It’s that time of year when our thoughts turn to the future and what it might hold – and when it comes to interiors, there appear be plenty of treats in store. From maximalist 1970s glamour and embellished metallic fabrics to compact, sustainable homes and raw, organic textures, here are the top interiors trends to look out for in 2018.

Named by Pantone as their Colour of the Year for 2018, this powerful purple shade will make its presence felt in interiors, soft furnishings, lighting, fabrics and wall coverings over the next 12 months. You might shy away from it now, but that's what we said about last year's Greenery and now it's everywhere. Plus, those seers at Pantone seem to never get it wrong.

The clean, mid-century silhouettes we’ve seen so much in recent years are giving way to something altogether more lavish, harking back to the days of cocktail parties and conversation pits. 1970s-style maximalism will continue to rise over the next year, though with a more subdued palette than the first time around – think shimmering pinks and pale mauves rather than in-your-face oranges and browns. Look out for plush fabrics, bold geometric patterns, rich metallics and bombastic curves.

Tropical leaves and prints are one of the hardiest interiors trends of the past few years and, while they aren’t going anywhere just yet, things will take a darker turn. The palette will become deeper and richer, with a greater variety of colours, such as indigo and midnight hues, making their way into dense, jungle-inspired patterns.

African and Aztec designs have been popping up in interiors for some time, with Berber-inspired fabrics and rugs proving particularly popular. Now, our passion for exotic patterns is taking a more minimal approach, stripping the look back to a monochrome colour palette and simple shapes and lines that look smart and sophisticated in a contemporary setting.

Eco-friendly interior design will come into its own this year, with an increasing focus on designs that are as stylish as they are sustainable. Furniture made from Forest Stewardship Certified wood and fabrics made from organic linen and cotton will sit alongside vintage pieces and accessories made from recycled materials.

Here’s a trend that ticks both the 1970s and sustainability boxes. Bamboo can be exotic and ornate – as in elaborate peacock chairs – or take on a rustic, minimalist feel when used more sparingly. Either way, it’s a great way to add natural texture to a scheme. Look out for organic bamboo products to up your green credentials.

Cork is another sustainable 1970s staple that’s making a comeback. Hardwearing and naturally anti-microbial, it’s an ideal choice for floors, but it also makes for striking wall panelling and can increasingly be seen adorning accessories. It comes in an impressive array of tones and natural patterns, which can be mixed and matched to add depth and interest to a scheme.

The Japanese tradition of wabi-sabi celebrates the beauty of imperfection and, as the world looks east for inspiration, we will see an abundance of raw materials being used to achieve high-quality interior design. This look is all about texture, in the form of organic cottons and linens, plain sawn wood, handmade ceramics and rough-finished walls in plaster or cement.

The Memphis Group were pioneers of the 1980s post-modern movement, with their playschool colours and tongue-in-cheek designs. Their witty style is making its way back into our homes, thanks in part to Pantone’s ‘Playful’ palette, which the taste-making company hopes will cause people to “stop and smile” in 2018. Get the look with whimsical plastic furniture and clashing colours in vibrant hues.

Rising property prices mean that more and more of us are having to settle for smaller living spaces. But that doesn’t mean we have to put up with bad design. If anything, interiors will have to work harder with what they’ve got, leaving no centimetre of space wasted and incorporating flexible designs to create multi-use rooms, which transform effortlessly from bedroom, to living room, to dining area to study and back again.

In times of financial uncertainty, budget-conscious home improvers are apt to find ingenious ways to make low-cost materials look like the last word in exclusive design. Affordable wood alternatives, such as chipboard and plywood, will make increasing appearances over the next year, particularly in kitchens. Keep the rest of the scheme stripped back and simple, showing off the unusual material as a design statement in its own right.

Top of the list of humble-materials-turned-designer-essentials is concrete, which will continue to add industrial charm to our interiors in 2018. As well as the concrete floors and worktops we’ve become accustomed to seeing in warehouse-inspired schemes, we can also look forward to a fresh influx of concrete accessories in increasingly imaginative designs.

Pantone’s announcement of ‘Greenery’ as the colour of 2017 saw verdant hues springing up on every interiors surface imaginable. Green will endure into 2018, but in more subdued, vegetal tones – such as sage, celery and avocado – as seen in Pantone’s ‘Verdure’ palette for 2018.

Red hasn’t been getting a whole lot of love from the interiors world of late but, if the 2017 design fairs are anything to go by, that’s all about to change. We’re not talking bawdy red, but rather rust tones and burgundy hues, which can be layered up in varying degrees of intensity to create a warm, sophisticated scheme.

Neutrals are becoming warmer too – so much so that they’re practically pink. Heart Wood, Dulux’s colour of the year, is a case in point. The cool, Scandi palettes that have dominated interiors recently will be replaced by cosy neutrals and almost-neutrals, from greige and muted mauve to soft metallics.

