As we reflect on 2021, we can help but think of the many creative, rewarding, and downright exciting design moments that shaped the past year. From launching the Havenly Design Awards and publishing a book to spotlighting new design trends like limewash, warm neutrals, and DIY TikTok murals, we feel incredibly grateful to be able to share our love of design for a living.
And while we cherish every day spent beautifying homes for our Havenly clients, a few design moments stand out from the rest. Ahead, we count down our top 10 design moments of 2021, from our favorite home tour to the chic trend we’re taking with us into the new year (and beyond).
Most Covetable Home: Jenna & Val’s Cali Cozy Hideaway
It’s safe to say we’ll be forever obsessed with Jenna Johnson and Val Chmerkovskiy’s West Coast cozy living room, reimagined by Havenly designer Heather Goerzen. From the earthy color palette to the layered textiles, this space definitely has a spot on our “dream home” Pinterest board. Suffice it to say, we’re not surprised that it was featured in People, and was our most read story of the year.
Hottest Trend: Limewash Walls
Move over, shiplap — limewash became the most popular wall treatment in the design world this year, and we only see the trend gaining momentum in 2022. This textural look has roots in ancient Rome and, in our humble opinion, belongs in every modern-day home come 2022. Not only is it incredibly sophisticated on its own, it aligns with so many of our favorite 2021 trends (from earthy accents to warm minimalism).
Best Coffee Table Book: Design the Home You Love by Havenly
Shameless plug: we wrote our very own design book this year, and we still aren’t over the pinch-me moment! The book is basically an extension of the Havenly mission: to take the intimidation out of interior design and give you all the practical styling tools you need to create a home you love. We may be biased, but it makes for a perfect holiday gift! (
Most Memorable Launch: Havenly Design Awards
This year, we finally brought a longtime passion project to life with the launch of the Havenly Design Awards. This initiative was years in the making, and we’re still beyond thrilled to share our wealth of knowledge and designer product faves with fellow home lovers. Keep an eye out for the Havenly Design Awards 2022 next summer, and peep our vetted selects across furniture, entertainment, room designs, home accents, styles & trends, and brands & retailers in the meantime.
Most Inspiring Partnership: Reading Rooms with Reese’s Book Club
This banner partnership brought together three of our greatest loves: design, reading, and of course, Reese Witherspoon. For the uninitiated, we now have an entire design package devoted to Reading Rooms, and a percentage of all profits go towards Witherspoon’s literacy initiative, The Readership.
Most Rewarding Project: FosterMore Bedroom Makeovers
This past November, we decided to pay it forward the best way we know how: by giving the gift of home. We teamed up with FosterMore, an organization that advocates and provides resources for foster families, to grant three kids the bedroom makeovers of their dreams. We are forever grateful to have played a small part in Nicholas, Anthony, and Cierra’s official homecoming.
Most Heated Design Debate: Gray vs. Beige
We absolutely love a juicy design debate, and this year’s discussion around warm neutrals versus cool grays got particularly heated. While we ultimately decided that earthy beige, oatmeal, linen, and sand have officially usurped cool grays, particularly when it comes to paint colors, we know that this debate will probably never truly come to an end (and that’s what makes it so much fun).
Most Impressive DIY: TikTok Mural Trend
Our lead designer Melissa Wagner attempted the DIY mural trend that’s all over TikTok this past fall, and it’s safe to say she absolutely nailed it. With a can of paint, a level, and some painter’s tape, she managed to turn her dated 90s-era fireplace into a statement design feature in a single afternoon, and we are still impressed.
Most Swoon-Worthy Social Shout: Ashley Graham’s TikTok Tour
@theashleygraham SHE really ties the place together @thehavenly
We had the privilege of working with supermodel Ashley Graham this past summer to revamp her Brooklyn apartment, and it’s still one of our favorite design projects to date. And while we love the home tour published on our blog, we have to say that the Graham’s (hilarious) spotlight shared via TikTok takes the cake. Supermodels: they’re just like us.
Fan-Favorite Insta Post: Our CEO’s Moody-Cool Basement
It appears that you guys loved our CEO’s dramatic basement makeover just as much as we did – the space got so much love on our Instagram and continues to make the social rounds. With dramatic walls (thanks to designer go-to hue Hale Navy), textural accents, and a high dose of style, we transformed the dark and dingy space into a stunning family hangout.
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