T R E N D S F O R E CA ST
The indoor and lifestyle trends set to take over 2022 Trends set to take centre stage this year include statement plants,
AUTHOR: RACHEL ANDERSON PHOTOS: GRIFFIOEN, RON VAN DER PLOEG
landscapes “with purpose,” and colours that reflect our world.
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ifestyle changes brought on by the pandemic – including the collective switch to working from home and the consequent desire to spend more time in our “garden rooms” – are driving this year’s key indoor and outdoor trends, according to experts speaking at a global webinar held in December 2021 and organised by Israel-based plant breeder and propagator Danziger.
OUTDOOR SPACES The current indoor and outdoor lifestyle trends have developed during a time when “landscape has come to the forefront.” Phil Steinhauer, CEO and landscape architect at Designscapes, Colorado (USA), made this statement. He
Another trend is houseplants with patterned foliage, such as Streptocarpus, Calathea or Alocasia. Consumers are putting them into simple, non-patterned planters so that the plant can be the star of the show.
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FLORACULTURE INTERNATIONAL FEBRUARY 2022
revealed that the company received a record number of calls last year (2021) due to gardening’s explosion in popularity – with 16 million people taking up gardening in the US in 2020, for example. “I think that’s partly because people are realising the health benefits, both mental and physical, that landscape can provide. And I also think they are looking at it as an investment in their property,” said Steinhauer. The landscape architect noted that his customers have been looking for “gardens with purpose,” for example, outdoor rooms in which families can cook, play games, and/ or utilise as an office. “People are looking to use every square inch of their backyards. They are much more deliberate about how they are using that [outdoor] space than they were ten years ago,” he noted – adding that swimming pools are becoming very popular. “With people travelling less, they are building [holiday] resorts in their backyards.” Steinhauer also informed the webinar attendees that he, as a landscape architect, is working ever-more closely with other professionals such as interior designers and landscapers to ensure that an outdoor space corresponds with a property’s interior space and vice versa. Steinhauer described landscape architecture and design as visual art – and planting design is the canvas on which he works. With these analogies in mind, plants continue
The Communities of Change colour story incorporates colours such as grey-beige, lilac, several shades of green, and cream.
