Interior trends 2024: curvy lines and conversation..
Unlike fashion, trends in interior design don’t tend to come and go too rapidly (let’s try not to remember Barbiecore…) and mostly develop in response to lifestyle needs and wishes, rather than short-term trends, or indeed movies.
One interior trend that has been growing throughout the last year or so, and is really finding its form in 2024, is the move towards curvaceous furniture and accessories.
The trend started in response to an almost global need to feel safe and ‘held’ by our homes. We’re still in the midst of very unsettling times, and the previously sought-after geometrics and bold lines popular with interior designers don’t give a sense of comfort and home in the same way soft curves and more natural forms do.
So, how do you introduce these soul-satisfying curves to your own home? Here are our top tips for the curves trend of 2024:
- Conversation circles
Possibly the best way to unite two trends – create a conversation pit, but with a more contemporary feel than the original – we’re not suggesting you drop your floorboards. The term conversation pit actually dates back to the 1970s, when there was a trend for creating a sunken floor area in the living room, and filling it with sofas. These pits would be square, with sofas fitted along each edge and a large, low central table. They drifted out of fashion when a television became a fixture in every home, and family viewing became the thing to do, rather than chat and living rooms were rearranged to create the focal point of the TV.
Following the pandemic, and now with the increased cost of living, there has been a growing social trend to have nights in, rather than nights out. Nights in with friends can find you all gathered round a table, with food, or more casually gathered on facing or a horseshoe of sofas chatting or playing board games. Curvy sofas really support this sense of community and coming together, and are popping up in all the high street big retailers as well as the smaller brands, and a couple of three-seaters, with a curvy armchair set around a central coffee table, curvy of course, is a most appealing sight when gathering friends. With flat-screen, wall-mounted TVs so easy to fit now, you can have both your conversation pit, and your Netflix and chill…
- Wall decor
Flowing lines, waves and curves soothe the eye and bring a sense of peace. Choose a wallpaper that incorporates a flowing pattern of lines or foliage, and in a gentle shade of green or honey, to tap into the soothing effect natural colours have too.
- Furniture
Dining tables, coffee tables, console tables – we’re so used to seeing these with 90 degree angles, but there are many to choose from with curving lines and softened edges. A low level coffee table, with a soft curving shape, will add an immediate softening hit to your living room. Don’t go straight to an oval, look instead for something more freeform, or two curving tables that nest, which is a practical solution too.
- Accessories
Brand new furniture might not be high on your list of things to spend money on right now, but you can easily refresh a room simply by updating your accessories. Mirrors are a great way to add life and light and increase the sense of space in your room, so search one out that’s got curves, not right angles. Curvy vases, bowls, candlesticks, sculpture and faux flowers all help to soften the angles and break up the lines in a living space. Find poster art that taps into the trend, drape throws in ripples not squares, plump your cushions rather than karate chop them and just think about how to soften the scene, for a sense of welcome and being hugged by your home.
Eddie – Friday 2nd February 2024. (Image used from Claridge Road, Chorlton).
