2022 Design Trend: Plugged In to Nature Mashes Up Tech + Organic Influences

Plugged In to Nature is all about shifting our ideas of nature as something inherently rural to something that is accessible to everyone, everywhere, so that even those who live in urban areas can benefit from food forests and beautiful verdant walking paths. This trend takes its cue from nature but with a modern, graphic edge. Technology, new materials and a sophisticated mix of the organic and the human-made are key. Plugged In to Nature embraces the outside world in interior design with organic forms, houseplants and wood veneers. But this trend is also mindful of the environment and features sustainable, locally sourced materials and acknowledges climate change.

New applications of this organic medium are brought into the home, including modern, sound-insulating wood panels, wood-accented ceilings, wood room dividers and an increasing number of lighter, brighter wood kitchen cabinets to counter the dark, heavy wood cabinet look of the past.

The practice of connecting people and nature within our built environments and communities will be trending in 2022. For example, Paris is replacing half of its 140,000 on-street parking spaces with gardens.

"I think there has been and will continue to be a focus on regaining our connection to the natural world through the use of biophilic design principles, with an emphasis on creating calming environments with natural lighting and ventilation, incorporating plants and creating a visual connection with nature," says designer Amanda Thompson. Pictured: Solar-powered “supertrees” light up after dark at Singapore’s top-rated attraction, Gardens by the Bay, a 250-acre nature park.

Indoor farming year-round will expand in the future and even move into mushroom and algae growing for health and wellness.