If you are shopping for a new sofa this year, you will want to make yourself aware of some of the big sofa trends that have emerged for 2022. After all, this will help you to choose a sofa that does not look dated, and will also help you to know what kinds of sofas to expect to be choosing from when you begin your search.
Curved lines and the colours of nature are some of the leading trends this year– we take a more in depth look at these sofa trends below.
Did you know that Calgary Interiors does custom furniture? We love helping people get that exact right piece for their home. We have a number of different examples that you can look at in our portfolio. We also would love to hear from you about your sofa needs, or any custom furniture needs. On our custom furniture page you can see our latest work, and then contact us to let us know what your dream piece is.
Organic Shapes
Organic shapes, such as curves and rounded shapes, are one of the big sofa styles we’re seeing right now. Think of the soft furniture you would see in the 60s or 70s– this aesthetic is back! Curves can be seen in the shape of the entire sofa itself, or in parts of the sofa, such as interestingly curved legs or back cushions. Some of these pieces have an art deco influence when it comes to their design.
Organic shapes are softer than more geometric pieces, but they still pack a punch and can easily be a statement piece in your living room– especially if upholstered in a bright colour!
Angular Sofas
On the flip side, we are also seeing more angular designs when it comes to sofa shapes, too. This is basically a spinoff of the corner sofa of years past. It has softer corners than previous iterations, and the angles are more subtle and less sharp– think obtuse angles, rather than right angles or acute! It is not necessarily designed to fit into a corner anymore because of these obtuse angles. Instead, it is a modern furniture piece that can be placed as the focal point of the room, and is intended to make a statement in your living space.
Many angular sofas are also modular options, so you can arrange them in a few different ways, like a sectional, to fit in the room and to fit your needs. For instance, you may want to move it around so that it hugs the coffee table so that you and your family can play board games on game night.
Bolster Cushions
This is more of a sofa accessory trend than a sofa trend, but it is one that we are seeing a lot of. If you do not know what a bolster cushion is, it is a long, low cushion that was traditionally used for back support while sitting on the couch or in bed. Now, they are being incorporated into living room design because of their cylindrical, sculptural shape. They can either be upholstered to match the sofa, or could be upholstered with a contrasting colour or print to add more visual interest to your setup, as well as adding function and comfort!
Many people are being drawn to bolster cushions because they are classic, but still add an unusual and unexpected element to your sofa without being over the top.
Natural Colours
Natural colours are another one of the trends we are seeing for sofa design in the year 2022. Shades of greens and other earthy tones– such as sand or muted browns– are staging their comeback. In fact, many experts are pointing to green as this year’s “neutral” colour in interior design. Since greens are not necessarily bold colours, depending upon their saturation, you can get a green couch and then build your colour scheme around it without feeling like your living room is too bright or garish.
Additional Reading – Post-Covid Office Design Trends
You can either choose to play greens down with other natural colours, like browns, greys, or taupes, or you can play up their appeal for maximum impact with other bright and splashy colours. Green tones are surprisingly versatile, which you may not have expected!
Clashing Colours or Prints
As we begin to move away from neutrals and the design mentality of “all white everything”, many designers are beginning to embrace more of a maximalist approach. One way they are doing so is by deliberately choosing mismatched and clashing cushions, whether it is the colours or the prints that clash with the colour or print of the sofa. This catches the eye and is a bold move– certainly not for the faint of heart! That being said, clashing colours and prints can be perfect for those who have an edgier aesthetic and do not want their home to look like a staged space in a magazine.
Mixing prints, textures, and colours is also a surefire way to add visual interest to any space– it feels more personal and unique, too. If you choose to mix prints, you do have a lot of wiggle room here, because the prints that you have to choose from can vary so greatly!
Trending Fabrics
If you are looking at the different fabric options for your sofa, you may be overwhelmed by what you find! There are plenty of fabric choices out there, but whether or not they are still on trend and will look fresh and cool in your home is another thing entirely! For instance, performance fabrics were once at the height of the interior design world, but they are now being replaced by sustainable fabrics, which are more appealing to today’s market. Below, we will discuss some of the sofa fabrics that are trending today.
Sustainable Fabrics
Consumers are looking for healthier alternatives in all walks of life, from the food that they eat to the materials that they use in their homes– and your living room is no exception! Sustainable fabrics are becoming popular options in home decor. In fact, as mentioned above, they are edging out the performance fabrics that used to reign supreme in interior design.
Examples of these sustainable fabrics could include organic weaves like linen or recycled fibers that more closely mimic synthetic fabrics. Sustainable fabrics also have greater variation in colour and pattern than they used to, so this does not mean that you will have to sacrifice style!
