Decorating Trends: What We Love Right Now

This classic hue is experiencing quite the renaissance, in shades ranging from sky to indigo to teal, and sometimes all in one space. Since it's timeless, you won't tire of it quickly and it plays well with other colors: coral, yellow, green. Need we say more?

Not so sure trends are for you?
Designer and color consultant Khristian A. Howell explains how to best approach trends if you're on the fence.

Make a statement with bold and beautiful pop art prints. Oversize polka dots, swirling abstract patterns, and simple squares create playful contemporary contrast in an otherwise serious space.

Muted hues, whether periwinkle, soft pink, or powder blue, have ditched their cutesy connotation. Fashion a happy haven by mixing multiple pastels in furniture, accents, and artwork for a monochromatic effect.

Worldly patterns, materials, and color schemes let you travel abroad without leaving your home. Fluffy boucherouite rugs, beautiful hand-dyed tapestries, and intricate chinoiserie fabrics fill today's international-inspired spaces.

As metallic trends continue to evolve, copper has won fan favorite. The superstar finish features a warmer reddish hue than gold, making it a top choice for light fixtures, appliances, and accessories. Incorporate the metal in small doses with cabinetry hardware, or make a full-on sparkle statement with a shining pendant. 

It seems there's a new chevron in town. When it comes to home patterns, quatrefoil reigns supreme. The cloverlike design easily incorporates into modern and traditional decor styles, plus it adds a punch of elegance that doesn't overwhelm.

Windows and woodwork have never looked better. Highlight trim with black paint, rather than traditional white, to create bold contrast with light walls. Try a high-gloss finish for a fashionable focal point.

Pullies, carts, bins, and big wheels, oh my! Industrial accents are everywhere and lend a vintage-urban feel to a space. And flea markets and antique stores aren't your only source for these goods. Plenty of home retailers are embracing the trend, so you're apt to find new-old items at your favorite haunts. 

Who knew Thomas Edison wouldn't only be revolutionizing the world with his incandesent bulbs, but that he'd be starting a design trend over a 130 years later? The throwback look of these lightbulbs plays well with the industrial and farmhouse trends. 

Want a softer approach to yesteryear that's just as trendy as industrial? Go farmhouse. Now, if farmhouse conjures up images of chickens and geese, and that's not your thing, the new look of farmhouse offers something different. It's still rustic and charming, but with a little more flair: think displays of white enamelware and handsome harvest tables.

What do we love best about this trend? How a wall of personally picked art, photos, and frames will make a space instantly feel like yours. Watch and see how to perfect the art of the gallery wall.

Ceilings have long been called the "fifth wall", as in, "don't just paint me white, I'm important too!" And now, in the same way, floors are refusing to be ignored. Their eye-catching tactic? Attention-commanding statement rugs in fun colors and unique patterns. Might we be calling the floor the "sixth wall" in the future? No matter what your answer, statement rugs are still a worthy investment.

Go with the grain on this trend and embrace the natural look of wood. The design is popping up on everything from furniture to accessories, and sometimes the look is au naturel, and other times it leans more stylized, think faux bois. Bonus if the item has a textured grain, not just the design.

Think of these as magenta and turquoise's older, more sophisticated sister. They pack the same visual vibrancy, but in a more elegant fashion. Pair one or two with an equally rich gray and you're on your way to the poshest of palettes. 

In the same vein, splashy, bright color has elicited a "yes, please!" for quite some time. But you only have to look to Pantone's Color of the Year, Marsala, to see the beat turning to a more subdued rhythm. The beauty of this hue is its inherent ability to be two things at once: eye-catching, like its predecessors, Radiant Orchid and Emerald, while signaling a shift to warmer, sophisticated notes. And that's a tune we'll love to sing.

In the pattern department, marbleize motifs are joining the ranks of tribal prints, ikat, and wide stripes (more on those later). The flowing pattern is a softer alternative to hardline geometrics and often incorporates several colors, making it ideal for eye-catching artwork and fabrics.

