MY MEDALLION
With summer finally here, finding the freshest looks for your apartment is the next step to welcoming in those warm days. Interior design is all about finding the popular styles that are in, and this summer brings a lot of shakeups of recent trends. Here are some of the Summer Interior Designs that are popular and are easy to incorporate into your own apartment.
1. Out with the Beige, in with the Colour
If you’ve been keeping tabs on the interior design trends of late, the name of the game has been the soft, base colours like grays and beiges. Neutral, cool colours were the mainstay for interior design. The days of neutral colours, however, are coming to an end this summer according to interior designers. As Timothy Corrigan says, “We are seeing a big return to bright and clear colors . . . people are so over gray, beige, and greige!” The summer looks to bring brighter, solid colours back into the interior space. Say goodbye to the drab grays and welcome some bright greens or blues back into your life.
So how can you incorporate this into your living space? Colours and patterns are your best bet. Look for some bright, solid coloured items (pillows are a good, safe start) to bring a splash of colour to your space. For those who are a little more bold, a new rug or chair can really turn up the colour volume in a room.
2. Open Concept… Dining Rooms?
With the revolution that was open-concept living, living spaces have been unlocked to be more of what you need them to be and less of what they were designed for. The dining room, particularly in apartment living, has not been any different in this way, as many are finding more “useful” ideas for this space, like a library or media room. Suzanne and Lauren McGrath note how, “Homeowners and apartment dwellers are finding ways to create spaces designated for reading and watching TV.”
Getting more out of your dining room can be as easy as investing in some good bookshelves (for the library vibe) and keeping your table free for a go-to working space. For the more adventurous, turning that dining space into a larger living or media room can be a great way to open up your place.
3. The Trend that Never Goes Away: Boho
Boho isn’t so much a new trend for this summer, as it’s been well loved for many years. Rather, designers are seeing a resurgence and refocusing on the style. In the words of Charis White, “Boho Style is the 2018 interiors trend which isn’t a trend – or at least not a new one. It has been around for centuries and continues to hold a special place in many hearts and homes.” A fresh new look at designs, colours, and patterns from North Africa, India, South America, and Malaysia are great places to bring an “old” trend back into the forefront of your summer designs.
Try looking for some dynamic rugs or vibrant textiles to spice up your place. Other places to look can be the usual suspects of pillows or small knick knacks to place around your place. The biggest thing is to bring in more of the designs that Boho loves, and that’s a pretty open field with plenty of source material on the internet or in books.
4. Maximalism: The Anti-Minimalism Trend
To anyone with their finger on the pulse of interior design, minimalism will be an all too familiar term. However, many interior designers are predicting the pendulum to swing the complete opposite direction to what some are calling “Maximalism.” Where minimalism was about reducing the stuff in your place, maximalism focuses on reveling in an “overflow” of things. More textures, colours, colour patterns, and more chances for instilling your own personal style are the name of the game.
Maximalism is less about a certain style and more a philosophy around interior design. If you felt yourself wanting to add more to your place, but didn’t feel that was in style under the minimalism trend, you’ll be right at home for it this summer. It isn’t about cluttering your space up, but rather about finding new and interesting ways to fit more design into your everyday space.
5. Vintage Accessories: Out with the Old, in with the… Older?
Similar to Boho, vintage accessories are never fully out of fashion, but there’s a recent rise in incorporating them into your summer interior designs. It’s all about taking the art of curating the perfect space with items that carry a history. It sounds cliche, but there’s something truly timeless about vintage items being added to your space that can create a homey, storied effect. Whether it’s the cottage style of years gone by or a more refined, sophisticated study vibe from the early 1900s, vintage accessoires can turn any space into something truly unique.
The great thing about vintage accessories is there’s just as many of them out there as there are ideas for you to choose from. Think about theme when picking items out: do you want to turn a boring office space into something truly special? Or maybe your plain kitchen could do with a cottagey feel? The options are endless, and visiting your local antique stores can be a treasure trove of ideas (or, for the online sauvy, eBay and Etsy.)
The great thing about interior design is what is popular and what is not is constantly changing, and style is flexible to your own style. Colours are in, but if you like green instead of yellow you’re just as able to tap into that. For more information on interior designs that are popular this summer, visit the Medallion Blog.
