Trending for 2022: Alternative Realities as Multisensory Design

This futuristic design trend is edgy and psychedelic with high contrast colors evoking a nightclub glow. It embraces design exhibitionism, euphoria and extravagance.

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December 16, 2021

By: Lauren Fansler

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Alternative Realities

The Alternative Realities design trend puts emphasis on escaping the world and designing the home to awaken the senses. Throughout this trend you will see high-contrast colors, gaming rooms and mood-altering lighting implemented as a way of embracing euphoria through home design.

Moody and Bold Color Palette

Nightclub-evocative purple and indigo will immerse you into a moody ambiance that will provide an escape from an often harsh reality. Glowing neon colors offer a bold punch, and wallpaper and fabrics that create trick-the-eye optical illusions will create a welcome distraction.

See More Ideas: 40 Living Room Color Palettes You've Never Tried

From: Rachel Moriarty Interiors

Neon Signs

Offering a bold and impactful design element, neon signs will emerge as a cheeky accessory in this trend.

See More Ideas: 15 Neon Signs for Every Room in Your House

From: Crystal Sinclair

Nightlife All Day Long

The party’s always happening with black light and neon elements hinting at altered states.

From: Ryan Hughes Design Build

At-Home Bar

As staying in continues to be the choice of many, at-home bars will be on the rise. “This is huge because of how people seem to be hanging out at one another's homes rather than going out in groups," says HGTV designer Brian Patrick Flynn.

See More Photos: 40 Stylish Home Bars Squeezed Into Small Spaces

From: Mel Bean Interiors

Mind-Bending Art

Hallucinogenic moiré, pixelated and perforated patterns convey a sense of movement. Mind-bending design that plays tricks with your eyes typifies the trippy, escapist qualities of these patterns.

From: Specht Architects

3D Effects

To further the mind-bending effects seen in this trend, 3D design elements will be brought into the home, offering a unique and interactive home experience.

From: Sire Design

Checkerboard Art

This playful print is graphic and punchy, and will be seen throughout the alternative realities design trend.

From: Faith Blakeney

Tubular Shapes

Movement, ebb and flow and forms that diverge from the straight and narrow define both tabletop objects and furniture.

From: FORBES + MASTERS

Prismatic Forms

Creating an optical illusion and ever-changing art created by sunlight, this vivid design element is a show-stopper.

From: Natalie Myers

Gaming Rooms

As we move toward home being our escape from the outside world, tapping into the energy, the love of gaming, we will see more spaces devoted to this type of entertainment.

See More Ideas: 15 Game Rooms Designed for the Ultimate Hangout

From: Mary Anne Smiley

Mood-Altering Lighting

“Lighting is everything and I will never stop emphasizing the importance of it,” Angelique Velez says. This trend embraces mood-altering lighting that can have you rising to an energizing yellow in the morning or relaxing under lavender hues at night.

Neon Yellow Accents

This vibrant, almost-neon color will pop up more and more often, especially in stunning combination with seafoam and eggplant. Bringing an added moment of intensity to this trend, this bright hue really jazzes things up.

From: Nancy Snyder

Wavy Lines

Taking your eye on a journey, curved and wavy lines are preferred to the more rigid and structured, 90-degree angles.

Elements of Healing

As we spend more time at home and look to cleanse ourselves from the outside world, healing substances will be very important in this trend. An emergence of crystals and stones will be seen throughout the home.

See More Ideas: 13 Wellness Trends Popping Up in Home Design

Pattern Play

These panels harness the power of sunlight to create designs that move and change throughout the day, amplifying the mind-bending pattern play that encompasses this trend.

From: The Ranch Mine

Dark Interiors

In Alternative Realities, we will see a move toward darker interiors that provide the home with a more edgy design, offering an escape from the everyday.

See More Ideas: Dark + Dramatic Colors for Any Room

Gemstones

Gemstones feature deep, rich colors that will enhance your space, making it feel like a luxe retreat.

From: Laura U Design Collective

High-Gloss Paint

This trend features a dark, moody color palette, and high-gloss paint will be on the rise to reflect light and make those colors not feel so dark.

From: Tayor Jacobson

Arches

Adding more architectural detail and fewer harsh angles, arches will begin to make headway in the Alternative Realities trend.

From: cityhomeCOLLECTIVE

Curvy Furniture

Founded on a joyful, escapist approach to design, curved couches and chairs transform the home into a chill-ready space. The rounded edges of curvy furniture lend a more fluid and relaxed vibe.

From: Mitchell Channon Design

High-Contrast Landscaping

Dark blooms provide eye-catching landscaping in this trend.

See More Ideas: 41 Black Flowers & Plants

Dark Foliage

Plants bred for ever-darker foliage will contrast with bright blooms and create a striking garden display.

Black Stones

Polished black stones will make their way into landscape designs throughout this trend, providing a handsome foil to the surrounding green foliage.

From: Craig Reynolds Landscape Architecture