Boucle
Boucle is one textile that you may not have heard of before. Its name comes from the French language and means “curl”. The fabric is made with a loop yarn and is easily recognizable by its soft, nubby texture. If you are still struggling to place boucle in your mind, think of the iconic Chanel skirt and jacket set. These were often made using tweed or boucle. Boucle can be a great choice for upholstery because it wears well and does not crease over time as easily as some other textiles. It can also make a space look tailored and chic. However, if you have small children or pets, you may risk snagging due to the loop texture of this fabric.
Velvet
Velvet is an upholstery fabric that has been around and has been popular for the past few years, and it is still enduring now. As the living room designs of the 1960s and 1970s continue to rise in popularity, homeowners reach for fabrics that remind them of this era and can help to convey the lushness and opulence they are trying to imbue the space with. In interior design, we are also moving away from the stark and overly modern design trends of years past, so velvet helps to give a sofa– or the whole room!– a softer and more lived in feel. There are plenty of colour options to choose from, so you can make your velvet sofa as bold or as elegant and understated as you’d like.
Leather
Leather is another classic sofa textile that is not likely to go away anytime soon. It can give a room a more masculine feel, typically, but now there are also more colour options available, so you can choose a colour that tempers the masculinity of the textile to better fit your space. Natural design elements are a big trend in interior decorating right now, so the organic nature of the leather helps to pull this trend into your living room space. It can look great in a Scandinavian inspired room with lots of plants and natural light, or in a more tailored home with clean modern fixtures. Leather is a fairly durable sofa material, too, though it can be scratched or punctured if you have pets that have sharp nails or claws!
Throw Pillows
Regardless of the fabric you choose for your sofa, or the silhouette that the piece of furniture is built in, your sofa can certainly benefit from a well placed throw pillow– or several! Throw pillows are a great, and sometimes forgotten, way for homeowners to personalize their living room space just that little bit more. While sofas come with their own set of limitations, you can find throw pillows in all sizes, shapes, and colours under the sun. You can even choose to make them yourself with fabrics that you purchase at your local craft store! We discuss some of the ways to utilize throw pillows in your living room space below.
Accent Fabrics
Throw pillows can be a great way for you to accent your sofa– there is a reason that they are also called accent pillows! One way that you can do this is to choose pillows that are upholstered with a different fabric than your couch. If you do this, there are so many combinations of fabrics or colours that you can either make the combination bold and maximalist, or you can choose softer, neutral colours and avoid mixing too many textiles for a more subdued approach. This can also be a good way for you to implement a fabric that you loved for the space, but that was not practical for upholstering your entire sofa. For example, if you have pets, you may not want to get a boucle sofa, but can purchase boucle throw pillows to accent the couch instead.
Accent Colors and Prints
You may also find that you love a certain colour or print, but that it does not work within your space on a large scale. Instead, you can purchase a pillow in that shade or that utilizes that print to still display it in your space, but in a more subtle way. For instance, you may love a particular shade of red, but feel that it would be too overwhelming if you upholstered your whole sofa in this colour. Instead, you can arrange a pillow– or a few of them– in this shade on the couch. This can also be helpful approach for colours or prints that are not practical or would not hold up to the daily strain you put on your sofa. For example, if you allow your dog onto the couch, a print that has a white background may become stained and discoloured over time, due to the exposure to dirt and grime from outdoors.
At Calgary Interiors, we have a vast array of designer created, conscious, toss cushions to add a little colour & comfort to your home. The inserts are a true down/feather blend, incased with an organic cotton ticking.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the furniture style for 2022?
2022 is seeing a resurgence of a lot of the furniture that was popular in the 1970s, like curved furniture that incorporates soft lines. Nature colours, like muted greens and deep, rich brown and orange tones are also gaining popularity.
What are the sofa colors for 2022?
Some of the popular sofa colours for this year are natural colours, like greens, but also bright, sunny colours, like oranges and golds. Periwinkle is the Pantone Color of the Year, so expect to see lots of furniture in decor in this colour-way as well.
How do I update my living room 2022?
When you want to refresh a space and create a more modern living room, you do not have to go out and buy a new couch and all new furniture or decor! You can assess the current trends and implement them in small ways to update a room– for example, you could re-upholster your sofa or accent chair in a new solid colour or a pattern, or implement some new art pieces or ceramics in the Colour of the Year. You are the creative director of your space so let it be a self expression of your design style.
What is the new decor for 2022?
One of the big decor trends in 2022 is bringing the outdoors indoors– this trend has been at the forefront for the past few years, but is not going away in 2022, either! It is perfect because it also implements some of the colour trends of 2022, as shades of green are becoming very popular as sofa colours.
For more home trends, check out our blog on living room trends and post covid office design trends
