The home trends making big noise on Instagram

There are few better ways to experience “home envy” than to browse the accounts of interiors influencers and design mavens on Instagram.

And, thanks to hashtags, it’s very easy to measure the interiors styles that are dominating Instagram. With that in mind, we take a look at seven of the biggest trends of the past six months, and suggest how you can work with them in your own spaces.

Macramé wall hanging

Amazingly enough, macramé — a 1970s hippie craft — has made the biggest splash on Instagram (some 582, 563 mentions in 2020) in the form of wall hangings. Macramé has had something of a resurgence in recent years, probably part of a larger embrace of “cottagecore” — a return to all things home-made, sustainable and creative. Wall hangings (basically a macramé work attached to a stylish wooden pole) have proved particularly popular, as have hanging macramé planters.

In your home

Macramé won’t fit with all aesthetics, but it pairs well with simple white interiors and bohemian styling. Try a macramé planter in a covered outdoor area if you really love the idea.

Velvet sofas

These have been popping up everywhere over the past six months, particularly in vivid shades like burnt orange and emerald green. Velvet is the embodiment of luxury, and oversized couches in this plush fabric make for a striking centrepoint in any living room.

In your home

Stick to neutral colours such as grey and navy blue — these classic shades will never go out of fashion, whereas you might tire of shocking pink very quickly. Don’t be afraid to add colour, though, with bold-coloured cushions and throws.

Gallery walls

Gallery walls continue to be big news — there are roughly 1.5 million Instagram posts using the “gallery wall” hashtag. These walls usually consist of art of different shapes and styles grouped together — think large and small, horizontal and vertical, black/white and colour, dark- and light-framed.

In your home

The experts make it look easy, but it can be challenging to create a really good gallery wall. Interior stylist Emily Henderson offers these suggestions:

• Laying out your gallery wall before you hang it.
• Creating a cohesive colour pallet.
• Anchoring the collection with one large piece.
• Mixing horizontal and vertical.
• Using different styles of frames.

Bar carts

This highly utilitarian piece has been used to store and display drinks and glassware since the 1930s (the initial version was a Victorian tea trolley, but it’s still big news ­— perhaps because we did so much more in-home entertaining in recent times. Traditional-style carts (ie, metallic, with a handle, and double trays) are eternally popular, but smaller versions suitable for apartment living are trending, too.

In your home

Bar carts — also known as drinks trollies — suit every interior style imaginable, and these days are available in most shapes (art-deco style circular ones are particularly “wow”). Metal is traditional, but there are some fabulous timber mid-century carts and some on-trend rattan versions, too.

Gold hardware

It’s Instagram official — gold hardware is overtaking chrome and brushed nickel as the home hardware of choice, in the form of taps, kitchen pulls, light fittings and door handles/knobs. The really great news about this trend? Swapping out hardware is a relatively inexpensive job, and is very much DIY, even if your skills are minimal.

In your home

Consider swapping out your kitchen drawer and cupboard pulls with gold hardware. If you love the look, then update your tapware as well. Do the same in your bathroom. Look for second-hand gold light fittings, but get an expert to install if replacing old fixtures involves electrical work.

Moroccan rugs

Pieces from this North African rug-making hub were the 15^th biggest interior trend on Instagram in 2020. Both traditional and modern styles are news, as a quick glance at #moroccanrug can confirm. Boldly coloured vintage rugs are adorning everywhere from dining rooms to children’s spaces, including as wall hangings, while modern geometric black-and-white incarnations bring style to minimalist rooms.

In your home

Don’t be afraid to mix and match. A traditional patterned Moroccan rug can be a fabulous counterpoint to a modern interior scheme, and the opposite works too — modern styles can really lift a traditional interior. Vintage pieces can be expensive. Consider a smaller piece in a bedroom if budget is an issue.

Freestanding baths

We probably spent more time at home in the past 12 months than at any other time of our lives, so it’s little wonder baths were trending heavily. Not just any old baths, mind you, but freestanding versions that add a distinct five-star vibe to any bathroom. Traditional claw-foot, lipped, freestanding styles are still around, but more popular are modern sculptural (and footless) baths with tapering or straight sides.

In your home

Claw-foot baths are still ideal for country-style bathrooms — but update them by painting the exterior in a bold colour. The only other consideration? A freestanding bath needs about 300mm space around its edges for access.

Keep your coverage up to date

If you add new pieces to your home that are worth a bit of money — as velvet couches and freestanding baths can be — ensure that the sum insured on your Contents Insurance or Home & Contents Insurance policy reflects this. Since the sum insured is the most you’ll be paid for repair or replacement in the event of a claim, it should reflect how much it would cost to replace everything in your home. So if the total value of your stuff goes up, but your sum insured doesn’t, you could wind up underinsured

If you’re already a Suncorp Insurance customer, you can update your sum insured online.

If you’re not, you can get a Suncorp Home Insurance quote within minutes.

Learn more about Home Insurance

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• The benefits of exercising as a family

Insurance is issued by AAI Limited ABN 48 005 297 807 trading as Suncorp Insurance. Consider the Product Disclosure Statement before making a decision about this insurance. This advice has been prepared without taking into account your particular objectives, financial situations or needs, so you should consider whether it is appropriate for you before acting on it.

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