4 Design Trends for 2022

home office with laptop on dark desk in front of built in bookshelves

The past few years have shaken up the design world. Gone are the days when your home had to look exactly the same in order for it to be considered popular and on-trend. For better or worse, aesthetics have diversified dramatically.

The upside is that you have more choices than ever. The downside is potential overwhelm. Let yourself off the hook by remembering this is all about your preferences! If you see a design trend you love, jump on it. If there's nothing that really speaks to you more than your current style, that's okay too.

With that in mind, here are some popular design trends you can expect to see next year.

1. Safe Spaces

large bathtub in green bathroom

With our homes being used for more things than ever before, you're going to see a rise in relaxing spaces built right into the home. If you found yourself missing your favorite spa or yoga studio during the lockdown, hold onto your crystals because this trend is for you.

These calming spaces can be a dedicated room or a revamped bathroom made to feel calming and luxurious. Even on a small budget, you can incorporate calming items into your decor so that you feel more relaxed when you're at home.

Tiny libraries also fall into this category so bookworms, get excited about this too. We've seen spare closets turned into beautiful built-ins and little libraries with cozy couches pop up more and more recently, and this trend is predicted to peak this year.

2. Cozy Home Offices

Home offices are also having a moment, and with more and more businesses going fully remote for good, you can expect the home office to become more of a staple in future builds.

Home office trends to watch for in 2022 included ditching shared spaces for dedicated office spaces, darker colors in the office, lots of texture and vintage items, and built-in bookshelves.

Because natural textures and materials are on the rise in popularity right now, you'll see lots of classic wooden office desks that get a fun twist.

3. Mother Earth Inspiration

outdoor deck with furniture and plants

All the time we spent exploring outside during peak quarantine is going to have a big impact on 2022 trends. Earth textures will be one of the most popular trends. This trend is great because it can be adapted to almost any existing style and can be done small scale if you've got a budget in mind.

You can expect to see natural wood elements left in a raw form throughout the home and lots of stoneware in decor. Kitchen counters will also get a facelift with more adventurous countertops rising in popularity.

If you don't have a big budget, swap some of your ceramics and glassware out for stoneware, woven items, or wood accents.

4. Handcrafted Goods

Another trend directly impacted by quarantine—we're about to see a return to handcrafted style. With all the time spent exploring new hobbies and a chance to reassess our values, more and more individuals have become interested in handmade, genuine items for their homes.

And yes, while you will still be able to buy lots of trendy items at Target this year, you may just find yourself joining in the trend and supporting a small artist or craftsman instead. And while interest and appreciation for these crafts have grown, these items will definitely come with a higher price tag, but also a longer shelflife.

We love shopping small and supporting true artists as they pursue their craft. If you want to support a small craft artist, look on Instagram, Etsy, or in small shops in your town to find local craftspeople. We love buying art, pottery, small trinkets for shelf decor, serving boards, and prints from local vendors.

This trend is also great for all of us DIYers out there. If there has ever been a time to break out the old DIY tool-belt and get creating, it's now.