FINDING True North

The 2024 Design Trend Report

BY DANAE BLANCK ANDERSON ASID, CID

It’s that time of year again when we reflect on what we want our homes to look and feel like inside and out.

After a crazy winter with fluctuating temperatures, little snow and an early thaw, perhaps spring is calling to us even more this year. Spring means sunshine, refreshing rains, new life and dare I say, cleaning and organizing. This can also lead to freshening up our surroundings with a small or sometimes large design project. To stay on trend, here are a few tips from the trade that are happening in Minnesota’s northwoods.

The easiest update one can make is color. Whether this means a painted wall, decorative pillow or throw, some accessories or art, color can set a mood in any space. The key is choosing the right color. Bear in mind that color changes with lighting and when painting, a sample should be seen in the space it’s going in first. In fact, light bulbs can make a huge difference so remember those can always be swapped out too, carefully checking the output.

Mid-tone blues are showing up as the color of the year both from Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams. In the lakes area, blue is infectious because it’s a color from nature, reflecting the water that’s all around us. Blue stirs creativity and invokes a sense of calmness and well-being. Benjamin Moore’s version, “Blue Nova,” draws us in and creates comfort with a color that bounces between blue and violet while Sherwin Williams’ “Upward” is reminiscent of light fluffy clouds giving a relaxed, carefree and airy feeling to any room.

Besides these blue tones, peach, salmon, blush pink, deep yellow, grayed down-green along with forest green or teal, are the colors for 2024. Yet if you are drawn to warm neutrals, all things warm white, cream, beige or taupe, yes, anything earth tone is making a comeback, again drawing us into nature. Recently in a kitchen, I did a fun pop of color with a teal island paired with a natural hickory perimeter of cabinets, tying it all together with a unique custom vent hood fitting right in with this trend. Kudos to Patnode’s Custom Cabinets for helping to tie the old with the new making my vision come to life.

Fabrics and Furniture

Julie Gowen, owner of Jag Interior Solutions & Arlean’s Drapery in Crosslake noted she is starting to see clients being drawn back to full drapery panels and a mixture of large scale prints and solids for fabrics. It’s really all over the board.

“People are finding their own identity” through the selections they make and “what works for them,” said Gowen. “There really are no rules.” She also mentioned that any project is truly about getting the right people in place to personally take care of the customer and complete the job properly in a satisfactory manner. At Great Furniture Gallery both in Baxter and Crosslake, Pendelton and plaid fabrics abound. These classic, timeless fabrics pair nicely with many colors like black, various painted or stained furniture, clean lines or super rustic spaces.