Smart, Sustainable And Open Plan; The Living Room Trends of Britain are revealed

Research from Sky Glass has identified the interior looks and motivations shaping our homes in 2022

• Socially inspired: 50% of people admit they are influenced by social media when it comes to their living room design
• Eco-living (rooms): The climate crisis is impacting interior choices with 61% of Brits saying sustainable furniture is a sign of a stylish living room
• Pandemic makeovers: 43% of Brits have upgraded their living room in the past two years
• Sky Glass has created a 3D animated render showing the evolution of the nation’s living room

Three-piece suites, drinks trolleys and inspirational quotes are out, making way for corner sofas, sustainable furniture and smart technology according to new research commissioned by Sky Glass, the streaming TV from Sky, on the interior trends shaping our living room lives today.

Velvet furniture (53%), floral print wallpaper (50%) and wood panelling (48%) are also considered old-fashioned.

Why the shift?

With Brits spending an average of five hours per day in their living rooms it’s no wonder the nation’s sitting rooms are evolving. In 2022, people now need a seriously multi-functional space, with many now opting for open plan over ‘snug’ style living rooms. According to the study, Brits most want their homes to have a dedicated space to relax, a place to watch a film, as well as more than a quarter of people needing the space to work from home or workout.

What upgrades are we making?

Our living rooms are being refreshed with smart speakers (63%), sustainable furniture (61%) and wall mounted TVs (60%) – all of which have been identified by Brits as some of the most stylish ways of upgrading a sitting room. Affordable luxuries such as candles (57%), pot plants (52%), throws (53%) and statement rugs (48%) are helping people refresh their living spaces in budget friendly ways. With a quarter of Brits (24%) spending £200 or less on upgrading their sitting rooms over the last two years, its clear stylish changes don’t need to be expensive.

When it comes to living room colour choices, the study found that 51% currently play it safe with neutral cream, grey and white palettes. However, nature-inspired greens and blues are emerging as stylish colours for living rooms in 2022 - with teal (40%), dark green (38%) and pastel green (37%) leading the charge, with colours such as red, purple and yellow phasing out of fashion.

Commenting on the findings, interior design guru Sophie Robinson said: “Our living rooms are the heart of the home, and the new study by Sky Glass shows that they need to work harder than ever before on a multi-functional level. However, you don’t have to undertake a complete makeover to update your sitting room – small changes such as fresh accessories, sleek tech, and organised storage can make big differences.

One of the areas, as a designer, that I find challenging to get right is the TV. Everyone wants one, the bigger the better, and they can quickly dominate the space. Sky Glass is a great way of integrating tech with your interior style - with just one wire it means less clutter and the choice of colours means you can blend it into your living room design, whatever your taste.”

To help visualise how living rooms are changing and the top trends for 2022, Sky Glass has created a 3D render to show the transformation. Please see the embed code here.

Smart tech vs tech mess

More than two thirds (68%) feel that tech is essential to their living room, with 42% saying that a perfect TV set up is vital to a stylish living room space. Smart tech in particular is on the rise, with ten per cent of respondents saying they are looking to incorporate more smart technology such as smart speakers, TVs and lighting within their homes.

Brits’ top living room pet peeves include frustrations with general clutter (37%), messy wires (34%) and not enough plug sockets (25%) so having streamlined tech is beneficial.

Anthony Davies, Group Design Director, Sky, added: “We don’t believe people should have to compromise on style when it comes to their technology. When we were creating Sky Glass, our goal was to combine beautiful design with cutting-edge technology and incredible entertainment. The result is a sleek TV with just one plug that can seamlessly fit into any living room design, acting as a piece of furniture that is customisable, clutter-free, and also Carbon Neutral, reflecting what many people are looking for in their living room tech today.”

Finding the #inspo

When it comes to finding interior design inspiration, Brits generally turn to the homes of family and friends (24%), browsing through the shops (24%) and watching interior design TV programmes (21%).

Social media also has a huge part to play - with many looking for inspiration on platforms such as Instagram (18%), Pinterest (18%) and TikTok (11%), as well as their favourite reality TV shows (14%).

