Twin Cities designers forecast home decor for 2019

Ready to turn the page on "greige?"

This year, Twin Cities interior designers predict a brash infusion of color — and not only in pillows and accessories.

"Color is not just an accent, but a major statement in a room," said Greg Walsh, president and senior designer for MartinPatrick3. "It can be an emerald green velvet sectional."

As for tile and wood floors, herringbone patterns with that distinctive "V" are hot, said Alyssa Jensen of Martha O'Hara Interiors. "It's an update to a regular wood plank floor and looks wonderful in remodeled older homes."

And yes, wallpaper will stick as a design element to add art and texture to a room. Gigantic floral prints are "showy and catch your eye," said James Noble, owner of Noble Interiors.

But today's home decor is not just about creating stylish spaces that give an up-to-the-minute vibe.

Designer Jeralyn Mohr of Full Nest Inc. reminds us to listen to our bodies and reflect on how we want to feel every day. "Base your home design on that, rather than some externally determined trend," she said.

Still, we decided to find out what designers Walsh, Noble, Jensen and Mohr have observed at national furniture markets, showrooms and in trade magazines, and what's on their radar for home decor in 2019. Houzz also contributed to this trend forecast:

The ubiquitous gray and white palette is being injected with shots of color. "Last year, clients started asking for two-toned color in the kitchen, and it's here to stay," said Jensen.

Homeowners are choosing forest green and navy blue for cabinets and center islands, to contrast with white cabinets. Or they highlight one bank of cabinets with color for a furniture look.

Interiors incorporate a touch of luxury and opulence in deep, rich jewel tones, both solids and patterns, but done with a modern edge, said Walsh.

"The opulence has been cleaned up and simplified so it feels more modern, light and current," he said.

Pampering spa features, including multiple showerheads, steam showers, body jets, chromatherapy and upscale glass enclosures with curbless entry for aging in place, remain strong. Square drains that hug the shower walls have replaced the center round drain, said Noble.

"Not big and grand but just the right functions for your lifestyle," said Walsh. Mohr's mission is to create a calming environment with a designated place for everything.

Lighter wood tones in flooring and cabinetry are edging out dark finishes. "There's a movement away from distressed and aged chateau-type floors," said Noble.

Instead of a bathroom floor rug, which can get in the way, Jensen is seeing "runners" created from contrasting colored tile.

The kitchen backsplash is edging away from classic subway tile to geometric-patterned glazed ceramic tile for more dimension and to "make a quiet artistic statement," said Noble.

"Fish-scale" scalloped tile is emerging in tile showrooms and trending on Instagram, said Jensen.

It's become mainstream to use two different tones of metal, for example, brass mixed with nickel, in hardware, plumbing and lighting. "People are more comfortable with an eclectic look," said Jensen,

Designers agree on a movement toward mega-splashes of color on walls, upholstery, ceilings, rugs, artwork, accessories and painted cabinetry. "Clients are looking for those big showstopper pieces for a pop of color," said Jensen.

If they go with neutrals, "it's a crisp white background paired with color," said Walsh. Pantone's "Living Coral" anyone?

The live or natural edge is integrated into the design and gives furniture a raw, straight-from-the-woods feel. "Tabletops look like they were cut off from a tree," said Jensen.

The powder room is the go-to space to add personality and pizazz with fun patterns, textures and vibrant hues. "A neutral grasscloth, which adds texture to a ceiling, looks amazing," said Jensen. Along with the big bold florals, geometrics in fabrics and wallpaper are hot.

When melding furnishings and accessories, the trend is to layer a variety of styles, such as a midcentury-look sofa with an ultramodern table on an antique rug.

Clients are resisting the match game, said Walsh. "Choosing things they love puts heart and soul into the spaces."

Accessories fashioned from materials like wood, glass or iron increasingly have a craftsman feel, such as a blown-glass vase.

"It's accent pieces you haven't seen everywhere that are beautiful and unusual, and people ask who made it," said Walsh.

New curvy sofas and chairs are a sharp contrast to the straight-lined midcentury modern silhouette. The clear acrylic "ghost chair" and reproductions of 1970s acrylic styles are coming back, said Noble. And with smaller homes and apartments, many furniture designs are smaller-scaled.

Painting a single wall a bold accent color, different from the other walls in a room, was a popular design trick over the past few years.

Now Houzz is seeing homeowners painting all the walls, even the trim and molding, one solid color.

Mohr believes there's a resurgence of a minimalist aesthetic and assessing what possessions are important to your daily life.

In her own 400-square-foot apartment in St. Paul, she creatively maximizes the space — repurposing items, such as hanging extra towels on an old ladder in her bathroom. The vanity does double duty as a desk.

"People have less room, so they own things with more soul," she said.

Lynn Underwood • 612-673-7619

@LyUnderwood