3 Interior Design Trends to Keep You Current

By Emily Hsieh
October 13, 2010

As we get ready to settle into the chilly, stay-indoors seasons ahead, now is a good time to survey the situation at home and update your interior design. To simplify the task, we sought out the advice of top designers on both coasts, asking them to single out the interior design ideas they're most excited about at the moment. Then we went ahead and sourced a sampling of options on eBay to help you catch the design trends in no time.

Earthy Accents

For Melissa Warner and Julie Massucco of interior design firm Massucco Warner Miller, which has offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle, it's all about bringing earthy accents inside your home: "A trend that we are seeing lately is the use of natural elements and materials. Adding a touch of the organic always lends an extra layer of personality to even the most glamorous of spaces."

As for their favorite way to incorporate Mother Nature into your home design, the pair said, “Right now we're loving cocktail tables and lamps with shimmery capiz shell details—they're a chic and easy way to bring the outdoors in!" Clearly, the eBay community is loving this interior design trend, too: listings of items with the term "capiz" are up 34 percent in the past week vs. a week-long period approximately one year ago, while sales are up 84 percent in the same period.

Roll over items for details

Mid Century Capiz Chandelier Hollywood Regency

(buy it now price, $775)

West Elm Capiz Shell Grey Table Lamp

(buy it now price, $89)

Capiz

3 Interior Design Trends to Keep You Current

Raw Plaster

New York-based Nick Olsen, meanwhile, is craving sculptural, statement-making accessories in a pure, pale white palette: "They say there' no white after Labor Day but this Fall I’m really feeling raw plaster,” he says. "A chalky, Giacommetti-style lamp looks great anywhere, and an oversize white plaster dentil molding can liven up a boring hallway instantly."

As for where this interior design trend stands on eBay: sales of items with the term "plaster" in the "Inside the Home" category have increased almost six-fold in the past week vs. a week-long period approximately a year ago.

PR Massive French Plaster Candlesticks Lamp/Light 40s

(buy it now price, $678.90)

Vintage Plaster Composite Mozart Table Bust Figure

(buy it now price, $120)

Plaster

Shades of Grey

By contrast, Grant Gibson of San Francisco's Grant K. Gibson Interior Design is going in a moodier direction, hunting for pieces in shades of charcoal and graphite. Gibson, who's currently pondering painting his own bedroom a deep sooty hue, says, "I think there's a common misconception that a dark color will make a room feel overcast and depressing. It's a dramatic change to a space, for sure, but it adds a lot of depth." If you're reticent to go all-out with wall paint, try smaller doses of grey — like a side chair or even a blanket—and layer in richly saturated pop accents (Gibson's picks: emerald green, yellow, and teal).

There's no grey area in regards to what the eBay community feels about this design trend: We've already shared the news of the rise in listings of home & garden items with the term "grey." In addition, listings of items with the term "charcoal" in the "Inside the Home" category have more than doubled in the past week vs. a week-long period approximately one year ago, as sellers seek to capitalize on what buyers are clearly shopping for.