Best and Boldest New Furniture Designs for 2016

Luxe materials like velvet, copper and marble are making a serious comeback.

Velvet and brass, walnut and copper, jewel tones and marble: the latest furniture designs are making vintage materials so very relevant. See our top furniture picks, shot on location in Vancouver at The Permanent. 

Velvet Revolution

Just as Valentino and Givenchy brought this rich material into their fall 2015 collections, velvet seating brings that same sense of luxury home. It’s a feminine look, even on an angular piece such as this one: with its Lucite frame and brushed brass accents, Jonathan Adler’s Jacques bench ($2,249) would sit pretty in either modern or traditional spaces. mintinteriors.ca. 

Bold and Brassy

The fashion blogosphere has championed the return of the ’80s for some time (most recently designer Jonathan Anderson created a collection inspired by the Berlin club kids who partied before the fall of the Wall), so perhaps it’s no surprise that brass has come back as the latest warm metal to heat up our homes. This Liev console from Arteriors ($1,622) features an antiqued finish—perhaps less shiny than a club kid might covet, but just perfect for an entryway. onceatreefurniture.com; chintz.com.  

Cozy and Bright

Cocooning is back, though it’s less about staycations and dinner parties and more on the micro level: finding cozy spots in our homes for a quiet moment. Look for chairs that update the classic wingback design (originally created for drafty homes), like this Elk chair by Gus Modern ($1,350). And copper, that stalwart of mid-century modern design, gets a super-shiny, bright-as-a-new-penny look. Ligne Roset’s copper-plated side tables (from $819) and Clara coat rack ($1,277) bring shine without being garish, thanks to modern lines and nature-inspired design. stylegarage.com; chester-fields.com; livingspace.ca. 

Big Blue

Jewel tones have boldly returned to furniture design—they were prominent at both the Milan and Stockholm furniture fairs—and, generally speaking, they aren’t for the timid and are best served in accent pieces (an emerald throw, a ruby red pillow). But this sapphire blue Onkel sofa by Normann Copenhagen ($4,500) defies convention and manages to be both bold and neutral, a safe bet for a jewel-tone lover who’s ready to test a little colour on a larger piece. It’s a rich enough shade to read almost black, with both modern curves and mid-century tucks on its back. vanspecial.com. 

Mo’ Marble

It was at last year’s Milan Furniture Fair that we first saw the return of marble in furniture design—technology has made it easier to craft this porous material into lasting pieces. And what was once considered a more traditional material has shifted into modern spaces, too, with top names like Patricia Urquiola creating marble bookcases and desks. Here, black marble ups the drama: Jonathan Adler uses it for his Futura vase ($499), while EQ3’s Mesa dinette table ($899) is a case study in contrast, with powder coated daisy-yellow legs. mintinteriors.ca.  

Block Party

In their 2016 trends prediction, the experts at Behr paint pointed to high-contrast design as their look of the year: chromatic brights paired with dark moody tones, pops of colour in more neutral settings. Colour blocking can be dramatic (see the black and yellow table from EQ3 in the previous photo), or softer, like this mustard yellow-meets-oatmeal pairing on Ligne Roset’s Ottoman armchair ($2,800). livingspace.ca.