2012 design directions

Tomorrow is Three Kings Day! As a child, I looked to it as my last hurrah for more Christmas “earnings,” as I’d wake up to the sight of my shoes that I set upon my window sill the night before, partially filled with coins dropped by the three Magi as they rode their way back home from Bethlehem—or so says the story upholding this old Hispanic tradition.

At this age, I look to Three Kings Day as the official closing of the Christmas season, and the true beginning of anything that has to do with the year ahead. After this last celebration, schoolwork kicks in, work shifts into high gear, and we’re back into the full swing of our everyday realities and our every-now-and-then reality checks that probably peaked in our consciousness right before New Year’s Eve blasted in.

Design directions

A large part of my reality check is determining how the industry I’m in will move forward into the coming year. Gazing back and trending forward, here’s my take of 2012’s design directions:

Personal decorating. As people search for more ways to express themselves, their spaces become a canvas on which they can paint their likes and dislikes, decorate with their favorite pieces, and in many other ways, stamp on their seal of uniqueness. Personal decorating is liberating because there are no rules, no designer to impose their likes on you, and it considers preferences that are all collectively and exclusively yours! What may feel like your space might feel considerably alien to others, but that is essentially what personal styling is all about: your style, your tastes and your identity—all of the good and the bad.

Luxurious environments. We work so hard and put up with the rat race, and at the end of the day, all we want is to spoil ourselves. Nothing wrong with that, really. Luxury need not be expensive, and a certain degree of indulgence can actually do us more good than harm. Because we have an increased longing for quality in our lives, we try to make our spaces more indulgent and enjoyable. Materials like glass, mirror, exotic timber; luxurious fabrics like lustrous silks and plush velvets; painted finishes like high-shine lacquer and rich metallic coatings, solid metallic material in contemporary anodised and mirrored finishes—all contribute to that sense of luxury. Thanks to China and the lower cost of production, these materials have  become more popular and definitely also more accessible.

The luxury of space. Space has become a luxury as our cities become more crowded, and the easily accessed or centrally located living and work spaces become more scarce and expensive. Thus, we are (painfully, for some) learning to part with our things, de-clutter, give away and minimize anything that occupies a little too much of our precious space. Treatments to create the illusion of expansiveness will become even more popular: streamlined furniture, high ceilings within small rooms, clean and lean window treatments, large window openings, full wall mirrors, transparent or translucent walls, and simply, less of anything, and more of space.

Expanded and multi-use spaces. Another design direction we see continuously evolving is that of the expanded space. Spaces are continually being maximized and designed to be used for multiple purposes: lounge areas double as dining spaces, kitchen nooks are used by the lady of the house as her work center, daytime TV rooms are used as study rooms in the evenings, and as guest rooms on occasion. In the workplace, meeting rooms are—in the spur of a moment—converted into workspaces for transient workers; training rooms morph into workstations, meeting rooms, and even dining spaces. Aside from having multiple uses, spaces are laid out to flow from one into another, eliminating any compartmentalization and creating—aside from flexibility—the illusion of even more space.

High contrast textures. We just can’t help but look for that oomph! So while we de-clutter our spaces, we don’t want to live within the dull flatness of un-accentuated living. Even within the backdrop of a plain and monochromatic palette, a contrast of textures gives design elements their own definition and character, and allows them to stand out and play with all other elements to create points of interest: with glass we have plush fabrics; with plain walls we have heavily textured artwork or art installations, or wood veneers with heavy graining; with large plain floors we have heavily textured stone walls.  Imagine: had it been all white, the textures alone can create visual interest and excitement.

So after ringing in the new year and officially closing out 2011 for good, I’m still guessing at what 2012 will bring. Despite the directions we’re seeing in design, for any earth-shaking design revolutions for the year, your guess is as good as mine.

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