Interiors experts on residential design trends for 2024

Hard edges and off-white are out. Softness, shades of brown and a greater connection with nature are in

As told to Kate Youde

Joyful and sustainable fabrics — Amechi Mandi

My trends for 2024 are organic shapes, more colour and design that makes you happy when you look at it. I’m particularly excited to see more playfulness in design, in terms of shapes, motifs and fabrics.

I also think we'll be seeing more ethical design and use of sustainably sourced fabrics, because consumers are increasingly conscious about the environment and climate change. As I became more aware of this in my own production processes, I realised that silk is not environmentally friendly. The alternative that I am transitioning to is Tencel, a fabric made from wood pulp. I think there will also be more linen because it’s organic and the production is not as harmful to the environment as silk is, for example, or cotton.

Amechi Mandi is founder of homeware brand Amechi

Indoor trees — Naomi Astley Clarke

We're doing a lot more trees inside houses: fig trees and olive trees in pots. Perhaps it's because the crisp lines of modern interiors need to be offset somehow with something that is literally organic, but it seems to be a trend and I think we'll see more of it.

Similarly, with interior murals and hand-painted wallpapers, I'm getting more requests from clients for forest scenes and floral, chinoiserie-type designs. We recently did a toilet that had a hand-printed jungle mural by Frederick Wimsett, and quite a few upcoming clients want something similar. My key design concept for 2024 will be an abstract take on the organic in all my schemes.

Naomi Astley Clarke is an interior designer

Brown — Edward Bulmer

We are beginning to see more browns being used, whether that’s yellowy browns, pale pinky browns or the deeper browns — it’s a great background for everything else you're going to use in a room. We're seeing people opt for brown when before they might have used pink, and we’re selling a lot more light terracotta colours.

Another trend is stripes, which is fun, and people are no longer always falling back on off-white for their trim. For stripes, it will often just be a colour plus off-white, but people are clearly not afraid to juxtapose colours. There’s an increased uptake of stronger colours and a certain amount of what the industry calls “drenching”, where one colour is chosen for the trim (skirting board and cornice) and the walls.

Edward Bulmer is co-founder of Edward Bulmer Natural Paint 

Relaxed living — Louise Bradley

People are looking for comfortable homes that are functional and practical but that also have something unique about them. Curves, for example, continue to be a trend. At one time, everything was very square but now there are softer edges and we’re seeing more rounded corners on pieces of furniture. Timbers for furniture and flooring are also going a little bit blonder and warmer.

People are looking for an interior to be a warm, relaxed and welcoming environment. In recent years, you might walk into a space and say, “Isn't this room beautiful,” but you didn't feel that you could actually go and sit on the sofa. I don't know whether it is because of the pandemic but people do seem to be appreciating home more and want to entertain in it. I expect this more relaxed way of living to grow in 2024.

Louise Bradley is an interior designer