WGSN ushers in the new year with the annual forecast on the trends shaping consumer behaviour in different industries. Although our report is always released in January, trends don't just suddenly appear at the start of the year. These shifts develop gradually. At WGSN, our role is to anticipate emerging trends, assess their market relevance and empower brands to act on them confidently.
We anticipate and prepare for these changes in advance, enabling brands to embrace AI strategies, customer-centred e-commerce and the latest styles and materials well ahead of time. As we kick off our top trends 2024 series, we explore two interior trends identified by our experts.
Curtains
After years of devotion to the window, consumers will seek out curtains again.
Curtains keep the heat and cold out, working as fabric insulators that can be as aesthetically pleasing as they are energy-saving. In a time of climate crisis, new phase-changing materials protect against increasingly extreme temperatures and can even help purify the air. Indoor-outdoor heroes, curtains capture natural daylight and both diffuse and extend it, making windows seem bigger and offering sensorial benefits – some can even glow at night.
Increasingly, they're used to help define spaces as soft walls that delineate specific areas without creating a hard divide. Once considered old-fashioned, curtains will be the newest must-have for homes to refresh rental spaces and those in need of a budget-friendly makeover, or as the final touch to rooms updated in the early pandemic days.
Multi-species homes
Expect our living spaces to adapt to accommodate our furry and green companions‘ needs.
In much the same way that single-parent families seemed unconventional decades ago, but are now very common, homes that accommodate all species respond to an emerging nontraditional family, from the plants in our living rooms to the pets on our beds and the kombucha brewing in the kitchen.
Multi-species homes are applicable across all generations, from Boomers and Gen X empty-nesters who adopt birds, cats and dogs to Millennials and Gen Z who see their pets as children and their plants as companions.
Two years on from our STEPIC Innovations and Multi-Species Design forecasts, pet-centric interiors are becoming more established, with rooms and parts of rooms designed with family pets in mind. Dog dining rooms, catios and pet showers are beautifully appointed, but can also be hosed down when needed and even cleaned with products that include beneficial bacteria.
Get ahead of the curve and discover the top trends that will shape product and service development for 2024 and beyond. Download The Top Trends for 2024 & Beyond report at no cost here.