Tips for a trendy and natural design of your living space

A few years ago, the coronavir­us swept across the coun­try. Since then, con­sumers have been pla­cing more and more value on nat­ur­al­ness and sus­tain­ab­il­ity in their own homes – in addi­tion to design aspects. Our expert explains which qual­ity mater­i­als and col­ors are in demand that ensure com­fort and healthy liv­ing while also look­ing good.

Caused by the out­er cir­cum­stances of the pan­dem­ic, there was a marked trend toward “cocoon­ing”, which means the desire to stay “nes­ted up” at home. This trend is often inspired by the Scand­inavi­an hygge life­style, which springs from the long­ing for a slower pace of life. This high­er inclin­a­tion towards “slow liv­ing” and more sus­tain­ab­il­ity con­tin­ues to this day – coupled with a great­er appre­ci­ation for nature and its pre­ser­va­tion.

Tip 1: Natural materials and earthy colors

 Try nat­ur­al mater­i­als and earthy col­ors: wood, lin­en, rat­tan, and bam­boo are cur­rently in vogue. They can be com­bined with soft col­ors such as ter­ra­cotta, sage green, sand, or beige to cre­ate a cozy, calm­ing atmo­sphere. Wood, in par­tic­u­lar, is a nat­ur­al build­ing mater­i­al that is avail­able in a wide vari­ety of forms and designs and there­fore offers numer­ous design options. Grooved fur­niture fronts were ini­tially used in the kit­chen, but are now increas­ingly found in din­ing and liv­ing areas. The ver­tic­al 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 pop­u­lar wood types, oak remains at the top of the list. It is cur­rently being used with a rough-sawn sur­face. Knots and nat­ur­al cracks in the wood are also very much in demand. Reclaimed beech wood with its dis­tinct­ive, rus­tic look is quite trendy and often comes with a gray fin­ish. At the same time, vin­tage fur­niture remains highly pop­u­lar. As a con­trast to earthy green tones, pas­tel col­ors are exper­i­en­cing a renais­sance, espe­cially shades of rose and apricot. Be bold and com­bine upholstered fur­niture in these shades with sand-colored sur­faces. 

Tip 2: Innovative floor design

Nat­ur­al­ness is also key when it comes to floor cov­er­ings. Col­ors like gray, beige or “greige,” a mix­ture of both, are very pop­u­lar. Take a look at floor designs where the nat­ur­al col­or and grain of the wood are 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.