A few years ago, the coronavir­us swept across the coun­try and brought about a marked change in home liv­ing trends: In addi­tion to design aspects, con­sumers are now pla­cing increas­ing value on nat­ur­al­ness and sus­tain­ab­il­ity. They want qual­ity mater­i­als and col­ors that are not only healthy and cozy to live with, but at the same time also look good.

Caused by the out­er cir­cum­stances of the pan­dem­ic, there was a trend toward “cocoon­ing”, that means the desire to stay “nes­ted up” at home. This trend is often inspired by the Scand­inavi­an hygge life­style, which springs from the desire for a slower pace of life. This high­er propensity for “slow liv­ing” and for more sus­tain­ab­il­ity con­tin­ues to this day – coupled with a great­er appre­ci­ation for our pre­cious nature. An atti­tude that often goes hand in hand with a pref­er­ence for nat­ur­al mater­i­als and earthy col­ors: wood, lin­en, rat­tan, and bam­boo are cur­rently in vogue. They are com­bined with soft col­ors such as ter­ra­cotta, sage green, sand, or beige, which cre­ate a cozy, calm­ing atmo­sphere.

The nat­ur­al build­ing mater­i­al wood in par­tic­u­lar remains omni­present in a wide vari­ety of forms and designs. Ini­tially used in the kit­chen, fur­niture fronts equipped with a grooved struc­ture are now also increas­ingly found in din­ing and liv­ing areas. The ver­tic­al wood slats give cab­in­ets and side­boards a nat­ur­al look. The slat­ted look is also a wel­come vari­ation in the design of walls and ceil­ings. When it comes to wood types, oak is still the spe­cies of choice. It is cur­rently also used with a rough-sawn sur­face. Knots and nat­ur­al cracks in the wood are very much in demand. Reclaimed beech wood with its dis­tinct­ive, rus­tic look is quite pop­u­lar, often with a gray fin­ish. Also, vin­tage fur­niture remains highly pop­u­lar. As a con­trast to earthy green tones, pas­tel col­ors are exper­i­en­cing a reviv­al, espe­cially shades of rose and apricot. Upholstered fur­niture in these col­ors can be com­bined well with sand-colored sur­faces.

Nat­ur­al­ness is also key when it comes to floor cov­er­ings. Col­ors like gray, beige or “greige”, a mix­ture of both, are very suc­cess­ful. Many build­ing own­ers and ren­ov­at­ors par­tic­u­larly appre­ci­ate floor designs where the nat­ur­al col­or of the wood is still vis­ible. The sandy col­or makes the wood floor look fash­ion­ably aged – even if it is new. Open-pore sur­face treat­ments with oil and wax are par­tic­u­larly trendy. Matte oils – col­or­less or trans­par­ent – can be applied in such a way that the wood looks untreated but still has sur­face pro­tec­tion. Design­ers are even exper­i­ment­ing with anthra­cite and black tones.