Modsy 2021 Style Trends Report

Modsy Highlights

iOS App

Today, 60% of Modsy customers use our iOS app to scan their room. This cuts down the time it takes to show us your room from 15 minutes to 1 and eliminates the need for a tape measure!

Design Ideas Release

Each month we create more than 2 million shoppable 3D designs. We’re at more than 20 million and counting! Explore these ideas in our Design Ideas gallery.

The Render

The Render is our interior design podcast all about the untold stories of the interior design world. This year, we cracked the Top 10 in Apple’s Design podcasts!

Top Style & Design Trends of 2020

We’re always on the lookout for new design trends. In 2020, we needed functionality from our spaces more than ever, but flairs of nostalgia and personalization also rose in prominence.

Mid-Century Isn't Dead

Last year we predicted that Mid-Century Modern was going to move out of the trend spotlight. But we’re not too proud to say that we were wrong! Mod Visionary, a sub-style of Mid-Century Modern, grew in popularity this year. In fact, people received Mod Visionary as their style quiz result 14% more often this year! Needless to say, people are still drawn to the clean lines and approachability of Mid-Century style.

Why is this style regaining popularity? Mid-Century furniture is notorious for its functionality and it works well in smaller spaces. So, Mod Visionary’s increase in popularity is potentially a reflection of people’s needs to maximize the footprint of small spaces through functional yet beautiful pieces of furniture!

Traditional & Classic Styles Grow in Popularity

In years past, Traditional and Classic styles have consistently been the least popular styles among Modsy customers. However, in 2020 Traditional and Classic styles were two of the biggest movers—with Traditional rising 6% in popularity and Classic growing by 11%.

Why? In uncertain times people tend to look for more security in their spaces. And the familiarity of Traditional and Classic design elements is truly an antidote for uncertainty! This could also be reflective of the fact that so many people are moving away from urban spaces to more traditional suburban or rural homes.

People Are Using Their Homes to Show Off Their Personalities

While busy and daring styles weren’t as popular this year, Eclectic styles in general rose 13% in popularity. We’re finding that, with all this extra time at home, people want to inject some personality into their space. And Eclectic styles offer more opportunity to reflect the dweller's interests and personlaity.

We’ve also seen some of the stars embrace a more eclectic style—like Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid, whose home tours were published in Architectural Digest this year.

Sources of Inspiration

No surprise here: People are most likely to get design inspiration from the Internet, not their spouses.

Most Popular Color Families

Does the Pantone color of the year really make an impact on people’s decor decisions? Hard to say. But this year’s color was Classic Blue, and we find that, year after year, blue is always the top color requested by customers. It’s sitting alongside other cool tones as the most popular color family that people want to see in their designs.

But neutrals are close behind. In 2020, we saw an 8% increase in requests for designs with neutrals, with 27% of all Modsy customers choosing this option.

However, pops of color is the most popular way of incorporating color into designs for Modsy customers, with 55% of our customers requesting pops of color in their designs. It’s a simple and safe way to bring in a little color to an otherwise neutral design.

Of course, some people want to go big and bold with colors—but they’re in the minority, with only 6% of customers requesting bold colors in their designs in 2020.

Top-Selling Products

Storage furniture and accent chairs were among the most popular products purchased by Modsy customers in 2020. This year, most of us spent more time at home than ever before—so it’s no surprise that people are looking for places to stash clutter and relax.

Media cabinets and buffets not only serve as beautiful pieces of statement furniture in a space, but with doors and drawers, they also offer a ton of stashable storage so clutter is out of view.

And lounge chairs? Consider them your own personal relaxation station. People are creating little corners of their home where they can unplug from technology and curl up with a good book and a favorite beverage and truly relax.

May saw a rise in main seating purchases. Our customers spent an average of 4% more on main seating in May than in any other month in 2020. As people were settling into the new all-purpose nature of their homes, many were looking to invest in comfortable family-friendly pieces.

