Interior design trends are cyclical, with styles catapulting into popularity and then waning out of fashion when the aesthetic is overdone and tired — only to come back in style with a fresh, reimagined interpretation decades later. This moving target of what’s hot and what’s so last year creates a very fluid design industry, and, as an interior designer, it’s my job to stay on the pulse of the ever-evolving trends … not to follow them to the letter as much as to artfully dodge the pitfalls of trendy decor when creating a timeless space.
There’s one design style that’s been trending for years that I’m personally thrilled to see finally falling out of favor: the minimalist “quiet luxury” spaces coated in every shade of off-white or light beige. Gone are the days where these sterile, generic monochromatic interiors run the show, which I think is great because once you’ve seen one, you’ve pretty much seen them all. Thanks, influencers. Plagued with a lack of an interesting perspective and cookie-cutter tendencies on social media, here’s why I think one-note minimalist quiet luxury spaces weren’t built to last and how you can avoid the uninspiring aesthetic in your own home by injecting it a unique perspective.
Why overly minimalist quiet luxury spaces are falling from popularity
The point of interior design is to visually tell the one-of-a-kind narrative of the person who inhabits it. Until recently, the majority of these way-too-minimalist quiet luxury spaces have displayed a total lack of imagination as each person tries to out-bland each other, resulting in very uncompelling visual storytelling. Without much color or textural contrast to break up the sea of off-white, these monotonous spaces don’t stimulate the senses and leave no lasting impression. And with the social media influencers passing around endless affiliate links of the next great “aesthetic” beige version of every furnishing, so many of these rooms have blurred together into one collective off-white pool of consumerism.
I don’t mean to sound harsh, but there’s only so much “sad beige” the world can take before people start craving the unique character and exciting wow-factor of space that embraces thoughtful color palettes, a variety of textures, personalized touches, and a hint of quirkiness. Call it a beige rebellion, if you will. The people have spoken: social media’s darling, the generic off-white wasteland, has been dethroned, and the more recent masses are coming for personality and charm. Today’s interiors are all about bringing out the weird, the joy, the authentic, and the fascinating, and blending them all together so that your space tells the unique tale of you.
How to add a character and a unique point of view to your space
The good news for the neutral lovers out there is that injecting personality into your space doesn’t necessarily mean you need to have a technicolor home. There are dynamic ways to develop a sophisticated, layered, design-forward neutral color palette. The key to keeping things interesting yet nuanced is to incorporate plenty of textural contrast and color value in your home and playing with both light and dark tones. This will create enough visual and tactile variation to avoid the one-note feeling that plagues beige-on-beige quiet luxury minimalist spaces.
On the other hand, if you love color, the future is bright for you. Charm and unique character come in spades when incorporating colorful elements such as hand-painted murals, bold wallpapers, fabulous artwork, fun accent decor, and bold textiles. Regardless of your chosen color palette, the other way to add a unique perspective to your home is to fill it with artwork and decor that is personal to your family. This doesn’t require a chic maximalism aesthetic, as undesired clutter or chaos is not a prerequisite for personality.
Though if you are a more-is-more type, there are certainly artistic ways of embracing the layered, vibrant look of a generously outfitted space. Make sure the items you display in your home, no matter the quantity, are meaningful and significant — not just a generic space-filler. Showcase your quirky collections in an elevated way, incorporate vintage art or treasures, and choose intentional artwork that tells your family’s narrative. This will mean something different to each home, as your story is unique.
