Trend Forecasting 2016 :: Dark + Moody Elegance Is Here to Stay

I will be the first to recommend skipping trends for the sake of keeping up with trends, but it is also fun to take a look at what is trending because as much as the design world has a bad reputation for being superficial, there is actually a lot we can learn from it. Design trends say something about what is going on, not only in the shops, but in the world around us. I was just reading in Elle Decoration, the Trend Issue, that dark colors are here to stay. (Which of course had me cheering because I’ve been slowly painting every room in my home dark.)

I’m sure there are loads of reasons why darker hues are trending, but perhaps the biggest factor is technology which has reduced our need for in-person human contact. Have we been left craving more warmth and coziness that must be compensated for in our homes?

Another explanation for this moody hankering is that we are a generation that aches for elegance balanced with materials that are raw, first because we want to be more in touch with our world (again due to technology) but also because YouTube and other social media outlets have bombarded us with almost a little too much reality. It’s a strange juxtaposition we receive online, isn’t it? In one sense we are out of touch with the world and many of the images we see are too lofty and out of our reach while others edge on raunchy and oversharing.

Dark colors are mysterious and I am convinced that this is another justification for our darker longings.

What do you think? Do you want dark to stay and why?

These beautiful images via IKEA prove that this dark trend can be achieved on a small budget!