Decorating + Renovation
AD100 Experts Predict the Biggest Interior Design Trends for 2016
A panel of AD100 honorees looked into their crystal balls to predict what will be big in the design world in the New Year
By Jacqueline Terrebonne
Looking to the year ahead, we turned to some of the designers on our recently announced 2016 AD100 to find out what they see for the future of design. Although these esteemed architects and interior designers are always far ahead of the curve, they gazed into their crystal balls and divined a diverse and inspired range of possibilities. From 17th-century antiques to Max Lamb, locally sourced timber to 3-D printing, their answers offer maximum inspiration for design projects on the horizon.
Markham Roberts, Markham Roberts Inc."I hope that design will begin to reflect more of a worldview of sustaining our environments and that people will think more carefully how to reduce waste and creatively repurpose existing things. I need to think much more about this myself!"
Shawn Henderson, Shawn Henderson Interior Design"I think we are going to see lots of interesting home pieces made with 3-D printers. It's such an interesting method of production, and the possibilities are endless."
Madeline Stuart, Madeline Stuart & Associates"Patterned fabrics! Fabulous Fortuny, cheerful chintz, delicate damasks . . . bring it on! We've been on a solid diet of solids for far too long."
Miles Redd, Miles Redd"I think 2016 will bring a shift toward a kind of minimalism. Let's call it minimalism with a twist. I think everyone responds to the luxury of space, but there are so many wonderful objects, art, and furniture that it takes superhuman powers of refusal (at least for me) not to have something. The great thing to do is refining and distilling it to the best things that speak to you and removing the rest."
Elissa Cullman, Cullman & Kravis Inc."The design world has felt the arc of going from historically referenced interiors to relentlessly midcentury spaces. What I see/hope for now are more eclectic interiors in the truest sense of the word: interiors that reflect individual interests and a wide variety of styles, all brought together in a personal, non-formulaic mix, with an emphasis on quality and detail."
Jan Showers, Jan Showers & Associates Inc."We have seen so much color in the last decade—I adore wonderful colors, but I feel a change in the air. It seems that our clients are loving ivory, alabaster, eggshell, bone, and creamy neutrals in their rooms, with comfortable seating."
John Berson and Brian Sawyer, Sawyer|Berson"For 2016 we see the 'high' higher—even more luxury and sophistication in the city—and the 'low' more carefree—less effort and more casual comfort in the country. Read: Invest more in the city and less in the country and avoid the purgatory of the middle ground!"
Inside White Lotus Star Michael Imperioli's Little Slice of History in New York City
13 Modern Architecture Buildings You Must Visit Before You Die
By Elizabeth Fazzare
Inside One Family's Sun Valley Retreat, a Mashup of Rustic Mountain Style and 18th-Century Europe
By David Foxley
Photo: Scott Frances
Alexa Hampton, Mark Hampton LLC"I predict more customization—whether it is a custom lampshade or a digitally printed fabric (The Guildery) or taking antiques and putting them in lacquer booths. I think people are yearning for individuality. I also think pattern is very much on the rise."
Brian McCarthy, Brian J. McCarthy Inc."My crystal ball is showing less thematic interiors replaced with more layered, cultured, and eclectic combinations of architecture and design. Mixing the 18th and the 20th century in more unexpected ways and a return to working with color. For instance, a Gio Ponti chair in stenciled calfskin with an 18th-century Louis XV lacquer commode. Of course, I'm always wanting to channel Henri Samuel's genius at mixing the very classical with the very modern."
Richard Meier, Richard Meier & Partners Architects"There's an extraordinary amount of innovation and creativity, as well as a return to a search for clarity. We see it all over the world, and I look forward to completing our first projects in eight new countries, including England, Taiwan, Israel, Mexico, and Brazil."
Isabel López-Quesada, Isabel López-Quesada"Mix, mix, and mix! The old and the new, 18th century with 20th, colors, plants inside the houses again, and the houses must be more and more real and auténticas than ever."
Deborah Berke, Deborah Berke Partners"I'm looking forward to the further development and expansion of the creative interface between local makers and artisans and new, technologically advanced materials and assembly processes. I see growth beyond the world cities to regional centers and innovative thinking in the reuse of old buildings."
Rafael de Cárdenas, Rafael de Cárdenas Ltd./Architecture at Large"I'm always inspired by moods—I think intricate joinery on long, slender, lean forms; I think Judd furniture looks particularly appropriate. We need to nest a bit in 2016 with familiar forms. Nested objects that combine practicality with intricacy and have a sense of play are also on our radar."
Jamie Drake, Drake Design Associates or Drake + Anderson"I foresee a glittering future as I join forces with a young Turk of the design world, Caleb Anderson. I envision the projects of Drake + Anderson having even greater boldness and distinction. I look forward to using more pieces from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, so underappreciated the last midcentury-mad decade, and allowing their strength of line and richness of material to enliven 21st-century interiors."
Emily Summers, Emily Summers Design Associates"We hope that a new trend in the following year will be the use of locally sourced timbers and finishing techniques that are less harmful to the environment. These strategies capitalize on the inherent durability and pest-resistant characteristics of cypress wood, found in the South, and accomplish beautiful finishes with unique visual depth."
Leroy Street Studio"We predict a growing design trend toward elemental materials and forms. From the recent rediscovery of the sensuous and tactile South American modernists to the reemergence of the colorful forms of '80s Memphis Group, many architects and designers are having a bit of a rebellion against technology and refinement in the objects that they create, taking a more playful and even irreverent tone. This can be seen in the recent rise of furniture designers such as Max Lamb (2015 AD innovator), Martino Gamper, Ro/Lu, and Porky Hefer. The work is both powerful and accessible—very human in its imperfect beauty."
©Joshua McHugh
Robert Stilin, Robert Stilin, LLC"Modern is here to stay but I think we are going to see much more of a push of modern mixed with tradition. More brown furniture, more antiques, more classics items mixed in again. It is all about comfort, tradition, and valuing the home and much less about show."
Exploread100decorating + renovation
AD's 23 Places to Travel in 2023
From safaris in Botswana to a Kengo Kuma–designed resort in Japan, these are the spots you must have on your radar this year
By Laura Itzkowitz
The 27 Most Beautiful Bridges in the World
Designed by world-renowned architects such as Zaha Hadid and Santiago Calatrava, these bridges are travel destinations in their own right
By Nick Mafi
More of an Art Connoisseur's Carefully Calibrated Paris Pied-à-Terre
Located in a classic Haussmannian building, AD100 designers Luis Laplace and Christophe Comoy craft a setting for masterpieces of all kinds
By Ian Phillips
From Le Corbusier's iconic chapel in France to Eero Saarinen's bird-like TWA terminal, these structures are worth the trip to pay architectural homage