Looking Ahead: 17 Design Trends for 2017

From patched fabrics to terracotta floor tiles and pale brick walls: Our predictions for the interiors trends that will define 2017.

1. Pale Brick

Above: A space designed for “contemplation” in the Life House by John Pawson for Alain de Botton’s Living Architecture collection of rental houses (the walls are pale gray handmade Danish brick walls). Photograph by Gilbert McCarragher.

2. Ceramic Wine Cups

Above: Ceramics are trending, in particular, the wine glass reinterpreted as a humble ceramic vessel. For more, see 10 Easy Pieces: The New Ceramic Wine Cup.

3. Indoor Statuary

Above: Antique stone statues are being integrated into modern spaces, case in point: a Grecian statue in Scottish artist Alison Watt’s Georgian townhouse renovated by architect Helen Lucas.

4. Terracotta Tile

Above: Terracotta is everywhere; we especially like these antique tiles from Clé (for a reference point, take a look at the traditional Portuguese tiles at Casa No Tempo).

5. Glass Block Walls

Above: It’s time to reconsider the dated glass block wall; a prime example, a translucent light-admitting privacy wall in the Imperial Club complex in southeast London, a project inspired by the Maison de Verre.

6. Japanese Utilitarian Design

Above: From washi paper bedding to toilet brushes and trash bins, Japanese utilitarian goods are the new stealth luxury items on our wish lists.

7. The Deconstructed Bath

Above: The next wave in bath design? Bathrooms cobbled together from disparate elements. Photograph from The Country Rental: A Floating Farmhouse in Upstate New York.

8. Hand-Painted Walls

Above: The modern mural painted straight on the wall is something we’re seeing everywhere; as in this moody wall at Nightbird in San Francisco (also see Angel Face in Portland, Oregon).

9. Luxury Laundry Detergent

Above: Luxury laundry detergent on par with your favorite eau de parfum; we like the latest washes from L’eaundry, a German fragrance company (stay tuned; we’re rounding up our favorites tomorrow).

10. Luxe Ping Pong Tables

Above: Ping-pong table as decor: the next-wave luxe item. Shown above, a cherry wood model from BDDW that doubles as a dining table.

11. Patching & Mending

Above: Patching, darned, and sashiko stitched textiles. Photograph of a Japanese boro scarf from Old Industrial Japan.

12. Next-Generation Toilets

Above: We’re betting on the techno toilet: This will be the year that a new generation of bath fixtures—from smart toilets and techno toilet seats to compact and tankless models—catches on.

13. Subtle Luxe Touches

Above: Subtle luxury—as seen in the fully upholstered legs of this Velvet Olive Armchair—is a trend we’re seeing

14. Countertop Task Lamps in the Kitchen

Above: The task lamp, typically reserved for the study, adds a note of intimacy to the kitchen countertop. Photograph from Kitchen of the Week: A Subtly Splendid Kitchen in North London.

15. Primitive Patterned Pottery

Above: Primitive patterned pottery, as in the work of UK potter Silvia K. Ceramics and the handpainted figures of BDDW ceramics.

16. Madras Fabric

Above: Lightweight Madras fabric in checks and plaid is a textile trend we’re rooting for. Photograph from Revolution Road: An Architect-Designed Compound in Shanghai.

17. Japanese Soaking Tubs

Above: Japanese baths made from larch and cedar and cypress; see more at The Home Spa Reimagined, from a Dutch-Finnish Designer.

See last year’s trend predictions in our post 16 Design Trends for 2016.