Autumn design trends: Getting cosy, staying calm, and the art of doing nothing.
Autumn has always been synonymous with ‘nesting’. As the days get shorter and the seasons change, consumers are drawn to making their wardrobe and their home environment cosier for the oncoming winter. And this year is no exception. Faced with a festive season that looks distinctly more intimate than usual, ongoing home-working, and new limitations to socialising in full force, people across the UK are drawn to creating new levels of intimacy and sanctuary as they seek to re-ground and recharge themselves in this time of great pause.
This means that emotive and thoughtful design in soothing colour and material are absolutely essential to convey a sense of quiet optimism and ‘soft aid’ that assists comfort and healing. Here are just some of the key trends autumnal trends driving design at notonthehighstreet…
Niksen
A concept that encapsulates, quite literally, the art of doing nothing. Niksen refers to doing nothing, being idle or doing something intentionally purposeless. Not to be confused with mindless distraction, the key to Niksen is that whatever you’re doing is utterly a moment of relaxation, time out from the world and the pressures of life but with slightly ‘less structure’ — less purpose — than, say mindfulness practice or meditation.
The Dutch term used to be synonymous with laziness or lacking motivation and purpose, but in the past few years it’s increasingly being seen as a way to ease stress and burnout, and some specialists suggest it allows people to ease back into better connection, and even become more productive and creative in their day-to-day.
Niksen means something different for everyone, and finding your own way to ‘Niks’ (yes, that’s the verb) is down to what makes you feel effortlessly peaceful. For some, it can be staring out of a window and letting your thoughts wander, for others it can be watching the world go by from a quiet cafe corner. The key is taking regular moments for guilt-free nothing.
Nature
The pandemic has forced us to rethink how we live with the natural world and extended periods spent at home, without the usual distractions of the outside, modern world mean many people are far more appreciative of nature than they ever had the time to be before.
While people are still seeking to bring the outdoors in — with houseplants and cut flowers still incredibly popular items on notonthehighstreet, people faced with less opportunity to get out in nature as the weather changes are also looking for ways to ensure their home environment reflects the tranquility of nature.
Atmospheric pastels inspired by a new dawn, meet calming clay baked tones and fresh sustainable greens that talk to the mood of 2021. Warming Butter yellows and apricot tans talk to the overriding focus on softness, whilst chalky Mauves and cocoa browns offer a base of new nudes for soothing design. These are breath easy, spiritual tones: colour that you can really feel.
Reuse, recover, renew
The rise of conscious consumerism has really advanced this year as people who finally have a moment to pause realise how interwoven our everyday habits are with the health of the planet. The lockdown earlier in the year broke the cycle of discard and replace for many, as the temporary closure of many non-essential shops and community tips forced people to consider how they could fix, reuse or renew items they’d have traditionally thrown away.
This has driven a plethora of inventive and exciting solutions to combat excess and waste with a bigger drive towards upcycling, and designing the old into new. We’re seeing an altogether more fun and colourful approach to product design that turns out something so beautiful you wouldn’t even know it was once trash, we call this ‘Craft 2.0’ From rainbow coloured plastic terrazzos, to thrifted accessories embroidered and re-loved, trash is now treasure.
