maintaining the old pieces can be done at any time or even every year.
It is great to freshen up your surrounding more often but for that, one also needs little ideas to fuse and make their houses look aesthetically pleasing and comfortable all at once. Keeping this in mind, furniture designer Beena Asim and interior designer Ainee Shehzad share a few trends and knowledge regarding what furniture pieces your spaces need in 2020…
Gone are the days when one felt close to modern and high-tech lifestyle. It’s literally done to death and boring. It’s time to unlearn what we have embraced for years. It’s time to break the habit and admire Mother Nature… According to Beena Asim, “Our research sees biophilia as a major trend in 2020. The incorporation of plants, natural materials, and biomorphic shapes take favour over the stark and minimal modernism. Our rapid busy lives, all-consuming technologies, and bustling cities filled with concrete skyscrapers have us craving a natural escape. These quickly moving times not only have us craving nature but a return of the classics. We expect to see traditional shapes and furnishings such as neoclassical or French inspired forms.”
Contrary to this, Ainee Shehzad believes 2020 will be free for experimentation and incorporating many ideas at once. There won’t be any limitations and there is much room to play around with things. “The designs in 2020 will be eclectic with different mediums coming in,” informs Ainee.
In 2019, we saw initiatives spreading awarenss regarding global warming and how we can protect our environment. Following the same vein, Beena and Ainee predict that 2020 will also work on the same lines. “Cold neutrals will be out in favour of warm earthy tones. We also expect pops of deep vivid jewel tones. People are tired of the cool tones particularly the over done all-gray-everything. Burnt oranges, forest greens and pops of jewel tones like sapphire will create a warm and inviting living room space where people want to feel the most relaxed and cosy,” suggests Beena.
On the other hand, Ainee backs the idea of ‘earthy with bright splashes of eco-friendly accessories’ which will accentuate your house space and give a unique and lively feel.
“The utility aspect will be led by the design element. Sophisticated and stream lined pieces will be sprinkled with classic pieces,” tells Ainee. This is interesting as people usually forget the element of usefulness and comfort when buying furniture. They more likely are inclined towards fashionable furnishings rather than sustainable fashion when it comes to their home interior. “With the new year, expect to see people ditch the stiff and angular forms of modernist furniture in favour of more relaxed and traditional forms.
Plush upholstery and rich textures like velvet are sure to create a warmer and more relaxed feel. Meanwhile, traditional elegant curved edges offer relief from the sharp and boxy furniture that is on its way out. Moreover, expect to see a return of classical motifs. We predict there will be some elements of Greek and French design. However, rather than a strict imitation of classicism, we’ll see elements sprinkled throughout. As I always insist to have at least one statement piece that could speak and define you,” adds Beena.
This coming new year, don’t be afraid to go bold with your flooring. Consider taking a classic like wood flooring and being playful with it by arranging the planks in a herringbone or parquet pattern. “Additionally, be sure to complement your flooring by pulling similar colours and tones and incorporating them elsewhere such as backsplash or countertop.
Don’t forget contrast either! If you have light wood floors, add a pop of contrast with dark toned lower contrasts.
This ensures that it won’t seem like everything is blending together,” advices Beena. Also, according to Ainee Shehzad, “The flooring needs to be dominated by earthy tones, yet clean lines.” This makes a huge difference as it has a therapeutic effect visually.
Feeling cramped? Create a more open and inviting living space this year. Consider swapping dark and chunky furniture for light and airy pieces. “Go for pieces with thinner bases and legs and don’t be afraid to embrace reflective materials like metals which help reflect light back into the space. Don’t forget to think about your flooring. Swap carpet for wood flooring which reflects more light back into the space and be considerate of which way the planks run. Running your planks horizontally can help visually widen a narrow room. Also consider what paint colours you use.
Dark colours will make a space feel as if it is coming in at you while lighter tones will make the walls recede. Opt for light but rich tones this year such as creamy tans or buttery yellows,” Beena recommends.
Don’t lose your vintage
In 2020, with the returning fascination of the classics, expect to see vintage and antique finds used as decor pieces.
Antique finds and souvenirs create a relaxed collected look rather than carefully curated and bought.
Beena Asim shares, “With the rising popularity of biophilia, we also expect to see a surge in decorative items like earthenware and pottery that utilise natural materials and fit in seamlessly with the warm earth tones we expect to be popular.”
There are trends which can never be old. In fact, it is good to amalgamate your old design elements with the new trendy ones in 2020. “Wallpaper is making a major comeback. People are tired of playing it safe with neutral walls and going bold with richly patterned wallpapers.
Again, we expect to see the incorporation of traditional essentials. Classic patterns and elements such as daintree, chinoiserie, and Greek key motifs are sure to be big hits. We may also see people embrace patterns with flowers or foliage to create that biophilic oasis we all need,” Beena proposes.
Also, in terms of the architectural design, certain ideas will make a comeback as Ainee says. “Columns, wall pedestals, window toppings, etcetera will make a comeback this year,” she concludes.
