Just like with clothing, food, hairstyles and everything else, trends come and go when it comes to designing and decorating your home and garden. Some new trends can make you long for the old, but few have evoked feelings like “mocha mousse.”
When Pantone, the self-proclaimed global authority on color, announced Mocha Mousse as the “It” color for 2025, soon to replace Peach Fuzz for 2024, it caused a wave of horror.
While Pantone describes Mocha Mousse as a “rich, warming brown shade” with “the calming properties of coffee and chocolate” and “a touch of glamour,” designers and consumers reacted very differently to the muddy hue, comparing it instead to a substance that often found in a diaper or a latrine.
Mocha mousse, Pantone's color of the year
“Mocha mousse,” said Louis Aubert, acclaimed New Orleans exterior paint consultant and interior designer, with a sigh. “Just this morning a sample came across my desk. I wouldn't be happy if I ordered dessert and this showed up – even with whipped cream and a cherry on top.
“It made me think of 'Mellow Yellow,' Benjamin Moore's color of the year in 2000, which they predicted would be the 'new neutral.'” It was terrible and disturbing. I never liked Mocha Mousse Homeowners from Orleans.”
The Crescent City style with color
The recently published volume, “Painting the Town: The Importance of Color in Historic New Orleans Architecture” (The Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans, 2024, $39.95), examined the vibrant and diverse history of New Orleans architecture, particularly the role the color in shapes its unmistakable identity.
New Orleans residents have an urge to saturate the exteriors of their homes with color, often in combinations that more conservative places would scorn, a tradition rooted in the city's rich Latin culture.
After the Louisiana Purchase, when Anglo-Saxons moved in and established neighborhoods above Canal Street, muted flavors, first white and later beige, became the norm.
Colors of the Rainbow from “Painting the Town”
In recent years, these calm hues have been increasingly replaced as homeowners seek to highlight the millwork and trim that define their homes' architectural style.
“Being New Orleans, we will see more and more colorful homes as it reflects strong individuality, local tradition and culture,” Aubert said.
With the new construction, Aubert pointed to the nationwide trend toward modern farmhouse aesthetics both inside and out, a trend that's common locally.
A modern brick home in Lakeview stays true to a white brick color scheme.
“New construction in the New Orleans area has largely adapted to white-and-black exteriors with black window sashes and cedar accents, as well as predominantly white-on-white interiors where the color appears only as accents,” he said.
This pale exterior is nothing new.
“Pale facades were popular in the first half of the 19th century. They regained popularity in the early 20th century as a reaction to the colorful, boldly painted houses of the late Victorian period.”
He predicts that we will be using more colors in 2025 because they allow homeowners of both new and historic architecture to express themselves.
“This can be in the form of a more colorful exterior or simply adding an accent color to a pale exterior,” he said. “A boldly painted front door can express individuality and reflect our colorful landscapes.
“Like design, color preference is a pendulum that swings back and forth, only to make colors popular again and again.”
This modern dining room is put to good use – including as a place for the children's homework. The recessed wet bar offers storage space for glasses and is backed with smoked mercury glass.
The inside Trends
Jennie Cannon West, principal and founder of Studio West, a New Orleans-based architecture and design firm, said she is seeing increased demand from clients for home bars and dining rooms.
“Dining rooms are an integral part of our projects,” she said. “We believe that breaking bread at the table is part of the culture of New Orleans. When it comes to home bars, some of the residential properties we charge compete with our commercial projects in the French Quarter. I think people have gotten used to entertaining at home during the pandemic and they are now more interested in the “public” aspects of their home.”
Last year. West has seen a validation of the saying “everything old is new again,” with clients wanting to rekindle nostalgia or explore other eras, such as the Art Nouveau period (1890-1910), as one client requested for his Bywater home. The design aesthetic of this period was characterized by long, flowing, nature-inspired curves, bright, intense colors, geometric shapes, asymmetrical compositions, and a bold synthesis of structure and decoration.
A client created a strong 1970s vibe for a project called “The Vinyl Suite.” Wood-paneled walls and avocado and mustard accents keep pace with Atom-style light fixtures. The presence of wafer-thin, wall-mounted flat-screen TVs is the only clue to the current decade.
Peter Mayer Advertising's new workspace is more like a suite designed for collaboration.
West expects that many people will return to the office in 2025 and employers will be ready to make arrangements to welcome them. “People are looking for work-life balance post-pandemic,” she said. “Employees want their home back and employers are ready to foster community and creativity in person.”
As an example, she cites a major renovation of New Orleans advertising and marketing agency Peter Mayer's new Magazine Street offices. “Workspace design is shifting from a dedicated desk to a hospitality-focused suite focused on collaboration with colleagues,” she said.
Wallpaper remains popular even when it's not on the wall.
In recent years, wallpapers have experienced a strong upswing in both private and office use. West said she has recently seen an evolution from commercial wallpaper to personalized murals designed with the help of local artists. “This way they can create something unique,” she said. In commercial spaces, murals are used to reinforce a brand or a mood.
What awaits you outdoors
Just like indoors, trends determine how we treat our outdoor spaces each season.
Although some trends are fleeting, such as the color of the year or trendy plant varieties, some themes have lasting power and will influence the way we live for the foreseeable future. Sustainability, multifunctional gardens and efficient use of space are leading many gardeners and designers to make choices that are suitable for birds, bees and wildlife, reduce water use and make outdoor spaces as versatile as possible.
Growing concerns about climate change are causing gardeners to rethink landscapes and favor plants that require little water and thrive in changing weather, such as: B. freezing cold winters (New Orleans) and humid, dry summers (again in New Orleans). Native gardens are becoming increasingly popular as gardeners look to balance beauty and water conservation. Popular and showy varieties include anise, rudbeckia, Louisiana iris and French mulberry
The living room overlooks the covered patio with seating and planters made by local artisans.
“Native plants are certainly a trend that we hope remains popular because their value to our environment is so important,” said landscape architect and designer Marianne Mumford, founder of Landscape Images in Jefferson. “We like to mix some traditional New Orleans plants to create a contrast in shapes since so many of our locals have that “wild” look. Placing an evergreen sasanqua in a tree shape contrasts our native look with a well-designed garden.”
As more and more people want to make the most of outdoor space, gardens are increasingly becoming extensions of indoor spaces in terms of design, function and comfort. Outdoor kitchens, seating areas and cozy fireplaces enable social gatherings. Pergolas and pavilions provide shade and shelter so you can dine or relax outdoors in almost any weather.
Mumford said she adopted the trend of using her and her client's garden walls as galleries. “I love looking at a client’s home to see what style they like, or looking at their collections to find ways to take that look outside,” Mumford said.
Vertical gardens or living walls can be created from scrap materials and used to create small herb gardens.
As urban life expands, gardening in small areas is becoming increasingly popular. Vertical gardening using arches, trellises and other forms to support vining plants is a practical solution and allows for greening even the tightest of spaces.
Living walls with climbing plants such as star jasmine, Peggy Martin roses and clematis create a lush backdrop in small gardens. The hanging gardens of the French Quarter are living testaments to the appeal of balcony gardening, a centuries-old practice that will never lose its luster.