One of the most popular seating purchases? Ravine Home’s Taylor collection. These sofas and chairs are inspired by Mid-Century design, with their clean lines, tapered legs, and button-tufted backs. And they also feature performance fabrics, which are easy to clean and care for—ideal for everyone who adopted pets during quaratine. (Or for those whose kids are around the house 24/7 these days!)

Room & Renovation Trends

In 2020, people made a lot of changes in their homes—prioritizing home office designs and adding extra functionality to their spaces.

2020 Was the Year of Interior Design Changes

In 2020, 69% of people reported engaging in a home redesign project. COVID-19 was a big motivator in how people engaged with their homes—with 11% of people moving during this time, 22% of people realizing how disorganized their homes were, and 22% of people feeling dissatisfied with their home’s design style, furniture, or aesthetic. Basically, a lot of people welcomed change in their homes this year!

More Home Offices

No surpise here: COVID shut-downs resulted in a lot of home office designs. Starting in April 2020, home office design requests were steadily on the rise—growing 27% year-over-year. They now account for 10% of all room types. And office furniture sales were three times higher in April 2020 compared to April 2019.

The most popular design styles in offices? Modern and Minimal, with 27% of all offices designed to be clean and functional, with a safe Mid-Century Modern slant.

People Reported Good Lighting as the Most Important Component of Their Home Office

People reported that natural lighting and plenty of windows were a top priority in their home offices—and it makes sense. Not only is natural light good for our moods and mental health, but it’s also conducive to great video call lighting!

With no end in sight for many who are working from home, people transitioned from temporary to more permanent set-ups, investing in ergonomic chairs and storage while still valuing a good-looking space. And we’re thinking The Home Edit definitely influenced this desire for beautiful but organized spaces. We’re not the only ones who binged it, right?

Beyond all that, 10% of people are looking for their home offices to work double duty as guest rooms, home gyms, or hobby rooms.

The 10 States Most Motivated to Design Home Offices

Working from home has become the new normal this year. And it’s no surprise that 2020 was the year of home office overhauls. But, we were curious if this trend was more prevalent in some states than others. After diving into the data, these are the states where people were most motivated to redesign their home offices.

Nursery Designs Hit an All-Time High in June 2020

The percentage of Modsy customers designing a nursery in June 2020 was 40% higher than the 2020 average.

And sales in the baby/kids product category grew 60% from June 2019 to June 2020. Does that mean the COVID-19 baby boom is real?

Living Rooms Need Less Help Than in Past Years

While living rooms are still the #1 designed room, making up 31% of all rooms designed by Modsy, we’ve seen a 7% decrease in this room type from 2019 to 2020.

And it’s not surprising, given how the world shifted this year. While people are still designing their living rooms, the popularity of other rooms is growing like never before. Many people are prioritizing the functionality of other spaces, like home offices or combination rooms, over their main entertaining space.

2020 Room Types Ranked by Popularity

Living rooms and bedrooms were the most popular rooms that we designed for customers in 2020. But, like we mentioned earlier, home office designs grew in popularity this year.

From May to June, we saw an 8% increase in open-concept living room requests—making it the highest month for open living/dining rooms designs this year. With sheltering in place and homes having so many extra uses now, more people needed help maximizing the functionality of their open-concept floor plans.

Offices Replace Bedrooms as Second Most Popular Room to Design in 2021

As people look ahead at design plans for 2021, living rooms, home offices, and bedrooms top the list—with offices moving into the second most popular room for planned redesigns in 2021.

Overall, people are focusing on affordable upgrades, first and foremost, with most people planning on spending up to $1,500 on a room refresh.

Why Are People Motivated to Design?

Now is the time of year when people are usually prepping for guests, but 2021 will be all about functionality and family entertainment since our homes will continue to be multifunctional spaces where we’re spending the bulk of our time.

The most important factors in designing for 2021 are the need for functionality and family entertainment space, followed by the need for aesthetically pleasing spaces and those that support productivity.

High-Touch Service is Key

Our Luxe Package sales have grown 300% year-over-year. More and more, people are looking for a virtual way to mimic offline experiences. And our Luxe Packages are the closest thing to working with a traditional interior designer, with the opportunity for video calls and unlimited revisions with a top-tier designer.