The story below is from our March/April 2022 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!
Try these six trends in wall coverings, paint and decor to enliven your home.
Design trends come in lightning fast, and often leave just as quickly. If you want to update your home to reflect the times without going full bore, here are some ways to freshen your walls with 2022 flavor.
Embrace bold, saturated colors
If a home full of gray is giving you the blues, you aren’t alone. Palettes are becoming richer, bolder and warmer, and many designers speculate it’s the result of nearly three years in pandemic purgatory – we want to feel inspired at home, and color is a means to that end.
“Magenta, clay, peacock blue, oche and other really saturated colors are high on the trend list right now,” says Abby Hostetler, who aids homeowners in creating inspiring spaces through her own firm, Enhance. “I still have clients that are asking for gray, and I’m often steering them to a warmer palette, even if they favor neutrals.”
Try it: If you are shy about color, paint a powder room, laundry closet or guest room a bold hue. You won’t spend enough time there to grow tired of it.
Don’t neglect the ceiling
Interior designer Edith-Anne Duncan, who elevates the homes of Roanoke clients through her design firm out of Blacksburg, says the ceiling is the fifth wall, and should be considered in the overall room plan. If you want a subtle treatment, Duncan likes a very soft blush pink or blue tone, but some ceilings call for more.
“You can wallpaper the ceiling with a bold paper, or a neutral paper with a texture,” explains Duncan. “It might be appropriate to add beams or beadboard, or you can add a trellis effect with treillage to the ceiling as well.” In a current project at Smith Mountain Lake, Duncan is having cerused oak beams installed on the kitchen and dining area ceiling to warm up the space and echo the casual feel.
If you have low ceilings, frequent in older homes, try painting the walls, trim and ceiling in the same hue, or paint the walls and trim in white with a pale blue ceiling, which will provide a visual lift.
Try it: Paint a neglected ceiling on a covered outdoor porch or interior in Benjamin Moore’s Constellation, a classic pale blue.
Hang a mirror in an unexpected place
Hostetler loves to use mirrors in her design schemes. “It can make a cramped space look larger, and they also make a nice accent over a dresser or a bed,” she says. “In an entry, they can reflect light coming through the door.”
Be mindful of what the mirror reflects, however; it should be something you want to see, like a chandelier, lamp, or piece of art that hangs opposite. If you don’t have a pleasant view, try a convex or antiqued mirror, which still reflect light. A way to use mirrors that feels decidedly 2022 is to hang one where it feels unexpected. Hostetler hung a starburst mirror in her kitchen, gracing a stone column. “There aren’t a lot of windows in that area, and it reflects light from a hanging pendant,” she explains.
Try it: Living area decor is moving into the kitchen in 2022, so hang a decorative mirror in yours if you have space, or hang one on the wall in a covered patio/outdoor kitchen or screened porch.
Try a gallery wall, but make it chic
Gallery walls are not a new trend, but how you install one can make it feel current. The grid design that has been popular can still feel of the moment, depending on the subject matter (dried florals, for example, for an organic touch), but a collected grouping that evolves over time hits all the right notes in this design climate.
“I love a gallery wall, particularly for a client that can’t afford large scale art,” notes Hostetler, who likes to make them feel personal. She’ll often add shadow boxes and 3D items, like a steer head she found at a flea market, which is incorporated in a gallery wall in her own home.
“I like the spontaneity of a wall that can evolve over time, so when you find something you can add it to an empty spot without having to redo the entire thing, which is impossible in a grid format,” Hostetler notes, who advises to start with the largest anchor piece, slightly off center, and place items on the wall from biggest to smallest.
Try it: Gather some items you already have, like concert tickets and treasured photos, and scour flea markets for items that speak to you. Unique small mirrors, clocks, antique record covers and maps of cities significant to your history can be fun additions.
Ship out shiplap for updated paneling
We can thank or curse Joanna Gaines for the shiplap movement, but all signs point to shiplap moving out of our homes and back to the farm(house). However, wall paneling is a trend designers are firmly behind. The look is evolving to more traditional paneling, like picture-frame molding and elaborate crown molding, and board and batten paneling. Wall (and ceiling) designs using molding in greek key, square grid and other patterns are on-trend, too.
“I recently saw a suggestion to add picture-frame paneling to a wall, and then wallpaper inside of those panels so that the wallpaper functions more like a piece of art, but the pattern isn’t as overwhelming as going from floor to ceiling,” says Hostetler, who says adding paneling to a new build is a great way to add in character.
Try it: If you or a partner are handy and experienced with a saw, a grid pattern using molding on an accent wall, like behind a bed, is a feasible DIY project, and Internet tutorials abound.
Mural wallcoverings make a statement
Wallpaper came to America in the mid-1700s, imported from England. Since that time it has gone in and out of popular fashion in America’s homes, but it’s been back, in a big way, for several years. So popular, in fact, that you can now find DIY peel and stick varieties at big box stores.
“It’s true that wallpaper has been around forever, but is very popular right now for adding texture, interest and a layer of warmth to any room,” notes Duncan, who says that classic scenic papers and large-scale murals are having a moment. While these were once at an eye-popping price point, Duncan says there are now options to suit any budget, from hand-painted to digital versions – along with the peel and stick varieties.
“When you are able to show an entire scene, it has a big impact in the room,” says Duncan, who installed a blue and white scenic paper in her own home.
Try it: Browse the Internet or enlist a designer to help you choose a mural scene that feels on point for your home, and give it a go down a hallway, in your entry, or on a single wall as an accent.
The story above is from our March/April 2022. For more stories, subscribe today or view our FREE digital edition. Thank you for supporting local journalism!