BRIGHT GREEN

This is the cheery shade of green you'll see in home decor, fashion and commercial design in 2017. Named the 2017 Pantone Color Of The Year, "Greenery" is meant to represent refreshment and revitalization — something we all could use in a complex social and political environment, according to Pantone.

BUTTERFLIES

Butterflies are increasingly appearing as a buoyant, happy motif in home design such as this SoHo apartment designed by Sasha Bikoff, and in products like these butterfly containers by Amsterdam-based design studio Pols Potten. A symbol of both grace and optimism, the butterfly is no longer designated to children's rooms — but rather celebrated in a variety of spaces with sophisticated accents like the Christian Lacroix turquoise butterfly wallpaper shown here.

MIXED PATTERNS

This trend was first spotted at New York Fashion Week in fall 2016 (keep in mind that runway fashion is a common catalyst for what's to come in the home space), and will appear even more in home decor this year. For the pattern lover, pieces with mixed patterns say "sayonara" to the concept that statement pieces can be too busy. This comforter, for example, anchors a room with enticing and mismatched patterns.

FAUX FINISHES

Faux will be fashionable in 2017 — and we're not just talking faux fur rugs. Homeowners and designers are turning to faux materials for a budget-friendly and sometimes more reliable alternative to authentic materials. Faux wood ceiling beams, for example, can't rot or bow like real wood, while engineered quartz (pictured right) can withstand heat and acidic foods better than Carrara marble (pictured left). Other home design trends you can expect to see include faux leather counters, faux foliage and manufactured gray floors (an alternative to the complicated task of applying gray finishes to hardwoods).

TEXTURE, TEXTURE, TEXTURE

We spend plenty of time looking at flat screens, so designers are now enticing customers by engaging with them on a textural level. "It's a way to call customers into showrooms to touch, because we as human beings need that connection and engagement," says Patti Carpenter, global trend ambassador and creative director of carpenter + company. "We're seeing a lot of material manipulation such as pleating and folding in velvets and cottons, plus huge stitches made of beautiful luxe yarns." Take, for example, this velvet pleat sofa. 

It's all part of a larger macrotrend of comfort, adds Carpenter. "We're all looking for this sense of comfort and having a place to rest in all the

chaos and information we're constantly having come at us." You'll continue to see faux fur, mohair and other luxuriously soft materials into 2017. 

NAVY IS THE NEW BLACK

Whether you're looking to accent your room or update your kitchen cabinets, navy blue will be the preferred alternative to black in 2017. A modern twist with a traditional feel, navy blue pairs well with practically any color scheme, and lends mystery to a space without making it feel small (as black sometimes does).

ARTISANAL INSTEAD OF DIY

For years, the world has been obsessed with DIYs pulled from Pinterest, Instagram and, of course, Etsy, but designers are now looking toward items that are more "artisan" than "quick and easy," like this hand blown art vase.  

"You'll see craftsmanship and materials that require you to have a high level of skill to work with them emerge," says Carpenter. "You'll see the return of glass blowing, porcelain and even amazing woodworking — not just raw big chunks of recycled wood." 

RAW WHITE

As designers turn toward artisanal, hand-crafted goods in 2017, you'll see the emergence of "raw" whites — think chalky white and bone white. "Raw white looks really unearthed and handmade," says Carpenter. "It's about the beauty of imperfection, that natural and organic look where you need some texture, because just solid flat white looks really sterile."

APPLIANCES AND ROOMS THAT FOLD UP

"Less is more" has never more true than when it comes to your space, and 2017 will be the year that designers embrace fold-up rooms and tucked-away appliances to preserve precious square footage. Features like retractable range hoods for kitchen islands (the one shown here is from Gaggenau) and even entire kitchens that can fold up into a box will become more popular. In Seoul, engineers have also been developing new outdoor parks that can be folded up, and this stool from MoMA that folds into a book shape when not in use is one of the museum's most popular items of merchandise.