One way metallics will work their way into our rooms is in the form of embroidered and embellished fabrics. This is a clever means of introducing a touch of glamour without disrupting a neutral scheme. It also makes for a more subtle nod to the 1970s trend if you don’t want to go all out with ruched leather chairs and extravagant cocktail cabinets.

First mixed by French artist Yves Klein in the 1950s, Klein Blue’s ultramarine-heavy pigment gives it an irresistibly intense hue that calls to mind both the Mediterranean coast and the modern art of the post-war period. It started cropping up on catwalks last year and is set to complete the move into interiors in 2018. It packs quite a punch when blocked with other primary colours or can be used as an accent to pep up a cool, neutral scheme.

While Pantone’s much-talked-about Minion Yellow will continue to star in playful schemes, a more restrained take on the tone was also spotted creeping into colour palettes at last year’s design fairs. Muted, burnt hues such as mustard, ochre and saffron offer an easy-to-live with alternative to bright yellow, and can be used more liberally on accessories, soft furnishings and walls.

Velvet adds an alluring sense of luxury to a scheme and will continue to be used to opulent effect in both commercial and residential interiors in 2018. The lush greens and teals that have proved popular so far will start to give way to new palettes of rust red and ochre.

This traditional Italian composite has been back on the scene for a while now, and looks set to go from strength to strength. Made with chips of marble, quartz, granite or glass mixed with cement, it’s a hardwearing material most commonly seen gracing floors and worktops, though some of the industry’s more inventive minds have been incorporating it into stunning ornaments and kitchenware.

It’s been hard to resist the warm metals that have pervaded our homes over the past few years. While some trends – such as rose gold – were fairly short-lived, copper and brass have shown real staying power. Brass will be with us for a little longer yet, but it’s time for copper to move over in favour of its cooler metal cousins. Chrome in particular is due a comeback – look out for it in light fittings and kitchen accessories to begin with, perhaps combined with brass for a mixed metal look.

The new season will see a profusion of stylish optical illusion lighting, perhaps looking back to the op art of the 1960s and 1970s. Lights such as the Bulbing lamp range by Studio Cheha (from £85) create a trompe l’oeil effect by projecting a 3D image onto a flat screen. Also keep an eye out for floating lightbulbs and other playful lighting designs that trick the senses. 

Storage is increasingly becoming more than just a place to stash your stuff. Elegant designs – such as Nehri & Hu’s Ren range for Poltrona Frau – are practically works of art, foregrounding form as well as function. The only snag? You’ll have to make sure the items you’re storing are as attractive as the storage itself. 

Framed quotes in various fonts and sizes have been our go-to wall art for quite some time now. But is the writing on the wall for this popular trend? Quote art may start to make way for moody photography and abstract prints over the next year or so. We may also start to see the decline of the gallery wall in favour of one-off, oversized pieces.

As our addiction to technology grows, so does our desire for a calming sanctuary where we can relax free from the distractions of modern life. This explains the rise of the tech-free bedroom, where TVs, mobile phones and any other gadgets are strictly forbidden. We will also find ways to disguise our increasingly numerous devices, whether it’s in the form of TVs masquerading as framed pictures or speakers so stylish that they look like sculptures.

While the Scandi trend means we may have preferred blond woods recently, you simply can’t beat a dark wood when it comes to adding gravitas to a room. It's easy to associate darker woods with traditional schemes, but choose the right floorboards and they can work equally well in a contemporary setting. Expect to see rich browns and charcoal greys coming soon to floors near you.

Dark wood will make its way into other areas of the home as well, particularly walnut (another 1970s favourite). Vintage pieces are perhaps the easiest way to incorporate it into your scheme, though many contemporary design firms have started introducing walnut into their ranges.

Perhaps the most joyous expression of 1970s maximalist style is in the wealth of graphic patterns that we will see adorning walls and fabrics over the next year or so. If you’re starting from scratch with this bold look, it makes sense to choose your wallpaper first and use the colours as the basis for the rest of your scheme. Stick to two or three key colours max to prevent the room from feeling too busy and keep pattern to a minimum in the rest of the space.

A firm favourite with both the Victorians and grannies in the 1980s, Anaglypta is one of the most surprising trends due to make a comeback. The textured, paintable wallpaper comes in over 100 different designs, including some particularly jazzy art deco and glam 1970s styles that the company has relaunched from its archive. Paint it in vibrant hues to give it a modern update. Another bonus? It’s great at disguising lumps and bumps on unevenly plastered walls.

Flowers are perhaps the most enduring motif in the history of interior design, so finding new ways to play with them is no small feat. Recently we’ve seen floral patterns becoming ever darker and moodier in tone. Now, they’re going supersized, with traditional floral prints blown up to create striking murals and more abstract interpretations taking over fabrics.