Hot design trends for 2020 Jura Koncius The Washington Post
Whitney Robinson is editor-in-chief of Elle Decor magazine, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary. Previously style director of Town & Country, Whitney appears on the Bravo show Best Room Wins. He joined Washington Post writer Jura Koncius for The Washington Post’s Home Front online chat. Here is an edited excerpt:
Q: Are dark colors still the “in thing” for wall paint? A: In a word: yes! There was a stigma around painting walls a dark color for a long time. I think it came out of the ‘80s when rich reds and chocolate browns ruled the day, and people thought that it made rooms feel small. Dark colors actually have the opposite effect in small spaces as we see in the magazine all the time. We are loving rich eggplants and purples, teals and blues, and bronzes and greens. Q: What are your thoughts on the longevity of subway tile? A: Long live subway tile. It’s the easiest and cleanest way (and most cost effective) to transform a bathroom or kitchen. You can use it in big ways (a whole room) or small (a backsplash), it complements a variety of metal accents (gold, nickel, brass, etc.) and it’s coming in really cool colors now. Our November cover has a kitchen covered in turquoise subway tiles from wall to ceiling. It’s a WOW. Q: We are building a house in Florida and looking forward to decorating with (tasteful) coastal hues and themes. Coastal never seems to go out of style, but I’m wondering if it does tend to change with the trends? A: I’m all about vernacular design. That is to say that a coastal house should “look” coastal just as a city apartment should look “city” (no bamboo armchairs in a Georgetown townhouse, for instance). Palm trees and pastel colors pulled from the beach never go out of style. Q: What are the design trends you think will be big in 2020? A: The big trends in 2020 actually have nothing to do with colors or styles in my opinion. The big trend we are focusing at Elle Decor has to do more with how design makes you feel and how it can improve your life: make you richer (can painting a wall a certain color make you more productive, for instance), make you smarter, make you sleep better, make you happier. There’s a term for it: Universal Design, and we’re dedicating a lot of column inches and space on NORTHERN HOME | SPRING 2020
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