Pretty Decor is BACK in 2017

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Let’s talk about some design trends coming back for 2017, specifically, the return of pretty decor.
Pretty is timeless and never goes out of style. Pretty is soft, soothing, feminine. Pretty is not bold, jarring, or unsettling.
I predict we will be seeing the return of more pretty traditional decor this year.  In a year when people feel uncertain about the future, people will be looking for comfort and coziness in their homes.  They want to feel safe. But it is 2017, so it will be pretty traditional decor – with a twist!
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Cathy Kincaid

 

You see, I have always liked the pretty.  After all, I grew up in a bedroom covered in fabulous Mario Buatta wallpaper (that, per my Mother, *I* actually picked out when I was only several years old).

The wallpaper of my childhood. I still like it!

Wallpaper is making a comeback.

We haven’t really seen it in a while! I predict it will be used more as we look to add more texture to our rooms. I am going to wallpaper the powder room definitely. I am currently undecided about wallpaper in other rooms. But isn’t this room pretty??

Leta Austin Foster

Bring on the chintz and floral prints.

Now, you have to be careful not to go too “Grandma” or 1980s.  We will need to keep to soft color palette to keep it fresh.

Ritz Paris

Cathy Kincaid – curtains are Colefax and Fowler “Bowood”

Don’t be scared of fancy sconces and chandeliers.

It’s okay to add some crystal and gilding. Scones (err, sconces, I must be hungry) are a beautiful way to add indirect light to your house! Industrial-style lights are feeling tired to me. An ornate light will be on trend.

Cathy Kincaid

Dark wood furniture is coming back! 

I have some fabulous antique French pieces that I cannot and will not paint just because they are dark wood!  Not everything needs to be painted white! If it is a solid quality piece of furniture, trends come and go, but good solid furniture stays!

I think the key to bringing the dark furniture back into the room is to mix and match, like below. Don’t keep the matchy match bedroom set, for example. That is out.

David Easton

Again, different color woods are all paired together below. (And I want a dressing table like that one – making a note to self, also I love this wallpaper)

Mark Hampton for Aerin Lauder (using Toile de Nantes Fabric)

I need some softness with lots of drapery. 

Bring on the bed cornice and canopies! Also, the return of the valance. Have you missed the valance? I have!!! I think we will be seeing more traditional draperies of the past return. Don’t you miss them?

Ritz Paris

Heather Dewberry and Will Huff

More is More. 

Yes, fill your walls. You can use gilded frames and furniture. Put out your beautiful treasures for all to see!  Don’t stuff everything in the cabinets – display your heirlooms!

Charlotte Moss

How I intend to incorporate these elements in my own home is to use more pastel colors. By using the more of the pastel colorways, these “older” trends can seem new again.  The French and Gustavian color palettes are my favorite.

Kate Forman Designs

Lucky for me, pretty colors are making their way back into decor.  How do I know? The Pantone colors of 2016 and 2017 are definitely Spring colors.  Spring colors are pretty.  The greenery color of this year is bright, however I could see it used in an accent color as a pillow or in part of a floral patterned fabric.

I am bored of burlap and grain sacks.  I am bored of the industrial look. I am bored of all-white.

We need a little more softness and more romance added to our home decor!

Alex Papachristidis

 

Now some of the rooms (like the one above) are a little too *much* for my house personally, but I really do enjoy looking at them! Don’t you just want to curl up on the couch and read a book and sip a cuppa?

Mark Sikes

You see, my family and I have a theory.  The toned down minimalist all-neutral trend started around the time of the recession.
It was a time when perhaps all of the color and all of the “more” was feeling too ostentatious for a recession. So we all started looking towards a paired down look. It seems it has been sticking around for the past 10 years.
I mean, even white took over in 2006 as the most popular car color!

Kathryn Ireland

But, it’s a new year and trends are always changing.
The traditional decor will return with a twist – pastel colors mixed with different textures in the room with a piece of modern art or furniture to make it fresh.  Not that traditional decor was ever out-of-style, but we will be seeing more of it!
Having pretty “Granny” decor will be chic.

And, by the way, I’m not the only one who thinks this way: Vogue thinks so too.