Property developer, Ellington shares some key trends for the living spaces of 2019.

The look and feel
Residential interiors are becoming increasingly softer with more nature-inspired palettes that have different textures. There are many wood-look porcelain tiles, matte velvet finish joinery, backsplashes, and feature walls with mosaic and carved forms that reflect the new look and feel of homes. Glossy finishes are gradually starting to be replaced by a more humble and gentle interior look and feel, that brings warmth into the interior finish of 2019.

Lighter colour palettes
Traditional dark and heavy doors and joinery are being substituted for lighter-coloured, more contemporary woods, and paint finishes. The use of light palettes and wood colours that provide for uninterrupted floor to ceiling block tones help to create a look and feel of expansive space in a typical studio, apartment or villa. Avoiding darker colours will help keep spaces livelier and vibrant.

 Go green
The colour green has been a significant trend in UAE interiors as well as in regional fashion in the past two years. This has come from a collective desire for more greenery and connection with nature, an affiliation many city dwellers feel they lack. Through the introduction of more plants and flowers, micro gardens in apartments as well as the popular ‘green wall’ concept, this trend is here to stay. While 2017 saw the rise in the use of a fresh green colour across interior design, 2018 graduated to a deep forest green. There is a likely possibility that 2019 will continue to develop this experimentation further, with a mix of natural green hues, floral and forest textural walls to be seen in residential and commercial interiors. A lower level approach to exploring this trend could be simply to add more plants to any living space, to re-upholster a bed’s headboard with green velvet or even to scatter green and floral cushions across a seating area.

Smart space planning
Smaller floorplans have become more popular due to the rise in land and apartment costs, and therefore efficient and well-designed space planning is critical. A good interior designer can make the best use of space in small apartments utilising every inch of space creatively.

International aesthetic
The traditional Emirati aesthetic of highly decorative, rich fabrics and patterns, associated with older and more traditional Dubai architecture and interiors, has witnessed recent change through international styles. Dubai’s location has inspired interiors from sand and sea leading to a lighter, brighter and softer 21st century palette and taste, with a more contemporary and paired down approach.