2020 Is The Year You Decorate To Celebrate Your Personality

The beginning of a new decade signals living trends that have been influenced by a lifestyle is characterized by a fast pace, independent hustle.  Increasingly, we are seeing the migration of people from suburban and provincial areas commute to Metro Manila for work.  Hence, the rise of the co-working space, where workers can pop in, dock themselves for a span of a few hours or a few months, based on the projects to accomplish.

For living and home, this means that renting a condo or a room is still a solution for a good number of Filipinos.  During the last decade, we have also seen developers such as MyTown respond to this progressive lifestyle by offering income-friendly solutions that will lessen the commute to the work place, allowing people to maintain a residence in both the metro and the suburbs or nearby provinces, where they go home during the weekends.

This nomadic living trend calls for decorating solutions that embrace personalization no matter how small a space one is decorating.  Generally, people just want to celebrate their own personalities with as little stress as possible, all while honoring the need to exhale, and take a breather form multi-tasking on their screens.  2020 on-wards will thus see a rise in these trends:

 The Shelfie

The shelfie is said to be the new selfie.  If one’s living spaces do not allow for grand vignettes in one’s Instagram feeds, at the very least, one can curate their shelves.  As decorators have done for coffee tables, consoles and side tables, the shelf is a small piece of real estate to showcase one’s personality.

DIY

If you are so inclined, DIY is an empowering way to decorate or design your space.  By doing it yourself, you take out the need for the service staff that was once integral to accomplishing beautiful interiors.  In theory, you gain the satisfaction of having exactly what you planned out with this method.  You also lessen the cost of the project.

Since news of Scandinavian home retail giant, Ikea’s arrival to the Philippines, we all have been eagerly waiting for its opening.  Affordable and aesthetically known for its clean lines and fun, on-trend colors, Ikea is also famous for the DIY spirit it was fostered in a generation of home buyers and renters.  Part of the retail chain’s appeal is choosing from an enormous range of furniture and home accessories, as shown in inspiring vignettes that pepper the store; hauling them, unassembled, taking the furniture home with you, and putting them together yourself. The largest Ikea in the world is reportedly set to open in Manila this year.  In the meantime, lovers of the DIY spirit will be happy to shop in home depots such as Wilcon, Ace Hardware, True Value and All Home.

Customization

Decorating with a purpose cannot be more emphasized with precious real estate prices.  The idea of having something made expressly for you and your needs is the appeal of customization.  Increasingly, we are seeing multipurpose spaces at home and at work.  As such, customization is the default design solution to a purposeful space.  Whether it's the size, the fabric, the color, customization options will be seen as retail or as service options.

Fluid Design

All this mobility and momentum will give rise to a design movement that will see no hard and fast rules in terms of period, aesthetic and locale.  This new decade, we will see the end of styles that are neatly labeled and boxed in.  The result is an exuberant mix of accessories sourced globally; a play on sumptuous textures and colors.  It is electric eclecticism at its finest.  Consider these interiors by Kit Kemp:

Online Designers

There will be an increase in online design services such as Topology, an online design service where one can choose the packages they want, ranging from design time, to number of services which may include mood boards, designer site visits, 3D rendering, shopping assistance and project management.  Services such as these allow the client to experience the design process online, minimizing the time spent meeting with designers and shopping.

On the other end of the spectrum, as much as the times have been marked by multi-tasking, multi-functional spaces and technology, people are also increasingly yearning for ways to humanize their experience of the world.  A call for nostalgia, community and connection is felt amidst the smart tech that rules the 21^st century lifestyle.  Born from this cultural thirst, these trends will also be seen in 2020:

Spaces fueled by a narrative

“What story does a space have?  What characters does it portray?  What is the meaning in its design,” are all questions that create the story of a space, birthing its identity.  For making a decision on travel destinations, people will be latching on to the narrative of the spaces they visit in order to connect to a certain locale and be inspired.

Maximalism and Layering

As people’s travels increase and the perception of one’s connectedness with the world heightens, spaces will see more layering of design styles, leading to maximalism.  No other era has celebrated the self as generously as the present.  This is the moment to be YOU, and more of you and your style preferences is encouraged.  So get a hold of all the objects that define you, and decorate with them.  Rescue those hand-me-downs out of storage.  Upcycle, recycle and refurbish to arrive at this look. 

Grandmilliennial Style

A judiciously edited new traditionalism is in, owing to its associations of home and comfort.  Laura Ashley and Vera Bradly have made a comeback, if only for the warm emotions chintz and florals conjure.  Seeing these patterns anchors the nomadic millennial into a sense of home.

Bold on Bold

Say goodbye to accent walls this year.  If you’re going for a pattern or a color, it’s the year to execute it to the hilt.  Walls are a venue to express character, so if you must, go all the way!

Biophilia

Last year’s trend report included biophilia, the human penchant for creating connections with nature.  It is here to stay!  Get your green thumb game on.  There is nothing more immediate and sustainable to refreshing your space than including plants in your décor, and bringing the outdoors in!