Colortrends 2021-2022: The Resident
During the pandemic, we all spent a lot of time at home. The Resident is a trend that is coherent with our rediscovery of our immediate surroundings and resembles a propensity towards hyper-locality. Designers stayed inside as well: they rediscovered their neighborhoods, learned to appreciate local things as well and got creative with regional materials. On their part, consumers also began to support local brands and businesses. The world economy grinded to a halt, to which local producers responded in the most flexible way while exhibiting their qualities. In short: a wave of appreciation for local traditions and design was started. That trend had been on the rise for quite a while and grew exponentially thanks to COVID-19. Now, it’s on it’s way to becoming mainstream.
Instead of a worldwide uniformity, we now long for typical and unique products. Design becomes hyper local: furniture and decoration will reference traditional design and emphasize local materials and processes. Straw, glass and flax are used a lot, for instance, often in their natural shape and color – or dyed with a natural pigment. Soft stone tints such as matte sandstone and matte limestone or unglazed bricks are typical of this trend.
The flea market and even antique feeling can be seen in a preference for nostalgic patterns, such as the classic checkered pattern and thick stripes in warm tints or motives with flowers and other plants. There may also be small imperfections in the textile, there’s no point in hiding the fact that it’s hand-made. Those flea market elements are bound to the traditions of a specific region, so this trend will look totally different, depending on the continent. An example can be found in the handmade ceramics that from diverging traditions. With us, this trend often takes the shape of the sunny Riviera style from the south of France. Soft nudes, pink and light yellow are responsible for the summer-like atmosphere in this rather warm color palette. The retro orange, mustard color and shades of brown and beige radiate the atmosphere of a flea market or a vintage store. The yellow that can be seen everywhere brings us a nostalgic feeling. On top of that, there is room for more natural combinations of beige and sand colors.
