Modern Arabic Interior Design Trends

Blending Islamic, Mediterranean and Moroccan styles, modern Arabic design is a wonderful fusion of colours, textures and cultures. From the elaborate ornamentation and interlacing arches synonymous with Moorish architecture to the geometry and structure of Islamic design, Arabic art is celebrated all over the world and now, you can discover how to integrate this timeless style into your own interiors.

To get started, take a look at these top modern Arabic interior design trends and find out how to weave them into your own interior design:

Warm Colours

Traditional Arabic design is known for its warm, enriching colours and you’ll see this palette coming through in more modern interiors too. Moroccan styles tend to incorporate bold colours, like blues, reds and greens, for example, while Islamic interior design often uses more neutral shades interjected with more vibrant colours.

If you want to put a modern twist on your interior and embrace the latest trends, stay true to the warm colours associated with Arabic design but choose hues that offer tone variation to add depth to your design.

Luxurious Fabrics

Often seen in traditional Mediterranean and Moroccan design, luxurious fabrics play a significant role in Modern Arabic interior design also. Plush furniture adds a sense of decadence to any room and the use of tactile fabrics adds another layer of depth to your design. Furthermore, adding luxurious fabrics in the form of sofas, chairs, rugs, and cushions to a room allows you to integrate bolder colours into the space easily, if you choose to.

Silk velvet, damask and even cashmere can all elevate your design and feature in a modern Arabic interior. No matter what colour palette you choose, using luxury fabrics to furnish the space will emulate the traditional aspects of the style.

Strategic Space Layouts

The way you use space has a considerable impact on how a room looks and feels but it also determines its functionality. Unsurprisingly, space layout has been a top priority for centuries amongst designers and you can see how traditional Arabic design used layouts to reflect the purpose of a space.

For Modern Arabic interior design, take the same approach to space layouts and ensure that the proportions of the room and its styling reflect the functionality of the space. When you want to encourage interactivity and conversation, for example, ensure seating is not too far apart. Alternatively, when peace and tranquillity are the order of the day, adjust the layout to afford everyone a little extra space.

Ceiling Design

In modern homes, the design potential of the ceiling is often overlooked but one glance at Arabic interior design will highlight just how impactful this element of the room can be. While you may not be able to recreate the glorious ceilings seen in traditional building in a residential property, you can certainly be inspired to use ceiling design to create your own modern Arabic interior.

Recessed ceilings and strategic lighting are effective ways of integrating ceiling design into the overall aesthetic of the room, for example, and this can draw your design together too. A suspended ceiling with clean lines gives a modern, minimalist feel, for example, while ornamental lighting fixtures and chandeliers deliver a traditional feel.

Low-Seated Furniture

If you want to embrace modern Arabic interior design trends, be sure to feature low-seated furniture in your new space. Hailing from the traditional use of mattresses around the perimeter of a room, low sofas can easily be used to reflect the tenets of Arabic design.

For maximum flexibility, choose modular pieces that can be easily modified to accommodate your needs. When you’re hosting large gatherings or entertaining guests, for example, a modular sofa or ‘diwan’ can provide additional seating without disrupting the flow of your design.

Organic Materials

Organic materials have been used for centuries in interior design but, more recently, they gave way to man-made alternatives. However, the cyclical nature of fashion, combined with the desire for increasing sustainability, means that demand of organic materials is once again on the rise.

If you want to futureproof your modern Arabic interior, choose organic materials that represent those used in a traditional setting. Ethically sourced rosewood, lemon wood and walnut exemplify Arabic design and can be used at the centrepiece of a modern interior, for example. Similarly, cotton, woollen linen and even hemp can be used to incorporate organic fabrics into a modern Arabic interior.

Lighting Effects

Lighting always has a tremendous impact on a room, so be sure to factor this into your design plans. While traditional designs will feature warm lighting, more modern designs can lend themselves to cooler, more contemporary lighting styles. This is especially true for certain spaces, such as home offices, hallways, and kitchens, which typically require brighter lighting to optimise functionality.

When it comes to fixtures and fittings, modern Arabic interior design gives you the perfect opportunity to embrace luxurious light installations and decadent drop lighting. Suspended fixtures and pendant lighting are a fabulous way to draw attention to your ceiling design, for example, and will draw different elements of the space together.

