The 2022
Interior Design
Report

As the new year draws in, it’s a time not only for looking forward but also reflecting on the year just gone.

In our 2022 Interior Design Report, we’ve done just that. By analysing Google search data, we have revealed which interior design trends were grabbing the UK’s attention the most and influencing what our new homes looked like in 2022.

As the new year draws in, it’s a time not only for looking forward but also reflecting on the year just gone.

In our 2022 Interior Design Report, we’ve done just that. By analysing Google search data, we have revealed which interior design trends were grabbing the UK’s attention the most and influencing what our new homes looked like in 2022.

Top 10 UK Interior Design Searches

Bauhaus
1
Google Searches
361,300
% YOY Change
-6%

The interior design style that has dominated the UK’s interest this year is the German artistic movement, Bauhaus. Bauhaus designs are characterised by clean lines, simple, useful shapes with little or no decoration, primary colours and rational use of modern materials such as glass, concrete and steel.

Cottagecore
2
Google Searches
325,600
% YOY Change
-43%

Although cottagecore was more in demand in 2021, searches for the style dropped 43% this year to rank behind Bauhaus. Popular with Gen Z and millennials, this interior design style puts a significant emphasis on sustainability that is harmonious with nature. Key décor pieces include dried flower bouquets, houseplants, mushroom trinkets and string lights.

Hygge
3
Google Searches
224,700
% YOY Change
-22%

In third place is the Danish style, hygge. Translated into English, hygge describes a mood of cosiness and "comfortable conviviality". Hygge décor is a minimalistic interior design style, embodying the Danish concept of hygge—the feeling of being content while enjoying life's simple pleasures.

Minimalism
4
Google Searches
213,000
% YOY Change
-17%

With budgets getting tighter due to the cost-of-living crisis, many have been seeking inspiration from the minimalism interior design style. Minimalist design is characterised by simplicity and clean lines. It often combines an open floor plan, lots of light and functional furniture to keep a focus on shape, colour and texture—just a few of the essential elements.

Country House
5
Google Searches
88,800
% YOY Change
-43%

In fifth place is the country house design style, with a significant drop in search interest compared to the four leading styles. Country interior design represents a casual and cosy decorating style. The colour palette incorporates pastels and bright colours and can use design elements such as vintage wares and second-hand accessories.

Maximalism
6
Google Searches
57,400
% YOY Change
-21%

Despite producing less than a third of the search interest of minimalism, the maximalism style still attracts a lot of attention. Maximalism is the art of more-is-more; layered patterning, highly saturated colours, ample accessories and art, combined with a real sense of playfulness and bold gestures.

Boho Style
7
Google Searches
54,400
% YOY Change
2%

The first of the styles that hasn’t seen a year-on-year decline is the bohemian style. The bohemian style is inspired by people who choose to live an unconventional lifestyle, adopting a more-is-more approach to their décor. The design focuses on combining an eclectic mix of colours and furniture from different areas of the world.

Green Color Palettes
8
Google Searches
49,800
% YOY Change
18%

Green was very much in during 2022. Based on Google search interest, the UK have opted for green colour palettes as their choice of colour when decorating their living room and bedroom, and even the kitchen, with grey being the only colour choice with more interest. Search interest is also up 18% year-on-year.

Japandi
9
Google Searches
33,900
% YOY Change
6%

Also ranking in the UK’s top 10 interior design styles with increased search interest is Japandi. Japandi is the intersection of Scandinavian and modern Japanese interior design styles. The Japandi style honours principles of minimalism while being warm and liveable. It says “goodbye” to clutter and “hello” to cosy zen.

Modern Farmhouse
10
Google Searches
32,500
% YOY Change
-2%

Taking the final spot in the UK’s top 10 interior design styles of 2022 is modern farmhouse. The modern farmhouse design takes the comfortable, relaxed farmhouse style and adds modern touches such as smooth lines, glossy accents and neutral colour schemes. Popular colours in the style include stormy greys, greiges, purples and blues.

The Most Searched for Interior Designs Styles by Room

Bathroom
Bedroom
Garden
Kitchen
Living Room
Style
Google Searches
% YOY Change
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Bathroom

Black is the colour of choice for new bathrooms in the UK. With over 76,000 searches in the past year, black bathrooms dominated search interest. In second and third place were teal bathrooms, with 13,380 searches, followed by navy blue bathrooms, with 10,520 searches. Light green bathrooms also saw a 20% increase in search interest to feature in the top five bathroom colour choices.

Walk-in showers and bathtubs lead the way for most viewed bath/shower styles, with over 100,000 searches for walk-in showers over walk-in bathtubs. Wet rooms and corner bathtubs also drew many searches, with 195,500 and 156,300 respectively.

The most searched-for bathroom flooring option was bathroom tiles, producing nearly one million searches between October 2021 and September 2022. More niche bathroom flooring options generating a lot of search interest are mosaic tiles and wood-look tiles. Waterproof laminate bathroom flooring is the third most searched-for flooring option, with searches increasing by 15% year-on-year.

Bedroom

The colour of choice for bedroom makeovers over the past 12 months was green. Bedroom makeovers in general appear to be less of a priority, with searches for the rest of the top five most searched-for bedroom colours—black, blue, brown and red—all declining by an average of 19%. Searches for green bedrooms were up 1% year-on-year.

The bedroom style drawing the most interest for online inspiration is minimalist. Although searches for minimalist bedrooms were down by 20%, the volume of Google searches was still double that of Scandinavian bedrooms. Japandi, vintage and botanical styles also featured in the top five most searched-for bedroom styles.

