5 Interior Design trends for 2024

From taking a more hospitality-led point of view, to localised design, and the forgotten art of hand drawing, Brewer Smith Brewer Group (BSBG) Head of Interior Design, Tom Skyring, talks us through his 5 interior trends for 2024.
 

1. Hospitality-led design

Designing from a hospitality perspective refers to the approach to public areas, such as lobbies, co-working spaces and communal areas within buildings across other sectors, such as residential, commercial and mixed-use.

“We take a hospitality view in all our designs,” Tom says. “Even with some corporate offices we’ve been working on, these are based on a hospitality principle, energising the spaces, creating high profile moments, unique and prominent F&B to bring the whole project up a level. Our clients are reacting to it, and they’re understanding those principles.”
 

2. The art of hand drawing

Hand drawing is almost becoming a lost art within Interior Design, but Tom says there is a need to reconsider the abandonment of pen and paper as a form of design – for multiple reasons. “I think technology is fantastic, I really do,” Tom says. “But I still believe that when you hold a pen and you draw that line, you must think about the consequence of the line in a different way, and that’s incredibly important.

“I hand draw in front of clients and they're amazed by it, frankly. It's a unique gift, and I wouldn't like to see that lost. I'm going to encourage my team to draw through 2024 because I think it's integral to the process, and it's a good balance to technology.”
 

3. Local design

Interiors that focus on connecting the end-user with the environment or the place they are in will be a big focus for BSBG in 2024. This is often accomplished through local craftmanship, and locally sourced materials.

“When you draw inspiration from the local vernacular, you’re taking centuries of experience and understanding of what actually works in that area,” Tom says. “We concentrate on the local expertise and knowledge we have, and we try to expand that and maintain a locality and a narrative that is really unique to each individual project.”
 

4. Quiet luxury

Quiet or understated luxury was an interior design trend that began last year – fuelled by fashion, but eventually spilling over into all forms of design. Being low-key in terms of luxury is not something you immediately associate with Dubai, but Tom believes it is likely to catch on quite quickly this year. “Money talks, wealth whispers,” he says. “I think that sense of understated opulence, sophistication not ostentation – that’s the preference now for our clients.

“It's more of a classic, timeless design approach, embracing the less obvious, and focusing on the craftmanship, the details that are revealed when you look a little bit closer. The desire for a quieter, more subtle design approach is most welcome, and it also serves to reveal the true pedigree of a designer.”
 

5. Zero impact design

“We’re highly focused on incorporating zero-impact materials and furniture,” Tom says. This focus in part also relates to the third of our trends, as locally sourced materials, furniture, and artwork serve to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of a project.

As Tom continues: “We have a responsibility to reduce the carbon footprint of the spaces we design and the choices we make. This can be achieved through utilisation of spaces, energy consumption during the lifecycle, and material selection, and we are committed to being conscientious with the choices we make in this regard.”