The Hot New Décor Trend That's a Little Rough Around the Edges

If 2017 was the year of sleek minimalistic spaces, 2018 will undoubtedly swing the pendulum back to the other extreme. That's just how trends work. We've already seen glimpses of this tendency with maximalist interiors gaining traction on the design scene. More recently, the Japanese imperfect art of wabi-sabi was named one of next year's biggest trends. Even brutalism, a post-war architectural trend, saw a revival moment this year. By all accounts, we're due for a shift in décor trends that feels a little less clinical and stark and a little more realistic and lived-in.

One of the latest examples of this shift is in a new décor book recently launched called In the Rough by Irene Schampaert and Iris De Feijter, which celebrates raw and rugged interiors around the world. The book pays homage to untreated materials like rusted iron, untreated wood, and unpolished concrete with a selection of home tours from the world's most avant-garde architects and designers. Think you're ready to let go of your ultra-tidy minimalistic tendencies? Try these edgy trends for a space that's a little rough around the edges.

In this run-down historic terrace house in Rotterdam, walls and ceilings were opened to create a double-height living space, and an original brick wall was stripped back to its bare nature. The mix of pastels and contemporary pieces with white walls and jewel tones keeps the space from feeling too industrial and instead keeps it feeling fresh and different.

In this Italian palazzo, interior architect Roberto Baciocchi, who has designed boutiques for Prada, brings modernist accents and furniture into an otherwise original space with mosaic terrazzo floors, rough plasterwork, and original wood beam ceilings. This juxtaposition of old and new is at the heart of what makes this trend unique.

This studio apartment in Milan may be bright and bold, but one original feature makes it stand out: a double-story original concrete wall. When artist Paolo Gonzato moved in, he began stripping the space to bring it back its original features and uncovered the majestic wall that gives the room its original character. It goes to show that before you start adding things to a new space, try removing a few.

In this Amsterdam studio apartment, two designers, Simone Farresin and Andrea Trimarchi, mixed a combination of polished concrete floors, untreated wood, and stark white walls to create the ideal backdrop for an ever-growing plant collection. The raw environment contributes to the space's indoor-outdoor feel, which is emphasised by large floor-to-ceiling windows.

In Sao Paulo, Brazil, concrete literally meets the jungle in this modernist villa by architect Paulo Mendez. One trick he used to bring life into an otherwise austere place is to add textures and colors, like plush sheepskin rugs, zebra hides, or firetruck-red chesterfield sofas. The floors, finished in patterned encaustic cement tiles also add colour and depth to the space.

Untreated original wooden floors and walls create patina in the Copenhagen apartment of Danish designer Niels Strøyer Christophersen. After peeling back layers of wallpaper in his home, he decided to leave his walls unchanged with the marks and imperfections created by decades of paint and wallpaper finishes. In his dining room, he mixed the patinaed walls with a matte plaster turquoise effect on the lower half of the wall.

And now, interior designers call these the "best paint colors ever."