Ottoman beds are the choice of bed type for 2022. Searches for ottoman beds closed in on nearly one million. Futons also proved to be extremely popular, with over half a million searches in the UK.

Kitchen

Despite a 33% decrease in interest, over 130,000 searches is still enough for grey to outrank green as the choice of colour for kitchen designs. Green and black have both seen consistent demand over the past two years, whereas sage green kitchens are on the rise, with a 14% increase in searches.

For wallpaper inspiration, tiled effect wallpaper has been the search of choice this year. That’s followed by washable kitchen wallpaper and vinyl kitchen wallpaper, which have both also proved popular.

Finally, the kitchen style generating the most interest on Google is outdoor kitchens. Outdoor kitchens for the garden have nearly double the interest of wooden kitchens—299,600 vs 150,100 searches. Despite declining interest, marble, retro and vintage styles all remain popular.

Living Room

As is the case in the bedroom, green is also the go-to colour for living room makeovers. Of the top five colour searches, green living room is the only one not to see a year-on-year decline. Grey, navy, blue and teal also make up the top five, despite declining interest.

For wallpaper inspiration, art deco is the style that reigns supreme, with over 114,000 annual searches. Other popular alternatives include animal wallpaper, emerald green, chinoiserie and marble effect.

For sofa choices, searches for Chesterfield sofa saw a 31% decline this year. That drop, however, wasn’t enough to lose its top spot as the most searched-for sofa style, with nearly half a million searches. Chaise lounge had 435,800 searches, followed by modular sofas, chaise sofa and settees.

Garden

The final area we analysed was the garden. With working from home becoming the new normal for many of us, garden offices have become a way to keep work out of the house. Despite a 25% drop in searches, over 465,000 searches were made this year looking at garden offices online.

Making our gardens an enjoyable place for animal friends is clearly a priority when searching for garden décor. Bird baths generated over 371,000 searches, with bee hotels and insect hotels also in the top five, alongside outdoor fireplaces.

The Interior Design Trends You’ll Be Seeing More Of In 2023

If the New Year has you itching to give your home an interior design refresh, the interior design team at David Wilson Homes can help. From upcycled furniture to a new trend colour, in this guide, our interior designers predict the interior design trends you’ll be seeing more of in 2023 - plus how to integrate them into your new build.

Browns Hues

In 2022, you may have noticed brown shades creeping from the runway onto the rails of your favourite high street clothing shops. In 2023, it’s time for interior design to get an injection of brown.

Cosy brown shades help to emulate a feeling of calm and luxury in interior spaces. Think dark wood, chocolatey fabrics and warm, sandy neutrals.

Wall Panelling

Whether its popularity is thanks to period dramas like Bridgerton and The Crown, who knows. But wall panelling is certainly a design trend we’re going to see continue to grow in 2023.

Fabulously hardwearing and therefore ideal for high-traffic areas of the home like hallways and stairways, panelling also adds depth and texture to your walls - a great way to create that high-end, interior designer je ne sais quoi.

Media Walls

Media walls are built-in design features that house the television screen and any other entertainment system equipment such as games consoles and sound systems. They often have an electric fireplace underneath, and may include built-in storage too.

With television screens only getting bigger, media walls are a fantastic way to integrate your screen into your room design. Plus, of course, they hide all those unsightly wires!

Statement Radiators

Unfortunately, the cost of living crisis doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. But as people look for ways to make their homes more energy efficient, expect for statement radiators to be a trend we see more of in 2023.

You can either paint your existing radiators or upgrade to something more energy efficient like an oil-filled radiators. These are said to be more energy efficient and mean that you can turn the heating on in just one room of the home, keeping costs at bay. Added to this, they come in a range of different colours and finishes - an opportunity to make your radiator a focal point.

Upcycled Wooden Furniture

With tight budgets an opportunity for homeowners to get creative, we think upcycled wooden furniture is going to be a key trend in 2023. Buying pre-loved furniture and giving it a lick of paint is something we’re seeing a ton of in some of our favourite DIY Facebook groups.

Second-hand wooden furniture like chests of drawers, bedside tables and bookshelves can be picked up very affordably. Then all it takes is a lick of paint to make it your own. Hopefully, we’ll see some joyful pops of colour with bright teals, rich oranges and buttery yellows.

Curtains

For several years now, blinds have been favoured over curtains but, as homeowners search for ways to retain heat in their homes, we predict curtains are going to see a well overdue resurgence. Curtains, especially thermal curtains, can be effective at preventing heat loss from things like doors and windows.

We might even see a revival of decorative window treatments too. Think shaped cornices and fringed trim.

Rugs That Double As Works Of Art

We like to think of rugs as artwork for the floor. In particular, retro designs and abstract patterns can really inject some fun into a room.

Some of the more affordable home furnishing brands have some brilliant statement rugs in store for 2023 and we can’t wait to see how homeowners incorporate them into their design schemes.

Looking for a new home of your own to decorate? We have a variety of new homes available across locations in the UK, including Manchester, Nottingham and Glasgow.

Methodology

We used desk research to identify trends for the bathroom, bedroom, garden, living room and kitchen.

Using these trends, we categorised them into subcategories for each room. We ran keyword search volumes on Google Keyword Planner to identify top trending design choices for each room and the overall design trends from October 2020 to September 2022.

We compared the search volume from October 2020 - September 2021 to October 2021 – September 2022 and identified which terms were increasing and decreasing across the years.

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