16 modern home style permatrends

Home trends found in every 21st century home. How many have you embraced? by Livingetc

The 1950s were known for their low-slung furniture and graphic textiles, the 70s for a preponderance of orange and brown. But how will the early 21st century's home style trends be remembered? Here are the top 10 home permatrends right now. How many do you have in your home?

living room with blue sofa set

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1 The Union Jack cushion From the Queen's head outlined in sequins to cushions inspired by the first class stamp, our homes are nothing if they're not proud to be British. The most iconic? The Union Jack cushion. Whether embroidered, distressed or recoloured it sure makes a dull sofa pop.

kitchen with brick wall and wooden cabinet

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2 Exposed brick walls To our parents' generation, they look a
bit unfinished - like the builders have walked out. But modern style mavens love to take the rough with the
smooth and a bit of exposed brick about the house says we're honest,
we're no-nonsense and we'll be having no truck with plasterboard.

coat rack hanger stand

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3 Typography
We blame the digital revolution for forcing ailing printworks to throw out all their wooden letterpress. However, what goes around comes around and the print industry's junk has been the design world's saviour. Pick a letter, any letter...
See also #7 Supersized things.

dining area with white flooring and dining set

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4 Mismatched chairs round a farmhouse table. Matching chairs are so 20th century! Mixing a design classic with an old café chair found on a skip and placing it alongside something rescued from your Nan's house, is the height of high-low, eclectic style. Rumour has it the whole trend grew out of interior stylists improvising after not being able to borrow enough matching sets for their photoshoots. We couldn't possibly comment... But they're a thing.

room with orange wall and chair with cushion

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5 Antlers
You don't have to live in a baronial hall, or even be
handy with a shotgun to embrace this trend. In ceramic, plaster, or even
in corrugated cardboard, an animal head above the fireplace (or in the
hall) is simply de rigeuer. They make handy coat racks too, when hosting
a crowd.

dining area with brick wall and wooden dining table

(Image credit: Brand Landing Page)

6 A trio of pendants
Two can't cut it, four seems overkill. For true style nirvana, three pendants are where it's at. Purists say the rule of three is just more pleasing on the eye. Whatever. Hung over a kitchen island, or slung low over a dining room table and, lighting wise, you're on it.

room with big clock and wooden shelves

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7 Supersized things No, you don't live in the land of the giants, and
unless you're one of The Borrowers, you're simply bang on trend. Big
clocks, ginormous desk lamps, outsize tea-cup planters... they're enough
to make a 21st century homeowner feel a bit, er, small.

kitchen with black tiles wall and kitchen cabinets

(Image credit: Brand Landing Page)

8 Metro tile splashback The second decade of the 21st century has called for style that's practical, timeless and chic. No pressure, but no surprise that the ultimate in urban wall coverings has made its way out of the tube station and onto our kitchen walls.

slogan posters

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9 Slogan artwork Are your walls covered in bon mots and witty aphorisms? Then Keep Calm and Carry On, because they're perfectly aligned with the zeitgeist.

family photo frames

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10 Family photo galleries
Selfie-snappers may be taking over the streets but in our homes, a good old fashioned 10 x 8 will never go out of style. From Great Granny's sepia wedding snaps to those studio shots of your newborn, family galleries are the thing to adorn hall walls.

photo frames on wall

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11 Bus blinds
If it's better to travel in hope than it is to arrive, then it's no wonder upcycled bus blinds with their exotic sounding destinations, have tapped into our sense of nostalgia. Even if you've never taken the 38 to Clapton Pond (or Bondi Beach for that matter) you can still relive those heady days of scrambling for a seat on the top deck.

bathroom with white bathtub and flamingo statue

(Image credit: Brand Landing Page)

12 Kitscharama
Once upon a time, a plastic pineapple ice bucket was considered the height of naff. Today, it has an ironic charm, especially when worked in chic ceramic or cool crystal. Parrots and flamingos have more recently joined the menagerie of tropical memes and exotic fauna taking up residence on our shelves.

kitchen with wooden flooring and brick wall

(Image credit: Brand Landing Page)

13 Copper
In these post-austerity days, gold seems to too flashy. No surprise then that formerly workaday copper, once confined to saucepans and insulated wiring, has stepped into the foreground as the accent metallic of choice, everywhere... Can copper fridges must lurking on the style horizon? Stainless steel must be quaking...

room with sofa and exposed bulbs

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14 Filament lightbulbs
The new wave independent coffee shop has a lot to answer for. There's our addiction to extra shot lattes for starters, swiftly followed by our penchant for rough-luxe industrial style. The exposed filament doesn't just speak of no-nonsence honesty but a certain appreciation of the environment, given they can last up to 25 years - about the time of your average permatrend as it happens.

bedroom with bed and feature wallpaper

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15 Feature walls
Ask anyone in wallpaper world what the biggest story of the decade has been and they'll talk to you about the impact digital printing has had, opening up a world of pattern and colour opportunities beyond floral sprigs in faded pastels. Why commit to four walls when you can experiment on one, and update it constantly?

white staircase with grey wall and wooden table

(Image credit: Brand Landing Page)

16 Grey
While paint companies are constantly hailing colours of the year, based on intensive global research, we're using less scientific evidence to call the colour of the decade. And it's... grey! Once seen as a drab compromise, not as chic as black, or as fresh than white, it's come into its own as the neutral of choice, the ideal 21st century backdrop to striking colour pops of fuchsia pink or neon orange.

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Contributor

Tamara was Ideal Home's Digital Editor before joining the Woman & Home team in 2022. She has spent the last 15 years working with the style teams at Country Homes & Interiors and Ideal Home, both now at Future PLC. It’s with these award wining interiors teams that she's honed her skills and passion for shopping, styling and writing. Tamara is always ahead of the curve when it comes to interiors trends – and is great at seeking out designer dupes on the high street.