Tropical Trend: Basic Principles

A new trend that emerged recently brightens our days and makes our homes look like a permanent paradise. This is the tropical trend.
Tropical Trend: Basic Principles

Last update: 01 May, 2019

The tropical trend has crept into many areas: fashion and, of course, decoration.

When it comes to decoration, the tropical trend is seasonal. Spring and summer are the perfect seasons to introduce this trend into our homes.

In this article, we’ll talk about the basic elements of this style as well as the two other trends that have come from it. 

What’s the tropical trend?

The tropical trend emerged in 2016 and is still in fashion this year.

As we said before, it’s a seasonal trend. This is mainly because the tropical trend requires a lot of light in order to showcase its full potential. So, spring and summer are the perfect seasons.

However, there are some who choose to use this style in their home year-round. For others, it’s too much and they get bored with it easily. As you know, “when it comes to specific tastes, nothing is written in stone.”

The color palette that predominates the tropical trend is blue (turquoise, indigo), fuchsia, yellow and green. The colors are very bright and striking. They bring happiness and ‘good vibes’ to any room.

To make sure that the explosion of color doesn’t get out of hand, you should also incorporate natural elements into your home (we’ll talk about them later). These include wood, rattan, wicker, linen, cotton, etc. These elements act as stabilizers. 

tropical trend

The tropical trend is also based around the use of exotic elements such as fruits, especially pineapples. 

These are all must-haves for this trend.

Tropical animals, like flamingos or parrots, should also be included in your decorating.

One of the advantages of the tropical trend is that it goes perfectly with any style of decoration, from the most classic to Nordic style. 

Plants

You have to include plants in your tropical decorating. Especially those that make us feel like we’re in leafy, humid jungles.

The basic plants that you should have to complete the tropical trend are mostly large, green, leafy ones like:

  • Rib of Adam or monstera
  • Pilea
  • Alocazia sebrina
  • Ficus lyrata
  • Ferns
  • Cactus (although this is not a tropical plant, it goes very well with this trend).

You can also add a touch of color among all of the green. Try orchids or a bird of paradise plant, also known as bird flower (yes, that’s its name, weird right?).

Versions of the tropical trend

Like we said before, there’s nothing set in stone when it comes to individual tastes. That’s why three versions of the tropical trend have emerged within this style. 

The first two are based on the same thing – bring the rainforest into the home. While one version does this in a more subtle manner, the other does it in an explosive and eccentric way.

The third version takes the tropical trend one step further and turns it into a pastel tropical trend. The key to this version is to use the tropical color palette but in pastels.

Subtle tropical trend

This version is perhaps the easiest to carry out since you only need a few elements to turn your room into a tropical paradise.

The subtle tropical trend is perfect for those who think tropical prints are too much. It’s also great for people who don’t want to make a radical change that will require a lot of work.

Add cushions with tropical prints, or curtains with tropical plants or birds. Light colored walls are great when it comes to subtle tropical decoration since they help to limit the intense colors.

Eccentric tropical

This version converts any room into a tropical jungle, literally. From walls, sofas, carpets, to decorative elements, everything is tropical.

In this version, the key is the wallpaper with tropical prints.

The eccentric tropical decoration is more difficult to incorporate because it requires more changes and more work. It’s also a lot harder to change if you get bored with it.

Tropical pastel

This version is perfect for lovers of pastels. The tropical pastel decoration is much softer than the previous ones. 

Look for a haven of peace amid such an explosion of color. To do that, you should use a neutral color as your base.

Conclusion

The topical trend will continue to stay in style this year. It’s an easy style to incorporate into your home. It just depends on the intensity of the tropical elements you want to use.

If we have to highlight two things that should be included in your tropical decorating, they’re plants and cushions with tropical prints. If you incorporate these elements correctly, you’ll have an effortless tropical touch in your home.

Another important aspect to keep in mind is that this trend works in all rooms. It can be used from the living room to the kitchen, through the bedrooms and even the bathroom.