“Climate change [has] dominated the headlines, and we are starting to see this narrative transformed through design,” she says. “Fabrics and wallpapers are carrying the stories into our homes—and it’s the stories behind the designs which are going to become the talking points.” Jennifer Davis of Davis Interiors agrees. “I anticipate we will start to see more nature-inspired patterns: florals, foliage, lines that mimic blades of grass, or patterns that are cloud-like. If design follows fashion, we will start to see splashes of color again, but in earth tones. This past year and a half, many people have rediscovered nature, and I think it will inspire textile design in 2022 with regards to color and pattern.” Elizabeth Rees, the co-founder of Chasing Paper, follows a similar line of thinking, saying we’ll see “celestial, ethereal prints with a delicate hand and earthy color palette” finding their way into our homes in 2022. “These prints tend to be airy and serene, working well in many spaces,” she says. “From quirky urban legends to symbols that are synonymous with specific regions, the rise in local artisans who can sell their designs to the masses via sites such as Etsy means our interior design is becoming shaped by our local community,” Barrett says. If you love this idea but could use some inspo, Barrett suggests thinking “a hand-drawn map, a mass-produced print of a famous [local] landmark, or an entire fabric inspired by [your] city.” Youssefi notes that wallpaper designers have been “producing stunning floral designs for centuries,” but now that there are more possibilities to do the same with tiles, “tile manufacturers are putting florals at the heart of their designs, and we expect demand for gorgeous florals will blow up in 2022.” “Chinoiserie has been captivating the imagination of interior designers for years, but you’ll notice it’s had a maximalist makeover. The style, popular from the latter half of the 18th- to the mid-19th century, is distinguished by its fantastical Asian-inspired scenes and stylized flower and bird motifs,” Simpson says. Along with this pattern, Simpson also suggests that the scale will be as grand as the prints themselves. “Instead of subtle touches of watercolor, this season we will experience … ethereal, full wallscaped murals,” she predicts. “Adding a complete scene to your wall creates an instant focal point.” Noting the rise of maximalism, Constantinou explains, “Wool-blend animal print carpets are set to give homes a maximalist makeover as we see detailed zebra print, leopard, and ocelot designs. There are lots of ways that you can integrate this look into your home, whether you want a pared-back and subtle finish or something more bold and dramatic.” “If you’re hoping for a dramatic impact, adding a large-scale pattern in a small powder room will do the trick,” says Bodiya. “A print trend I see going away in 2022 is anything pastel,” adds Rees. “Vibrancy and prints with a more graphic element will be more popular.”
