Your client wants to follow trends that may not last. How do you ensure a timeless design?

To ensure a timeless design while accommodating a client’s desire to follow trends: Focus on Classic Elements: Incorporate enduring design elements—neutral colours, quality materials, and clean lines—that stand the test of time. Use Trends Sparingly: Integrate trends through easily changeable accents like accessories, textiles, or paint. This allows the core design to remain timeless while embracing current styles. Prioritise Functionality: Ensure the design is both beautiful and practical, as functionality never goes out of style. Educate the Client: Explain the value of a balanced approach that honours both their preferences and the longevity of the design. These strategies help create a lasting, stylish space.

If you're a designer who prioritizes timeless design over fleeting trends, it's crucial to have this conversation with the client before signing any contracts. This discussion ensures that you and the client are aligned in your vision and are a good fit to work together. If the client insists on a design that's heavily influenced by the latest trends, which may become outdated in a few years or even months, it might be best to part ways. The most successful designs are those that blend elements from different periods, ensuring a space doesn't feel stuck in a particular era. This approach is especially important in interior design, where flexibility and longevity are essential due to the significant investment involved.

Educating a client about the difference between Classic & Timeless vs Trending and Transient lies at the core of finding a solution to this situation. Communicating how the space and the long-term design elements need to be timeless and not something that goes out of fashion in a few months is important; alongside understanding what part of the trend appeals to the client. Striking the right balance with passing trends, while creating a space close to the client's heart is something a designer owes to a project.

The key to creating a timeless design while incorporating trends is balance. Integrate trendy elements in a way that they can be easily updated or replaced as styles evolve. For instance, if the client loves a particular trend in living room decor, suggest incorporating it through accessories like cushions, rugs, or artwork rather than committing to a trendy sectional sofa or wall color. This approach allows the core elements of the space, such as the sofa set and home furniture, to remain classic and enduring, while the trendy accents can be refreshed over time.

Para garantir um design atemporal enquanto atendemos ao desejo dos clientes de seguir tendências mais efêmeras, buscamos um equilíbrio! Sugerimos incorporar as tendências que podem n?o durar tanto de forma sutil e em elementos que possam ser facilmente trocados, como acessórios ou um ponto de cor em uma poltrona. Ao mesmo tempo, mantemos uma base de design atemporal e funcional, com móveis, acabamentos e layouts que resistam ao tempo. Dessa forma, o espa?o terá um estilo duradouro, mas ainda permitirá atualiza??es rápidas e acessíveis conforme as tendências mudam.

Choosing colors that last a few years without feeling dated, as well as careful application (via paint, wall papers, fabric) to enable a change when required are the 2 key ways to look at color in interior spaces. The suggested color palette must allow for some flexibility and guidelines on how soft furnishings and accessories may be added in future.

Choosing the right color palette is crucial for a timeless design. Opt for neutral or classic colors for larger, more permanent elements like walls, floors, and main furniture pieces, such as the sofa set in the living room or the bed in the bedroom. For example, soft grays, whites, and beiges offer a versatile backdrop that can accommodate changing trends. Encourage the client to experiment with bolder colors in smaller, easily changeable items like throw pillows or accent chairs. This way, the overall design remains timeless, even if color trends change.

In my experience-designing a space right, cannot fall into 'trendiness'.Color psychology clearly shows that there are certain colors that are(so called)right for certain spaces.For instance,'meaty' food businesses will always involve red and black in their design vs.Organic/natural foods, will always involve greens, etc.-and this is true for branding AWA for interiors.Other examples are using soft 'ice-cream' colors for baby-rooms(not burgundy), natural colors like 'greige' for master bedrooms(not lemon-yellow or deep-orange). So,basically,there IS a right way to design+Having said all that-if u see a meat restaurant all designed in greens, and a vegan restaurant colored all red on the walls and black- u wouldn't probably want to eat there.

I personally believe trending items come at a higher cost, partly because companies that offer them are likely primarily targeting uninformed consumers rather than design professionals. Certainly when you consider the longevity of classic pieces vs. their trending counterparts, the cost of the classics comes in markedly lower. Communicate to the client which features of the space can be easily changed in the future and which should be designed to last for many years, and show them how to indulge in trends if they so choose in areas that won't leave a lasting mark.

Establish yourself as the authority on quality through your portfolio and your marketing materials, being sure to remain consistent regardless of touch-point. We make it clear from the beginning that we insist on attesting to the quality, durability and longevity of the items we source and, equally, to preserving our standards of excellence and our reputation for distinguished design. We share per sq ft pricing with clients for the spaces in our portfolio to create context and we establish project minimums to avoid this dilemma. Clients may be unaware of the investment quality design requires, but can easily relate to experiences and services they have received elsewhere. We draw instructive comparisons to fashion, travel, dining, etc.

Design solutions that solve functional needs first continue to serve a client long after the latest innovations are history. When functionality is met or exceeded, aesthetics can be adjusted in minimal ways to freshen a space. Keeping certain fixed elements aligned to the client's branding means that it stays true to the company even if colors come and go. For residential or commercial applications, timeless patterns create longevity and can be paired with changeable accents. Focusing on circulation solutions, and how the space needs to perform for a client will yield a solutions that lasts. Spending time envisioning potential future adaptations allows for infrastructure to be built into the design early, creating future flexibility.

Functionality is a cornerstone of timeless design. Ensure that the layout and furniture choices prioritize the client’s needs and lifestyle over fleeting trends. For example, design the living room with ample seating, such as a sectional sofa that comfortably accommodates family and guests, rather than following a trend that might compromise practicality. A functional space will continue to serve the client well, regardless of changing design trends.

Focus on creating flexible layouts that can easily adapt to changing trends. By prioritizing functionality and balance, the space remains versatile, allowing for updates in decor and style without compromising the overall aesthetic. This approach ensures that the design remains relevant and enduring, no matter the trends.

Designing with flexibility in mind allows the space to adapt to future changes in trends or the client’s needs. Choose furniture that can be easily rearranged or repurposed as needed. For example, select modular furniture, like a sectional sofa that can be reconfigured to suit different layouts, or opt for a flexible floor plan that can evolve with the client’s lifestyle. A flexible layout ensures that the design remains functional and relevant over time, accommodating both current trends and future needs.