by Paula M. Bodah
what’s new and refreshed for this season of interior design
If all that time spent at home in the past year and a half has you thinking it’s time for a bit of a makeover, we have expert advice on the latest interior design trends from three area professionals.
Color Commentary
Earth tones are making a welcome return, says Santa Fe designer Emily Henry. “We’re moving out of misty, cool blues and grays into burnt rose, cinnamons and tans for paint and fabrics,” she says. “This is fabulous for us in the Southwest. The earthy colors fit right in with our landscape and look so beautiful in our adobe homes.”
While deeper hues in paints and fabrics are gaining in popularity, Henry notes that the trend in wood tones is moving in a lighter direction. “Dark-stained wood is transitioning toward more honey-toned finishes,” she says. She’s currently updating a kitchen by replacing the dark faux-walnut cabinetry with a light-stained knotty oak.
When it comes to accents, black is back in a big way, says Arielle Cofer of Bright Ideas, Inc., in Albuquerque, replacing the cooler silvery tones that once reigned. “Nickel is kind of fading away,” she says, “almost every house is getting into black as a main finish now.”
Shed a Little Light
For a time, Cofer says, minimalism was the word in lighting. She’s happy to report a return to more decorative lighting. Wall sconces, for instance, are enjoying a big comeback. “With LEDs, sconces can be really unique, not the typical glass shade over a lightbulb,” Cofer says. “They don’t even have to extend from the wall.”
Along with black, brass is back in favor for light fixtures. “It’s a warmer, aged tone, not the shiny gold brass we all got rid of in the ’90s,” says Cofer, making it a good companion for the earthy colors Henry sees trending. And lest you think brass means a return to the traditional, Cofer assures us the metal is well-suited to more contemporary design.
Pendant lights, which have long been a popular choice for kitchen task lighting, are now replacing table and floor lamps. “It’s not uncommon to see them hanging over an end table or coffee table in the living room,” Cofer says.
Details, Details
The sleek, smooth surfaces of contemporary design are giving way to a more tactile, textural sensibility, the experts say. Plush wools and nubby bouclés add warmth to contemporary, clean-lined furniture, Santa Fe interior designer Emily Henry is seeing a shift from dark woods to honey-toned finishes in both furnishings and cabinetry as well as softer, warmer colors for walls and fabrics. says Henry, while wood surfaces get extra interest from texturizing treatments like cerusing or wire brushing.
Jeff Fenton and Chris Martinez, owners of Reside Home, a Santa Fe-based interior design firm and home furnishings showroom, see a trend away from adhering to one style. “Don’t be afraid to pair the old with the new, the found with the purchased, the rough with the shimmering, the boldly patterned with the subtle,” Fenton advises. In his own home, he has always displayed an ornate 19th-century mirror from his childhood home. “That mirror has found a place of importance in every home, as a complement or a contrast to my design theme, and it has always worked.”
And in the end, that, rather than a specific trend, is what counts. Fenton says, “A collection of our experiences and a reflection of our journey framed by pieces and people we love—that’s what home is.”
resources
Emily Henry Interiors
Bright Ideas, Inc.
lightingfordesign.com
Reside Home
