10 Interior Design Trends for 2024

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December is now upon us, and with another year gone, we look forward to seeing what’s in store for 2024.

While some may think a new year can be scary, the design world goes against the fear and fully embraces what is in the unknown. As new trends emerge and others fade out, we discover new ways to decorate, create, innovate and most importantly, live!

At La-Z-Boy, for example, there have been quite a few changes to how we see comfort in our furniture stores in Ottawa and Kingston. Zeina Badawi, the interior designer for La-Z-Boy Kanata, has noted new changes from 2023 for living room furniture and expects new interior design trends for 2024.

With her help, we have compiled a list of the top 10 interior design trends to look out for in 2024.

In This Article…

1. Out with Neutral and in with the Bold
2. Dark and Moody vs. Smooth and Soft
3. Expressive Greens
4. A More Tactile Home
5. Modern Vintage Home Style
6. Postmodern Home Styles
7. Embracing Nature Indoors
8. Statement vs. Natural Lighting
9. Keeping Up with Upcycling
10. Multifunctional & Downsizing

1. Out with the Neutral and in with the Bold

Have you ever heard of the saying, “Out with the Old and in with the new?” Well, in this version, neutral tones and colours in households are getting the interior design boot, in favour of bolder colour trends.

What this means is neutral tones like greys and beiges are less preferred as the years go on. But, why is that? What is making people feel like changing the look of their homes to create more dynamic looks?

Colours play a huge effect on how we see a home. Certain colours we see in our daily lives make us feel something in our subconscious, even if we aren’t aware of it. 

If you were to enter a room with neutral wall colours, you might think there’s isn’t anything special about it, since everything blends in together. However, if you were to step into a room with a dark green wall colour, you might have a bit more of a reaction in your mind about this room. 

In fact, it might even be the reason why you remember this room later on when you haven’t seen it in a while. Colours play a huge act in our homes and how you convey your room with a colour will make guests perceive your room a certain way, thus making it more memorable.

2. Dark and Moody vs. Smooth and Soft

Just as much as bold wall colours are becoming more popular, soft and airy wall colours are also entering people’s homes at a fast rate, too. Blush tones like pink and coral tones are becoming increasingly popular in colour trends, with some people even going as bold as to create an all-white living room.

However, there seems to be a large contrast between what people like in terms of their colour schemes. While some may prefer a light and airy feel to their room, others are showing off more dark and moody colours within their living areas.

“I find there isn’t much of an in-between in terms of people going for neutral colours this year; it’s either light or dark and it’s going to continue to become more divisive,” Zeina adds.

Interestingly, even neutral colours like grey, are either showing off a bold or soft tone in people’s homes, more so than ever before. 

3. Expressive Greens

In our design trend article from last year, we mentioned Restorative Blues dominating as the most popular colour to use in people’s homes. While blues are still popular amongst colour trends, we’re seeing a shift in naturality and showing a more impressionable side to the colour green.

Yes, expressive greens are taking the spotlight in interior design trends for 2024. But, you might be wondering, what is considered an expressive green colour?

Well… any green can be considered an expressive green colour! The term expressive is essentially trying to convey some type of thought or emotion behind your idea. This answer somewhat describes the main idea of what some people are going for when leaning towards either light or dark colours.

Are you trying to create a room that feels uplifting, welcoming, stylish or all of the above? As you choose the colour green, the way you make it expressive is by layering it with other furniture pieces and colourful wall art that either contrast or complement each other.

A great example of some expressive greens–and coincidentally dark and moody tones–from this year in Ottawa is the latest Minto Dream Home, which included a dramatic colour palette with a rich green and gold colour combination spread across the house.

4. A More Tactile Home

As we approach the new year in a dramatic way, we are also noticing more layers in people’s homes. What we mean by this is people are creating more cozy spaces by adding more textures and patterns to their living room furniture and decor.

“It’s more textures than patterns, but we’re seeing lots of thick weaves in throws and pillows, and even unconventional textures like rattan, which is a basket-weaved look,” Zeina says.

Adding more textures in your home can help create a cozy look, especially when adding linens, which is a popular trend at the moment. Matching pillows and linens to your furniture can also help with a cohesive look, without it becoming a chaotic mess of different coloured blankets everywhere.

Another big texture people love to play around with is leather, which has seen a resurgence in recent years. While some of us may prefer fabric over leather, some leather colours like cognac have made people reconsider their upholstery options. 

You can also learn about mixing and matching fabric and leather with this article.

5. Modern Vintage Home Style

While modern and traditional styles seem to be drastically different styles, we’re starting to see the two becoming more and more blended. 

While some may prefer comfortable living room furniture, like a sofa with rolled arms and button-tufted backs, others may prefer a sofa with tapered flat arms and deep seats. But what if those pieces were to combine some of their characteristics and still create a cohesive look?

With modern vintage designs, we are seeing this! Homeowners are also creating new purposes out of older furniture pieces and giving them new life with their contemporary furniture styles. 

Mixing modern vintage decor and modern furniture can help create a room that speaks from the heart, giving off a more unique and interesting room overall.

