Improve Your Space with these Amazing, New Interior Trends

The newest interior design trends for apartment living are officially in! We have the scoop on the styles that are sticking around during 2019 and others that you may want to kick to the curb. Looking at you, rose gold accents!

Plus, everything we mention should be A-okay with any landlord. Just make sure you double check your lease before doing anything drastic.  

Repurposed Materials

Rose gold is so 2018. Yes, the long popularity of rose gold accents may officially be over. There’s a new wave that’s embracing eco-conscious materials like bamboo, cork, wood, metals, and marble.

Elle Decor is calling biophilia the new fancy and we are loving this trend because it focuses on the “relationship between humankind and nature.” Here are some ways you can benefit from incorporating natural elements into your home.

• Cork walls are all the rage since it also functions as an insulator against temperature and sound!
• Bamboo adds peace and tranquility to any apartment. Besides, we hear bamboo plants bring luck.
• There are endless ways to add natural wood into your home from wall art to coasters. Of course, furniture is the easiest way to add a little rustic, wooden flair.
• Using metal in your apartment is definitely meant as an accent. Display a vintage, metal bin to bring out a rustic feel or use metal, geometric decor items for a more modern look.
• Marble is a little trickier but works well as an accent. Use round marble containers to hold bigger cook wear, or use a marble tray in the center of your dining table.

A Centerpiece

No, we aren’t talking about the decorative centerpiece sitting on your dining room table this time. We’re talking about that one iconic piece every homeowner or renter should own. It’s the one item that stands out.

Your centerpiece could be a charming yellow chair, a unique piece of local art, or even a giant plant. Yes, Fresh Homes reports big, bold plants like a dragon tree or palm tree will become the most popular and captivating statement in 2019.

Did you know there are stores in Shadyside with amazing, unique items? Visit Penhollows, Weisshouse, Maser Galleries, Marcus Studios or Gallerie CHIZ to find your special centerpiece.

Artist Ellen Chisdes Neuburg was the former owner of Gallerie Chiz and has now opened her own studio! The bold, beautiful colors reflected in this Shadyside artist’s work may be just the one-of-a-kind statement piece you need in your apartment to snap you out of the big-box “same-old, same-old” funk.

Whatever centerpiece you have in mind, one thing’s for sure, get the item that starts all the best conversations.

House Plants

While we have giant plants and greenery on our mind, another way to bring nature inside is having multipurpose plants in your apartment. We aren’t talking about the bouquet of flowers you get yourself after a trip to the grocery store.

We’re talking red plants, blue plants, tall plants, and all plants. That’s how the Dr. Seuss rhyme goes, right?

Greenery and flowers do more than look pretty, which is why they are so appealing to apartment owners. Some plants like the Peace Lily or Snake Plants help cleanse the air. If you love to cook, growing your own fresh herbs could be your thing.

Toadflax, the Shadyside Nursery, and Alex’s East End Floral Shop are a few local shops you can visit to get gorgeous plants in Shadyside.

Multifunctional Furniture

We hate to break it to you, but apartments tend to have less space than your everyday house down the street.

One of the more wonderful things about Franklin West apartments is that many of our apartments are renovated Victorian homes! There’s a little more space than your average apartment building.

Since renters deal with smaller spaces, getting crafty with furniture and storage is a must. To keep space from becoming a problem, multifunctional furniture is a renter’s best friend.

Look for a storage ottoman or a sofa that pulls out as a bed. Though fair warning on that, sofas with built-in beds, can be very heavy. If a sofa bed isn’t something you’re interested in, think about adding a funky futon to your clean-lined, minimalist furniture mix.

Also, investing in containers or dividers to help organize drawers and closets will absolutely keep you from getting overwhelmed.

Check out our declutter checklist inspired by the Tidy Up queen herself, Marie Kondo.

Maintaining Balance

We talked about the many new trends you can add to your space like big, yellow couches to nature galore or even remove like saying goodbye to rose gold. The last concept we want to leave you with is about creating balance.

Freshome says visual weight is the “measure of force an object has on the eye, otherwise known as a measure of how heavy an object looks.” In short, when decorating your space make sure you have a balanced mixture of heavy or large items and smaller, accent pieces.  

When you successfully balance visual weight, you will have created one amazing space.

There you have it. Apartment trends that are adding a new spark to renters in 2019. To sum up, any time you can incorporate natural elements into your apartment, do it! Just make sure you keep things balanced.