Top 5 trendy interior design styles for apartments.
Spring is just around the corner. In just over two weeks we will be entering a season characterised by new life and change. An impactful way to materialise this yearly shift into your own life is by simulating a new beginning in your own house, simply by switching up the interior design style of your home environment. The effect of interior design goes far beyond aesthetic value. The atmosphere created through the specific ways colour scheme, furniture design and lighting choices interact with one another has been proven to directly influence our mood and demeanour. Our previous article, 2022 Colour Trends, explores how specific colours and hues can directly evoke certain emotions. In this way, changing the current design style of your interior may not only be a fun spring activity, but also a great way to nurture the mindset you wish to embody when transitioning into this new chapter of 2022.
Although interior design is important in all home environments, it can have a significant impact and be particularly effective in apartment spaces with less square footage. Interior styles can be designed to transform a space, for example to make it appear larger or to establish different ‘sections’ within an open plan layout. Mixing styles in different areas can also create a very exciting dynamic and help avoid monotony as you move throughout the space.
Top 5 trendy interior design styles perfect for apartments.
The following 5 interior design styles are of course not an exhaustive list, but they do undoubtably make up some the trendiest design styles of the moment. At the end of this article you will find AKKA’s Interior Design Style Guide, which you can download , our spring gift to you! The guide features 9 iconic design styles, only some of which are mentioned here.
1. ART DECO
Image source: MODSY
The Art-deco style originated in France 100 years ago and became iconic when it arrived in America in the 1920s. It is characterised by the use of plush material like velvet as well as gorgeous marbles and brass finishes which create an undeniably luxurious atmosphere. This ornate style is based on symmetry and is composed using strong geometric patterns and shapes. This could be the perfect style for you if you are drawn to rich dark colours such as deep greens, blues, purples and blacks. If you enjoy these darker hues but have concerns about the space becoming too heavy, you may wish to opt for a more modern approach to the art deco style, where bright light palettes are accented with pops of bold colour instead.
2. INDUSTRIAL
Image source: Home Designing
If you live in a city like Amsterdam, where a lot of old industrial heritage buildings have been converted into residential apartments, you could embrace that with an industrial style. You could choose to highlight this aspect even more by choosing warm tones and wood, exposed brick and steel to convey an unfinished yet put together raw look to your space. You could even choose to not conceal cabling and wiring. Often this can be used as an eclectic theme for your home. Abstract art on the walls, further enhances this style. Dark furniture, black grills for your windows and Edison bulbs are other elements you could choose if this is the style that calls out to you.
3. RUSTIC
Image source: Homedit
There are several variations of the rustic style, including Tuscan, costal, cottage and modern rustic1. Whichever you lean toward depends on the desired atmosphere you wish to achieve in your home, but what they all share in common is the feeling of natural beauty. This style is ideal for lovers of nature who wish to bring the outdoors in. A strongly characteristic material of the rustic style is raw wood which features well as ceiling beams and/or as trim around windows and fireplaces. If you wish to incorporate metal features into your rustic interior, opt for non-shiny, potentially repurposed materials. Incorporating lots of rugs and limiting the access of natural light will create a cosier ‘log-cabin’ atmosphere whereas exposed floors and large windows will provide an airy, outdoor feeling.
4. SCANDINAVIAN
Image source: InteriorZine
The Scandinavian interior style includes a lot of natural light, minimalist yet modern furniture and basic colour palettes, including a lot of blacks and whites and accent colours. If this is your style, choose cozy muted colours such as off whites, sepias, deep maroons and browns, and materials such as wood and leather. Since this style focuses mainly on creating cozy and comfortable interiors with small pops of colours. Mix soft rugs, linen sheets, wool blankets, and accent cushions in your space. Multiples of graphic paintings on the walls, abstract bedside lights and candle stands, metal finishes and ceramic vases help throw the whole look together.
5. MID-CENTURY MODERN
If you are inspired by the styles of the 1950-60s, Mid Century Modern could be the style for your home. Opt for easy-to-use contemporary de- signs that mainly focus on functionality. Abstract and organic shapes both works well with this style, so you could choose to go for clean lines and/or curved forms. You could pick asymmetrical geometric patterns for the decorative items in your space such as rugs, paintings, and wallpaper. Metals, plywood and medium toned colours such as browns are good choices for this style. Experiment with round globe lights, pendant lights, or even brass fixtures, to have a perfect mid-century modern space.
As mentioned earlier mixing interior design styles can prove incredibly useful for creating a desired effect without making any significant structural changes in the space, such as constructing or demolishing walls for example. However when curated without design sensitivity, the space does then run the risk of appearing fragmented or chaotic, or too rigid, or even impersonal like something out of a magazine but that lacks your personal touch. This is why we would always recommend to only use known interior design styles as a starting point to then find your own unique take or combinations.
Some of the styles featured in our 2022 interior design style guide, such as Traditional and Scandinavian for example, would prove challenging to make coherent in proximity to one another. If you are someone who is drawn to the unique possibilities of combining design styles to craft an exciting living experience, but you are unsure how to create the perfect balance in combining different styles, we highly recommend you get an architect or interior designer on board for your project. They will provide the expertise you need to design a space which is unique but still well-designed, functional and aesthetically coherent.
If you need advice on interior design styles or are planning on building or renovating your home and would like some help, get in touch with us. We would be happy to help with any questions you may have.