Some modern vintage furniture styles at La-Z-Boy can include, the Leah, the Paxton and our newest Montrose Sectional.

6. Postmodern Home Styles

Contrasting the previous section, post-modern homes are also keeping up with the design trends this year. 

Postmodernism features an eclectic and colourful style of architecture that started to take place in the 1970s. The main characteristics of these houses include curved forms of architecture, eliminating the squared and angular styles we are so familiar with.

These curved designs are either inspired by old structures or designed by a new idea altogether. An example of an older design coming back thanks to postmodern homes is curved arches in entryways. 

“Furniture and decor are also becoming more curved,” Zeina says. Curves help create a sense of softness that is easy on the eye, whereas sharp edges create more of an intense approach that some may not find enjoyable.

Postmodern homes also derive from the norm by incorporating conventional materials, such as adding glass doors and opening up rooms that would potentially be left unseen.

7. Embracing Nature Indoors

Continuing from our last point, postmodernism has seen a drastic increase in natural-inspired materials being used indoors. From the biggest furniture incorporating dark wood tones, to even the smallest decor piece taking on a coral shape, we are seeing a lot of homes taking inspiration from places in nature.

Certain themes Zeina has been noticing are living aesthetics taking on a green and brown combination, which takes homage to deep woodland environments, and even oceanic blues and coral oranges that create the best underwater-inspired home.

Some examples of home decor ideas that some people have used id incorporating either real or fake plants within their rooms, which have proven to help reduce stress, allergies and productivity. 

For sea-inspired rooms, certain homes have used patterned tiles that are reminiscent of sea glass, as well as detailed tabletop ornaments that resemble shells and coral. People also use colourful wall art to help accentuate a running theme.

Natural living spaces also include more sustainable materials that are better for the environment. For example, La-Z-Boy has a line of Eco-Friendly Fabrics that are completely made out of plastic water bottles.

8. Statement vs. Natural Lighting

Still trending from last year, living room lighting has contributed to many other design trends over the years, including some on this list. However, statement lighting is also entering the limelight again, creating more bold and interesting pieces that help contribute to the design of a home.

Zeina states that traditional and contemporary lighting in living rooms, dining rooms, and bedrooms have become very popular. “We’re not talking about just chandeliers or ceiling lights,” she says, “we’re also referring to lights on the walls like sconces or even dynamic lamps and pendant lights that pull from a postmodernist feel.”

Lighting is everything in a room. Whether it is dark outside or bright, we rely on light to create a happier mindset for all of us. The type of lighting you choose can help decide how your room looks, if you have a more nature-inspired room with large windows, perhaps natural lighting could be your best friend. 

If you love decor and looking for something unique, statement lighting might be your preferred choice. 

9. Keeping Up with Upcycling

As previously mentioned, modern vintage homes are taking off with older pieces blending in with newer furniture styles. But, some people have even gone as far as repurposing older living room furniture pieces and turning them into something new. 

This type of activity is called upcycling. The idea to Upcycle furniture has become increasingly popular as the years go by, and there doesn’t seem to be anything stopping it soon. This type of furniture reuse is a way of keeping older furniture pieces from ending up in landfills. 

While they may lack some of the higher quality and durability of newer furniture pieces, upcycle furniture is most likely already made of sustainable materials, which helps these pieces last the test of time.

La-Z-Boy is very familiar with creating sustainable furniture pieces, eventually becoming family heirlooms themselves. To learn more about Buying Old vs New Furniture, take a look at this article.

10. Multifunctional & Downsizing

Last but certainly not least, this trend also comes from a past design trend that we covered last year. Multifunctional furniture has always been a popular trend for homeowners to purchase. 

With so many furniture pieces to choose from, incorporating more than one use to a furniture piece can not only be space-saving in a living room but can sometimes be cheaper than purchasing two separate items.

Some great examples include ottomans with storage and sofa beds.

But, along with multifunctional spaces, some people have considered downsizing, creating a less is more approach to your lifestyle.

As the pandemic gave us time to reflect on our homes, this year’s main topic of discussion has been inflation, which is affecting a lot of people in many different ways. Downsizing into a smaller home has not only made certain people feel more cozy in a space but has also relieved pocketbooks as well since they are more affordable. 

To learn more about multifunctional spaces, take a look at this article.

What's Next?

Now that you are up to speed with the 2024 interior design trends, it is up to you to decide which design trend speaks to you. 

If you’re interested in any of these trendy ideas, there is no better place to start than by talking to an interior designer. 

La-Z-Boy has expert interior designers eager to lend a helping hand with your home design. Make sure to check out any of our La-Z-Boy furniture stores in Ottawa  Kingston or book an appointment before coming in.

La-Z-Boy Ottawa & Kingston also offers good quality living room furniture that will help emphasize your taste and design. Make sure to check out some of our best-selling articles to get ideas on what may pique your interest.

• Best-Selling Recliners at La-Z-Boy
• Best-Selling Sofas at La-Z-Boy
• Best-Selling Sectional Sofas at La-Z-Boy

If you’re curious about other interior design trends, take a look at our design trends of previous years for 2023, 2022 and 2021.

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