5 Design Trends for 2015

Mixed Metals
In London, designer Kelly Hoppen says mixing warm metals, such as copper and rose gold, with cool ones like silver is particularly hot right now. Los Angeles designer Jamie Bush agreed, saying he is no longer interested in matching every metal finish in a single room: “It’s too staged.” New York designer Thom Filicia suggested a “strategic, layered mix” of silvery, gold and black metals as a “riskier and more stylish” option. A great example: Arteriors’s Nolan Pendant, a brass-finished iron light with a dark bronze band.

Moody Indigo
Several designers are developing a case of the navy blues. Paris-based Stephanie Coutas said dark navy, as a counterpoint to white marble and mother of pearl, is a growing trend in luxury projects in the City of Light. Los Angeles designer Sasha Emerson hailed the color’s versatility: “It plays so well with other colors, such as pink, cream, gray, coral and sage.” Architect Barbara Bestor ’s tried-and-true: Benjamin Moore’s Old Navy mixed with a little black.

Painterly Rugs
Whether it looks like a Motherwell or a Monet, a rug “that is visually fluid with irregular patterns breaks the grid of rectangular rooms and furniture,” said Mr. Bush. (See examples from Marc Phillips’s collection here.) “They are true art pieces,” said Sydney designer Thomas Hamel, especially those rendered in silk “that shimmer and constantly change color.”

Smoky Glass
“Clear is so last year,” quipped Mr. May. Instead, Los Angeles designer Kelly Wearstler opts for smoked glass to “strike a tension between raw and refined, masculine and feminine.” That smokiness “adds a sense of mystery and intrigue to an otherwise typical material,” she said. For Mr. Harris, the effect, as seen in Sebastian Scherer’s Isom tables for Neo/Craft, “exudes a sultry 1970s vibe that reminds me of an intimate club that serves really good Manhattans.”

Graphic Tiles
Thanks to the allure of indoor/outdoor living, colorful concrete tiles (such as these from Amethyst Artisan shown here) continue to move from commercial to home spaces, said Los Angeles designer David John Dick : “It’s a perfect combination of graphic design and interior design.” Sam Allen, a Connecticut designer, views them as a sneaky image-booster. “These unusual ethnic tiles give the appearance that you are well-traveled,” he said.

-From WSJ.com