As a proud partner and stalwart of South Africa’s Interior design scene, there is perhaps no place better to feel the pulse of the current and burgeoning trends than from Decorex. Each year, it is within these exhibitor halls that we explore and embrace the newest trends from a uniquely African experience.
Their contributions include a coalition of the year’s key takeaways, compiling their invaluable “State of the Industry” report. Within, we take a sneak peek at the décor trends influencing African design from lifestyle to retail, analysing the direction of the industry on a macro level.
Cocooning 2.0
Image Source: https://www.arteriorshome.com/
A fundamental rebirth is occurring in the old 90s design style of cocooning. The term refers to using design elements enclosing you in a cosy, wholesome aesthetic. Part of the design trend’s revival can be attributed to our renewed approach to corporate design in this post-pandemic era.
The report states, “Our homes have to work harder than they ever have before.” A reference to the era’s trend of combining office and home spaces. As such, corporate spaces now take a cue from hospitality, ditching the soulless, clinical aesthetic for something homely, inviting, and warm.
Authenticity
Image Source: Ds-miami.com
Following COVID and taking a more holistic approach, authenticity in design is a consideration for the fact that we spend more time at home than ever. Despite the worst of the global pandemic now in the past, many of us still maintain a level of concern for health and safety, seeking solace in our four walls’ comfort.
As a result, home décor needs to feel comfortable, warm, and, of course, authentic. That sense of authenticity is best explored through personal inclusion in design, envisioning an aesthetic that speaks to who you are. In many ways, matching the elements of life – A key inspiration of Sonae Arauco’s Innovus collection.
Resilient Design
Image Source: https://blog.interface.com/designing-for-resiliency/Interface.com
Resilience is a design element that speaks to our unique challenges as South Africans. Recovering from a global pandemic while navigating loadshedding has driven innovation in design considerations nationwide. Resilient design embraces form and function, providing an invaluable direction for professionals to explore and implement.
Resilience is also an acknowledgement of flexibility and adaptability in the short term. If we’ve learned anything from the previous years, it’s that a capacity to encompass substantial change over the lifetime of a building in response to its social, economic, and physical surroundings should take centre stage when incorporating new décor elements.
Sustainability
Source: Forbes.com
The prominence of sustainable design continues to feature in previous and modern iterations of decorative trends. The goal is to reduce negative environmental impacts, incorporating eco-friendly design into modern architecture while reducing the consumption of non-renewable resources.
As sustainable design continues to seep into how we function in our spaces, the sense that sustainability is expensive to implement has dissipated. Cost-effective local solutions are becoming easier to find as the broader public slowly becomes aware of the essential principles of an eco-friendly design aesthetic.
Take a look at our various distributors and affiliates:
The Building Centre, The Kitchen Specialist Association, The Green Building Council, and The African Institute of Interior Design Professions.
For more information on our wood-based decorative panels and services, visit us at https://sonaearauco.co.za/