Top 20 living room trends according to Brits:

1. Smart speakers (63%)
2. Sustainable furniture (61%)
3. Real wood flooring (60%)
4. TV on the wall (60%)
5. Open plan living room (57%)
6. Luxury candles (57%)
7. Throws (53%)
8. Potted plants (52%)
9. Log burner (51%)
10. Blinds (51%)
11. Table lamps (50%)
12. Fireplace (50%)
13. Photo frames of families (48%)
14. Statement rug (48%)
15. Corner sofas (47%)
16. Wall prints (46%)
17. Big mirror on the wall (45%)
18. Floating shelves (43%)
19. Curtains (43%)
20. Shutters (42%)

Top 20 ‘off trends’ according to Brits:

1. Doilies (64%)
2. Velvet furniture (53%)
3. Shaggy carpets (52%)
4. Beanbags (52%)
5. Drinks trolley (51%)
6. Gas fires (51%)
7. Floral print wallpaper (50%)
8. Display cabinets (49%)
9. Neon sign (49%)
10. Wood paneling (48%)
11. Nest of tables (48%)
12. Mirrored furniture (48%)
13. Chandeliers (47%)
14. Fejkas (46%)
15. A sideboard (45%)
16. Inspirational quotes (45%)
17. Pouffe / footrest (42%)
18. Coloured glass (42%)
19. Three-piece suites (40%)
20. Chaise longue (40%)

Sophie Robinson’s top tips for upgrading your living space

1. Create a feeling of space. Most people don’t need a bigger house, they just need less stuff! Begin by assessing the things you own and be brutal about getting rid of the things you don’t use. You should be able to move around pieces of furniture with ease and create space on shelves and tables to display a few favourite belongings.
   
2. That all said and done it’s also important to personalise your room and ensure it reflects your personality. You can do this in an affordable way by introducing pops of your favourite colours, artwork, or a collection of photographs. Don’t be afraid to put your individual stamp on the room.
   
3. Statement rugs are a wonderful way to give a room some oomph. Choose a design you love and buy it as big as you can afford. Ideally, you want the front feet of the sofas sitting on the edge. It can add real visual impact to a room without being too ‘in your face’
   
4. Invest in streamlined tech. Even the most beautifully designed rooms can fall down at the last hurdle if the TV and tech is ugly and clumsy. Minimise unsightly wires that create a cluttered dusty mess. The new Sky Glass TV is the ideal solution with only one wire and everything you need built in. It can also be wall-mounted for an even sleeker appearance.
   
5. House plants have never been so fashionable and bring a sense of well-being, calmness and feel-good vibes to the space. Display them in stylish pots that tie in with your décor.
   
6. While many people remain wed to their neutral interiors the trend towards cool shades of blue and green is growing in popularity and for good reason. Introduce these calming colours into your living room to create a space that invites you to rest and unwind.
   
7. Sustainability is the big conversation in interiors right now and doesn’t mean you need to compromise on style. The easiest way is to buy second hand and vintage furniture, which is an opportunity to save money and find something unique too. You can give something a quick sand or lick of paint to update the look and in turn create a piece that’s truly unique to you.
   
8. Today’s modern living demands that our living rooms often serve multiple purposes. From cosy movie nights to working from home you need to plan your space to make sure it works on many levels. I recommend investing in sleek storage to make sure paperwork and laptops can be concealed from view at the end of the day, or looking into buying a modular sofa that can help to define the living area.
   
9. Update your lighting to create a relaxing mood. Candles are a popular way to add soft lighting and some relaxing scent to boot. If you can change your light switch to a dimmer, it is the ultimate way to control the light levels from bright to moody. Rather than relying on one overhead pendant light, dot lamps around the room to create pools of atmospheric light.
   
10. In order to make our living rooms feel like the best room in the house, comfort needs to be high on the list of priorities. I’m a huge fan of scatter cushions and throws in super-soft fabrics as a way of softening the sofa, or why not invest in one favourite feature armchair in a bold colour and switch your coffee table for an oversized footstool.

About Sky
Sky is Europe’s leading media and entertainment company and is proud to be part of Comcast Corporation. Across six countries, we connect our 23 million customers to the best entertainment, sports, news, arts and to our own award-winning original content. 

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