Fine Flooring

Tiles, marble and carpet are all acceptable flooring options if you want to use modern Arabic design to elevate your interiors, but this doesn’t mean that wooden flooring is to be avoided. Adding clean lines to traditional styles is a key element of modern Arabic design and wooden flooring is one way to achieve this. As always, you can use rugs and floor coverings to reflect the space layout and integrate accent colours into your design.

Using Modern Arabic Interior Design in Your Home

Traditional Arabic design is a fusion of styles that has developed over the centuries and the most modern interpretations blend age-old elements with contemporary trends, such as minimalism and muted tones. By adding a modern twist to Arabic design in your home, you can create an interior that’s luxurious, welcoming and decadent while maximising functionality and flexibility.

by Shalini Misra

6 Decor Trends That Will Rule 2022

Following the super-successful Milan Furniture Fair in June, we’ve got the inside track on which décor trends are going to be big throughout next season. As we transition to a post-pandemic era, designers are reflecting the new demands of homeowners and presenting innovative and exciting ideas.

There’s no doubt, however, that the pandemic has left its mark on the interior design world, particularly as people’s needs evolve and lifestyles change. In this year’s décor trends, you’ll find inspiring ways to enhance your home while maximising functionality and prioritising comfort.

Whether you’re planning a total redesign, starting a new renovation project, or looking for ways to refresh your interiors, these six trends will give you the inspiration you need to envisage a whole new style:

Bold Stripes

Many top furniture designers are incorporating exaggerated stripes into their work, so you can expect to see this fashion statement in on-trend homes throughout 2022. Perfect for adding drama and excitement to an interior, stripes can also make a compact space feel larger. Select vertical stripes if you want to add height to a room and horizontal stripes to make the area feel wider.

To stay on trend this season, you’ll want to choose stripes that are thick and bold and use them to inject a little colour into an interior. Bright, playful colours or soothing, traditional tones work equally well, so be sure to use stripes to complement your existing style. From a welcoming sofa to a statement armchair, bold stripes are an easy yet uber-fashionable way to ensure your interior design stays bang up to date this season.

Woven Furniture and Accessories

Rattan furniture has proven popular this year and the trend looks set to continue throughout 2022. However, don’t feel restricted as any woven piece will fit the bill and keep your home up to date. Cane, wicker, raffia and even seagrass can all be used to create a light and relaxed interior, so use them to keep interiors feeling fresh.

Often seen outdoors, woven furniture has become a firm favourite amongst interior designers and is becoming increasing popular in living rooms, bedrooms, and studies. The lightness of the material lends itself to smaller spaces, while intricate woven designs can add detail and character without being overpowering.

When you embrace furniture made from natural materials, you can also inject biophilic designs into your interior. Achieving harmony between traditional architecture and the natural world, biophilic interior design is heralded for optimising wellness and delivering a sense of calmness and tranquillity.

Inspired Home Offices

After two years of living and working from home, it’s no surprise that people are looking for innovative new ways to combine these elements of their lives. As the remote working trend continues to boom, an increasing number of people are making their homes dual purpose and updating their interiors to reflect the changing environment.

Designers are responding to the demand by creating inspiring yet functional home office furniture in chic, fun palettes. Instead of relying on drab, grey tones or using transient spaces as a makeshift office, dedicate some of your home over to a permanent workspace and make it a motivation hub. From bright colours to ergonomic designs, home offices are about to become better than ever.

Cool Comfort

Unsurprisingly, comfort continues to be a top priority amongst designers and homeowners alike. We’ll see a rise in cumulous sofas and low-to-the-ground chairs in 2022, as people embrace a relaxed and welcoming vibe.

When you incorporate low-to-the-ground furniture, it creates a sense of casual calm and positively entices you to lounge around and take life at a slower pace. As people continue to seek comfort from their homes, this trend is set to be even bigger this year.

What’s more – low-slung furniture makes it easy to integrate statement pieces into any space. In smaller sitting areas, for example, a low sofa can be eye-catching without dominating the space. Conversely, low-to-the-ground furniture can be idea in minimalist interiors, when you want the space to speak for itself.