The airy, fluid feel of watercolor isn't limited to just paintings. You'll find the pattern on a variety of home decor staples -- from fabric to accessories. But you can also capture the look with your own hand. And you don't need to be a fine artist to do so. Watch and see how to create the look with this simple sponge painting technique. 

This duo is not brand new, in fact, you might even call it a classic. The tried-and-trues have a way of ebbing and flowing over time, and right now the current is strong for black-and-white. Making the pair look up-to-date is as easy as using assertive and large scale patterns. 

Usually geometric in styling, tribal prints embrace angular motifs in a more traditional way. They often appear in muted, earthy tones. Try out the look on a rug, pillow, or tapestry in a traditional space.

Yes, it's strong, and yes, it can be a little intimidating. But dark walls are a challenge we accept. If you're with us, go to the next slide for fab tips on how to make dark walls sing.

Here's the inside scoop on how to decorate with dark walls.

Embrace nature indoors with a terrarium. Whether you have a green thumb or a black one (it's okay, gardening isn't for everyone), terrariums are a simple way to bring this trend to err...life.  

If you want to steer clear of living plants, introduce nature a different way with cut log or branch ends (a variation on the wood grain trend). We love how this motif embellishes and elevates even the most basic of accessories. 

Nodding to nautical influences, wide stripes are a pattern of substance. They can serve as a counterbalance to more delicate prints in rooms dressed in cottage or casual-traditional style with ease. Try the pattern on upholstery, pillows, curtains, walls, rugs, and more!

Sometimes one material isn't enough and it takes two to make a thing go right. Case in point: furniture pieces that are fabricated with multiple materials. These blends elevate the ordinary and give basic pieces an edge. We love the gold x-base and wood top of this handsome desk.

Yes, it's probably about as old as upholstered furniture iteslf, but we just can't get enough nailhead trim. It's making its mark in small and big ways (hello, statement oversized nailheads) and in simple applications to intricate patterns on drawer fronts. Plus, it's a trend you can DIY, which bring us to...

Bring a trendy edge to a piece of furniture you already own by adding nailhead trim. See how easy it is!

Our love affair with gray shows no signs of cooling off. And if you haven't put away the notion that all grays are cold and give off a chill, we highly encourage you to do so! Warm grays -- those with yellow or reddish undertones -- are the neutral of the moment and are as versatile as they are trendy. If you have beige or tan walls, switching to warm gray walls is easy yet impactful. The shades are distant cousins, and finding a hue that works with your existing furnishings is a cinch.

Warm metal is another trend that's still going strong. Embrace it with accents that have a softer finish, rather than metals with a full-on shine. And for a less glitzy take, try antique brass finishes, which tend to be more matte.

Bring the gold trend into your home with a little DIY project. Watch and learn how to gold leaf.

This global pattern has been on the decorating scene for a few years now, but it's still going strong. The pattern is widely available on fabrics, rugs, and many other household products.

It's clearly time to jump on the Lucite trend bandwagon. This acrylic resin is used for everything from chairs to tables to accessories, and it adds lightweight sophistication wherever it goes. Don't be afraid to mix the material into a more traditionally styled room. By doing so, you'll play right into the hot trend of eclectic decor.

Decorating with nature never goes away, but different forms take the spotlight. This year's primadonna: agates and geodes. Whether used as simple display pieces, fashioned into accessories such as lamps, or splayed across art and fabrics as motifs, these geological wonders integrate nicely into almost any room.

Why have one great material when you can have two? We are seeing wood and metal paired together on a variety of items and love it. Wood, especially warmly stained and heavily grained pieces, plays up the natural look, while bold metals speak to the industrial chic trend.

Whether your look is cottage, vintage, modern, or somewhere in between, raw wood can have a place in your decor. Shop architectural salvage stores for pieces to add as accents or use as shelves or mantels. And you'll find a lot of accessories and accent furniture pieces on the market that are made to look like raw wood, providing another way to capture this hot look.