One of our favorite things about each new year, is planning our gardens and tweaking our design style.
This year, the Pinterest 100 – 100 of the most-pinned trends from the last few months – has clued us in to some of the hottest, most shared trends in home and garden:
2016 Home Trends
Is your home ready for an update?
Color Palette: Neutral Duality
What do you get when you mix black and white, geometric patterns, gentle accent colors, and organic elements? The favorite home interior palette for 2016, which chicly blends black and white to achieve a look that manages to be both warm and welcoming.
If black and white are hot, then so is their lovechild: gray. Home décor experts are calling gunmetal, slate and other dark grays the hot color of the year – as long as you dress it up with some seriously bold, seriously punchy accent colors. The overall look is cool, calm and collected, but your personality will still shine through in each accessory.
And speaking of pops of color, statement-making bold accent pillows will continue to be a trend in 2016. (They were already hot in 2015.) Choose stunning prints or bright graphics, and don’t be afraid to mix ’em up depending on the mood, the season or any other excuse you can invent.
Clean, Scandinavian Design
Were clean lines and minimalist design ever out of style? Maybe not, but they’re on the fast-track to super-star status this year.
By now, the trend is becoming clear: 2016 will be a year of neutral backdrops, spiced up with bold accents that could only work with minimalist everything else. And one of those accents: artwork, décor and textiles either hailing from, or drawing inspiration from countries throughout the African continent.
You know those micro-homes you see all over the TV and Internet? We may not want to live in one, but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn something from their tiny spaces: smart, space-saving organization that means more efficient, more enjoyable living.
2016 Garden Trends
Now we really can’t wait for spring to bloom!
Trend We Can’t Quite Love: Fire Escape Escapes
Let’s get this one out of the way: fire escape escapes made the list this year, and while they’re beautiful we can’t quite get on board. Why not? Well, there’s a reason that building codes prohibit putting anything on a fire escape: they’re escape routes. Any obstruction could be dangerous. That said, we love the idea of filling small spaces with flowers and greenery. Our suggestions? Try a window box, a ledge, or hanging planters.
Native (aka Low-Water) Gardens
Drought-prone areas have long been hip to this trend, but now everyone’s jumping on the bandwagon. (And we love it.) Basically, the idea is to populate your gardens with plants native to your area. The rationale: they know how to survive under normal, year-round conditions, so once they’re established you won’t have to waste water on your landscaping. Plus, they’re beautiful. Win-win.
Raise your hand if you’ve ever lovingly and painstakingly tended your garden (especially a veggie garden) for months, only to lose your produce to stray and wild animals. Us, too. Enter raised garden beds: pretty boxes that will protect your seedlings and plants, so you can enjoy the fruits of your labors.
Have you ever hacked your own garden? We’re talking things like pot-in-pot landscaping, easy container gardens, upcycled seed starters, and grinding leftover eggshells to infuse your earth with calcium. Welcome to 2016.
Growing, Then Preserving Your Own Herbs
What gardener hasn’t worried over how to use pounds of fresh rosemary, sage or oregano? This year, don’t sacrifice your too-much-to-use-immediately herbs to frost; preserve them!
What home & garden trends are you most exited for this year?