These days, more men are staying home, as women become the breadwinners. This is bringing change to home décor with a focus on comfort.  Comfort is the key. Designs are both cozy and comforting on all levels.
Decorating for Men
Men’s taste is having a strong voice in décor in new and revolutionary ways. Kitchen designs are more rustic, homey imperfect and textured. Inversely, technology is no longer hidden in the living room. Large screen TVs are now central and proudly displayed. Computers and electronic gadgets are everywhere, haphazardly mixed with the Victorian and art deco accent pieces. Overstated dark, dusky and vibrant colors are coming in.
Speaking of Colors…
Men are even influencing the types of colors we choose in our homes. Powerful and vibrant color pallets are replacing understated sleek and basic neutrals. Colors like yellow and blue are being used as neutrals instead. Black, white and beige are still around, but now used as accents instead of anchors. Here is a sampling of colors staking claim in 2013:
- Dusky blue – a new neutral
- African violet – excitingly powerful new accent color
- Sea Green – soft and gentle background color
- Shades of Turquoise – blues, greens and turquoise are all popular room colors
- Pale lemon yellow – popular as a background neutral
- Poppy red accents – used sparingly as an accent
A Flashback with a Twist
Today’s decor pulls heavily on the past two major economic recovery periods. We are seeing a strong revisiting of the1880s and 1890’s with strong hints of both art deco and the Victorian influence. The furniture and overall feel or our new decor era also seems borrowed from the late 1940s and very early 1950’s. In fact, we see a powerful correlation between the decor of the three great economic recovery periods. Modern history has gone through this cycle three times and an obvious pattern is emerging.
Metals
One good outcome of the new trend is a move away from Chrome as a primary metal color. Chrome and silver are out! In are warm metallics. Texture is also back. The new metal can be intricately sculpted or roughly hammered, but not polished and sleek. Look for these trends in metals:
- Textured metal
- Brass
- Copper
- Gold tones and gold leaf
- Rose gold
- Gunmetal
Vintage and Antique Furniture
Partially because of the historic echo, but more likely because we are longing for real furniture at an affordable price, we are abandoning the cheap sleek foreign furniture in favor of antiques and replicas. Today, America is reclaiming quality by choosing used furnishing with curves and fine lines.
Print Fabrics
Fabric prints are very reminiscent of bygone days, but with a boldness unseen in the past. We are seeing photo realistic CG, detailed animal and floral prints with painting quality detail. Look for these types of prints in 2013:
- Bold graphic prints
- Animals, particularly dogs and elephants
- Big floral prints with a historic feel
- Photo realistic CG prints
- Menswear prints
- Tribal prints
Home is where the heart is and today’s new interior designs definitely have heart. They are warm, inviting, friendly and soft. They speak to the need for a place where comfort is king, where sharp, stark spaces are banished to where they belong: the office.
Attached Images:
-  License: Royalty Free or iStock source: http://www.morguefile.com/archive/display/181189
Jessica Bosari writes about home improvement and décor for online roll up blinds seller Super Blind Smart.Â