Who’s ready for a new year? Just about everybody? 2020 was a tough one, but we made it through, and we learned a lot. One of the biggest adjustments was in how we arranged our homes, and it wasn’t always what we would have planned.

2021 is different. In the coming year, people are going to be more intentional in how they design their living space. 2020’s design question was, “How can we make this work?” 2021 interior design trends ask, “How would we like to make this work?”

With that in mind, here are some of the interior design trends 2021 is likely to bring.

The Evolution of the Home Workspace

In 2020, people who’d never heard the abbreviation WFH, or “working from home”, found themselves doing it. Some of us had desks we could commandeer as home offices, while others had to scramble to clear off an available surface.

Even as it becomes safe to return to the office, many of us won’t be rushing back. WFH was a growing trend before the pandemic, and 2020 gave it an extra boost. As we settle into the home office as a long-term phenomenon, we’ll think more and more about how best to arrange it for comfort, convenience, style and integration with the rest of the home.

In fact, it might be a misnomer to keep calling it the “home office.” While some people may have designated rooms with a door they can close, many will want a space that looks less “office-y” and more like a natural part of the interior. A place where you can enjoy the ambiance of your home all though the workday.

Think of unobtrusive desks such as writing desks. Desks cleared of laptops and file holders after business hours. Instead of hutches and file cabinets, furniture-look credenzas or even existing shelving. Chairs that take another role in the room when the last meeting is done. Table lamps or floor lamps that add to a room’s ambiance.

And of course, this new seamless workspace needs a tasteful backdrop for Zoom meetings.

Other Multipurpose Spaces

An integrated workspace is only one example of how rooms will be allowed to expand their personalities. Here are some other illustrations:

• A less formidable table makes a dining room into a gathering place for music and conversation.
• An opened space blurs the distinction between dining room and kitchen.
• A family room is set up to convert from a hobby space to an entertaining venue and back again.

Brightness and Accents

Folks who are spending more days at home will want a relaxed and coordinated color scheme, but they’re also going to need a few splashes of brightness for that extra energy kick. Pantone’s new spring and summer colors might be the refreshing contrast that’s needed. These are shades that are alive and cheerful without being overly bright, including marigold, an engaging French blue, a tasty mint and a purplish orchid. Try these types of hues on curtains, pillows and throws, and possibly even on an accent chair.

Pantone's 2021 Colors of the Year can also provide inspiration. Ultimate Gray and Illuminating are a neutral gray and cheerful yellow, respectively. These colors lend particularly well to interior design trends, with gray remaining a popular shade for walls, furniture and home décor. Yellow works well as a “pop” of color, brought in through accent furniture and bright, decorative pieces.

Blending Indoors and Outdoors

Those fortunate enough to have windowed or screened porches know that people gravitate to spaces that have characteristics of inside and outside. This year, each of those spaces borrows some personality from the other.

The Indoors Goes Outside

We’re continuing to discover how pleasant it is to enjoy friendship and conversation on a porch, deck or patio. One of this year’s home trends will be to make those areas look more and more like our living rooms.

Folding chairs and lounge chairs give way to substantial rattan chairs and outdoor sofas. End tables, side tables and coffee tables are in reach of everyone. Indoor potted plants such as ficus get a little summer outside time. Indoor-outdoor area rugs lend a room-like feel. Bluetooth speakers provide background music. Tables and chairs get pulled into a living room style arrangement. Colors aren’t as outdoorsy.

The Outside Comes Indoors

Many homes will have at least one indoor room with an outside look and feel. The inspiration doesn’t have to come from your back yard; it can be mountains, ocean or lakeside as well. Thus, it’s not limited to shades of brown and green. In addition to earthy colors, it might have mineral shades or tropical and ocean tones.

There will be a trend to bring in more natural light with less substantial window coverings. You might find those wicker chairs and couches in these rooms as well as on the porch. An emphasis on hardier houseplants is part of the scheme. We may see ferns making a comeback. Decor and tabletop knickknacks could be wood, ceramics and other natural materials.

Is Anything Out for 2021?

The good news for home refurnishing is no interior design styles go out entirely. The interior design trends 2020 brought us won’t vanish overnight. However, there are few things we’ll be less likely to see.

While stainless steel kitchens aren’t going to disappear, there might be less of a tendency to furbish other rooms in an industrial style. Also, anything that’s formal in a dark, strict and imposing sense is likely to take a back seat. 2021’s “formality” will be proper but at the same time approachable and relaxed. Think variations of wood tones accented with a pop of color. These colors will not be intrusive but will appear to bloom naturally from their surroundings.

Interior design reflects mood and inspiration, and 2021 is no exception. The trends will be an extension of our renewed engagement as we expand our homes into the world, and the world into our homes.