It feels like 2022 will continue to be a home-focused year for millions nationwide. Throughout 2020, our homes became our offices, our classrooms, our gyms and our restaurants. We dramatically changed the way we use our homes, and in turn, this has changed the way we design them.
So what do our professionals think will trend in 2022?
Home offices
The transition from working in purpose built communal offices to our unprepared homes was strange and disorientating. A lucky few seemed to have preexisting home office setups while most were left to fend for themselves.
In 2022, expect to see more and more homeowners looking to create their own dedicated work areas. Offices in lofts, garages, and even annexes will allow for a higher quality and quantity of work to be produced remotely, as well as distancing work life from family and leisure time.
Learn more about designing a home office or work space. 
A purpose built home office in a garage conversion. Project by Team Resi.
Home gyms
Homeowners experienced similar problems when they became unable to attend their local gyms. The importance of a healthy body and mind became very apparent in 2020, and so we were encouraged to push furniture to one side for yoga mats and dumbbells. With the help of PE heroes like Joe Wicks, the nation came to realise that working out from home was not just possible, but easy and enjoyable.
We can expect to see this trend developing further into 2021 with homeowners choosing a dedicated and personal workout space over their expensive, shared public gyms. Like the home office, a dedicated space like this helps departmentalise our lives and activities.
Learn more about designing your own dedicated home gym.
A purpose built gym in a loft conversion. Project by Team Resi.
Houseplants
The houseplant trend is one that has continually grown in popularity over the years, and one our designers believe will continue to grow in 2022. As well as their aesthetic contribution to a space, plants have been proven to boost mood, help us relax, and even increase air quality.
“We evolved as a part of nature and so we naturally find nature relaxing,” says mental wellbeing author Ben Channon on our Happy Homes podcast. “It can even be used to combat anxiety and depression.” Their growing popularity has also increased what we know about looking after houseplants, meaning less stress and more benefits.
Listen to the full podcast episode with mental-wellbeing expert, Ben Channon.
Earthy, muted shades.
Bringing nature inside doesn’t always mean bringing nature inside. Often we can capture the essence of nature within our design choices, reaping the calming and cosy effects they bring into our everyday lives. One simple way to do this is with colour.
Muted earthy shades (browns, greens, creams, maroons) will continue to grow in popularity as homeowners look to increase their home’s connection to nature. We already see these colours in the increasingly popular ‘country style kitchen’, but expect to see earthy colours spread into living rooms, bedrooms and other function rooms throughout 2022.
Cottagecore
For some, a country style kitchen is simply not enough. Cottagecore pursues a greatly romanticised, whimsical idea of life in the countryside. Inside the home this looks very traditional, with antique or reclaimed furniture throughout, fresh cut flowers, lots of wood, porcelain, brass and copper, and maybe even the odd archaic technological device, like a gramophone or typewriter.
In response to the Coronavirus pandemic, it is predicted there will be a migration of city dwellers escaping busy city streets to find solace in more rural communities. Some have even suggested the London population could fall in 2022 for the first time in 30 years. Cottagecore is no doubt the escapist fantasy many of those fleeing will be dreaming of, and something to look out for in the coming months and years.
Paula Sutton of @hillhousevintage has gathered a mass online following posting about her idealistic Cottagecore lifestyle.
Broken-plan
For a long time, open and broken-plan have been battling it out for the top spot in our most popular layouts. Open-plan, with it’s large communal spaces, is undoubtedly on top. But that could all be about to change.
The multifunctionality of the modern home often results in a number of activities going on in different parts of the house. A limitation of open-plan is the lack of boundaries separating these activities. Broken-plan addresses this, keeping some of the preferred features of the open-plan layout while introducing boundaries and parameters. These might be glass partitions, partial walls, glass and sliding doors, just to name a few.
This dining room and kitchen are separated by large sliding doors, allowing for optional privacy. Project by Team Resi.
Maximalism
Maximalism has been the darkhorse of interior design for a while now, popping up infrequently in the homes of the few brave enough to attempt it. As the name suggests, maximalism is related to the better-known minimalism. Instead of getting rid of belongings and simplifying colour schemes, maximalism embraces mayhem, organising and displaying in a way that is excessive, quirky, and stylish.
Though very few seem to have committed to this unique interior styling, our designers think that more will be inclined to give it a go after being stuck at home for so long. What do you think? Is 2022 the year of the maximalists?
A crazy array of shapes, colour and texture combine in this beautiful maximalist dining room.
Were you planning to implement some of these trends into your home in 2022? Maybe you want to stay off trend and do your own thing? Whatever your style, it’s important you get the very best professionals on board.
At Resi, our unique Connect service puts you in contact with reliable and vetted professionals in your local area. So whether you’re after a trustworthy interior stylist, or the very best builder, get in touch with our team today!