Paper Lanterns

For a super-fast way to brighten up any room, add paper lanterns to your interior design. While paper lanterns have long been a popular lighting choice, designers are putting a new spin on the trend this year. With geometrical panels over a wooden frame, for example, colour and light can fill the room without relying on a traditional overhead light.

While paper lanterns may be popular in garden design, they’re enjoying something of a renaissance when it comes to interiors. Use them in isolation or pair them with bejewelled lighting for a mesmerising focal point.

Enhanced Colour

Changing the colour of a room can be one of the quickest ways to give it a brand-new feel and an enhanced focus on colour in 2022 makes it easy to update your interior. Sky Blue is a popular shade this year and has already been named as Dulux’s Colour of the Year. Associated with nature, it’s ideal when you want to connect to the outside world and add a sense of calm to your interior. Also from the blue colour family, Pantone’s Colour of the Year 2022, Veri Peri, uses a red violet undertone to add a dynamic feel that inspires and motivates.

Whatever colours and palettes you choose for your home, rely on colour theory to achieve a sense of balance. Remember – repainting the walls isn’t the only way to inject colour into your interior design. With a spectacular selection of pieces in coloured glass from this year’s top designers, there are plenty of ways to incorporate more colour into your interior.

Embracing 2022’s Décor Trends

Using the latest trends to enhance your interior design is a fantastic way to keep your home feeling new and fresh. While you needn’t redesign your entire interior on a whim or use every trend to renovate a property, incorporating your favourite elements of this year’s décor trends can give you the inspiration and impetus you need to reset and refresh your home.

by Shalini Misra

House Review for Kendall Jenner

Despite spending the entirety of her childhood in a New England influenced, “Hamptons” style home, this has not prevented Kendall Jenner’s personal taste surrounding interior design from evolving to represent more of a bohemian, chic, yet unusual style.

James Turrell Digital Art

Just off the entry, a signature James Turrell ovoid wall sculpture, animated by shifting, computer-programmed LED lights, greets visitors with a dreamy chromatic display.

Our attention is immediately taken from us as soon as we step foot into the house as we are beckoned into the home by the ‘James Turrell’, a rare, digital art piece. With digital art having become more and more popular over the last few years - due to its phenomenal atmosphere that it is capable of creating (one which is suitable for meditation, relaxation or even the complete opposite as a result of the playful colours it generates). It is wonderful to see Kendall Jenner incorporate this exhilarating component into her well-crafted home as we are brought aware of the fact that she acknowledges the benefits that bright lighting can have on your well-being.

Lounge

To our surprise, Kendall has gone with an intimate lounge area that consists of neutral, earthy colours which generously provides the house with a designated area for intimate discussions and the chance to catch up with a loved one away from screens and the eyes of the public - in simpler terms, a safe spot that provides you with all the comfort your heart can so desire. Her dining room mirrors this tranquil vibe due to the dark wood and old, detailed rugs.

Powder Room

Kendall Jenner’s varying taste in interior design is further visualised through the moody powder room which seemingly permits her to accommodate all generations. Gold accents are seen throughout the entirety of the house, for example, within the vintage faucet and brass trinkets within the bathroom and the kitchen which help to slowly breath a sense of life into the minimalist room as it warms the room. Although the use of concrete in interiors, typically provokes a sense of confusion, this concrete sink acts as a statement piece to tie all the aspects of the room together.

Vintage Elements

A Waldo’s Designs iron chandelier hangs above a walnut-and-oak dining table 1930s Axel Einar Hjorth chairs from Lief.

A variety of vintage elements are scattered around Kendall Jenner’s home and works to compliment the mahogany wood that is seen through the floors and some surfaces.

Natural Environment

It is made clear that Kendall Jenner enjoys the soothing company of the natural environment as we see how she cleverly attempts to bring it into every aspect of the house, whether it be through bouquets of flowers or the chic walkway that connects her office to her newly designed art room. The walkway is lined with multiple high-rise doors which create a classy appearance due to the black frames that hug the windows.

Digital Art by Tracey Emin

Once again, digital art appears to be extremely popular amongst Kendall as she has a ‘Tracey Emin’, the light pink colour seen within this light up calligraphy lures you in as it forms a delicate feeling towards the room.

by Shalini Misra