2020 Design Trends

By Kristy Sherrill, ASID, NCIDQ, Principal Designer

Over the past 15 years, I have been asked many times about what the current design trends are. What is coming in? What is going out? In the business of interior design, we watch design trends slowly change and morph like a living organism and it never stays the same for too long! The past 15 years has been interesting to see how color pallets have come in and gone out and how clothing and retail merchandise all follows along so closely. So, what are the current design trends and where are we headed in this new decade?

Interior Design Magazine recently did a write up on the colors of the year for 2020 that were published by the major paint and color companies. Benjamin Moore chose their color First Light, which is a very pale pink and as Ben Moore says “it is a backdrop to a bright new decade.” Sherwin Williams chose Naval, which is a very dark navy blue. Pantone chose Classic Blue, which is also a dark blue but a bit more like a denim than a navy. PPG chose Chinese Porcelain, which is yet another dark navy blue. The article in Interior Design Magazine talked about how fascinating it is that three out of four of these major companies chose dark shades of blue for this year’s color. They talked about the idea that blue always offers the feeling of tranquility and in our increasingly chaotic world, everyone must be looking for some more tranquility in their lives! These are the colors of the year and we will probably see much more of these colors come through in product offerings and clothing design as the year progresses. I certainly won’t complain about these colors. Pale pink is such a pretty accent color to work into any home and dark blue is classic and never goes out of style!

My goal for every one of my clients is that they can experience their home with the same amount of love as I have for mine.

“Is Gray still popular?” This is the question I got more than any over the last year. For so many years in the earlier 2000’s everyone loved Chocolate brown and gushed over travertine tile and golden hues of granite countertops. Then almost out of no where came Gray. To be honest, Gray lasted a lot longer than I thought it would! It’s not completely gone, but its on its way out! In paint colors, we went from cool grays to warm grays to greige and now we have moved into taupe. Yes, we are headed back to the warm tones like gold and brown. We are seeing all the new introductions of cabinetry and quartz countertop designs have already moved from white and gray to white and taupe with a little gold and brown mixed in! Wood tones in flooring and cabinetry have moved from very dark 6 years ago back to a medium brown tone now with a little help from Joanna Gaines Farmhouse style!

Overall design styles have been staying pretty steady. The amount of people who prefer modern, transitional or traditional stays pretty similar year after year. Some kitchen trends we have seen coming in are the combination of butcher block and quartz countertops being mixed on a kitchen island. White kitchen cabinets are still by far the most desired cabinet color. Islands are not being painted a color these days but are being done in various wood stained colors. One trend that is very popular is to mix metals within the house and within a room. So many kitchens and bathrooms are being done in combinations of satin gold and black metals. We also see a lot of black and satin nickel metals being combined together. These are just a couple of the many combinations that can be done.

It’s sure to be another interesting year to watch the trends change as the months roll by. I’m looking forward to designing some new and interesting spaces for my client’s this year and implementing these new ideas into my designs. If you are building or remodeling this year, take a look at the trends and make sure you are coming in at the beginning and not the end! You certainly don’t want your home to feel out-dated in a couple of years!

Kristy Sherrill is the owner and principal designer of Chambless Hall. She graduated from Georgia State University with a bachelor of arts degree in interior design and is certified by the National Council for Interior Design Qualification as a residential and commercial designer. She has owned and operated Chambless Hall since 2010. Each year Chambless Hall completes numerous design builds including kitchens, baths and whole houses as well as provides furnishings and fixtures for all projects. Kristy’s passion for using design to improve her clients’ lifestyle keeps Chambless Hall growing and expanding the services they offer year after year.