A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing Elena Mejia-Kerwin, lead designer at Nebraska Furniture Mart. Elena is not only the lead designer, but she is a worldwide traveler well versed in what’s hot in the latest designs, fabrics, and colors. She was kind enough to take some time with me to let us all know what’s hot for 2021. You’ll be surprised by some of the new and sexy styles but there are some classics that have made a come back and some newer design items that are recent but stayed the same from 2020. So, let’s ring in the new year with Elena this week and check out the video we made directly at Nebraska Furniture Mart.

Base Colors, Accents, Patterns and Textures!

Gray is still in for a base color. Elena says that Gray is the new black. It was in style last year and has stayed in style for 2021. It’s an incredibly soft base color to use in your living room design for example. With a soft Gray as your base color, gold is still a good accent color. Use pillows and chairs for accents in various colors. Pink is the newest color. It’s a soft pink, almost a mauve color. Pink goes elegantly with white, yellow, gray, and other base and accent colors. Elena says it’s a “nice plush color.” Next up is dust blue, a deep but soft blue with a little bit of green in it, a touch like a teal. Next honey yellow is “yummy.” Also, plush and goes with all the other colors in our wheelhouse. Another new, exciting, beautiful accent color is Neo Mint. Just gorgeous! And still, there’s Terracotta, beautiful base, or accent color. Pick one or use them all. They blend well together. And lastly, we can add a little spice with prints. There are animal prints and other fantastic patterns. If texture is your thing, furs are also yummy. We love that word.

Trending Furniture Styles

Smaller scaled sectionals fit well into all spaces. Don’t be afraid to mix fabrics. They’re comfortable and it’s especially important that they are low profile to be able to see the views through the windows. Mix modern classic with fun traditional colors to bring interest to an accent chair to go with your sectional sofa. Embroidery cloth is a nice mix for a chair. Mid century modern styles are also in and must be low profile. Lots of very cozy pillows are a must. Mix in an Italian marble art deco coffee table and voila. Of course, a tulip chair in a deco variation in mint green for contrast is a good add. Surprisingly, there is a mix of ottoman’s and ottoman coffee tables together. The floating ottoman serves as a multi-function piece which can be used by itself like a chair or connected to the sofa for extra space or as an extra coffee table. Ingenious!

What’s It All About?

If you haven’t noticed the big trend is mix and match. Almost nothing is off limits when it comes to colors, patterns, textures, and accents. Multi-functional furniture like ottomans are not only practical but add a non-traditional look to any room. 2021 color trends are back to soft and plush, blues, pinks, yellows, and greens. They’re colors that not only warm a room but still bring a splash of interest and dimension to the design. Take it from the pros, this year’s styles are on point mixing popular things from the past and some brand new pizzaz for this year. Stop into NFM and visit with Elena for some professional assistance or get in touch with me, Sallie Elliott at www.omahaprioritygroup.com/scheduleameetup for design pointers in your home.