Trendspotting: A Look at Architectural Digest’s Published Interiors Then and Now

It’s no secret that trends tend to occur in cycles. The late 1990s and early 2000s fashion is all the rage right now. While social media has largely stratified the singular 20-year trend loop, it can be argued that there have always been two inherent throughlines in architecture and design—at least from a Western standpoint: the more exuberant maximalist style that can trace its roots to elaborate ornamental Gothic architecture and the minimalist approach that stems from High Modernism and Neo-Classicism before that. 

Held on Monday, May 20th during ICFF 2024, AD PRO—the elevated trade-focused vertical of Architectural Digest—held a panel discussion on trend spotting. Moderated by senior editor Mel Studach, the talk brought together AD PRO Directory members and industry leaders in their own right Morris Adjmi (ICFF 2023 Designer of the Year), Becca Roderick—Design Director of Interiors at Morris Adjmi Architects—and Leyden Lewis—Founder and Creative Director of his eponymously named multidisciplinary practice. 

(image above: Morris Adjmi Architects)

With access to the long-established magazine’s digital archive through their membership, each panelist was asked to select images of published interiors from the past with an element or two they felt are still trendy today; demonstrating key design strategies and architectural elements that have made a comeback at least once or that have never gone out of fashion. 

“It was like giving them the keys to Narnia,” Studach noted. “Every time I would go back to the shared presentation document after a few hours, they had each added a whole new batch of images which shows how much material from the past is still relevant today.” 

Before delving into each of the three panelists’ most poignant selections, the AD PRO editor asked them to describe how they start a new process and how historical cues might factor in from the outset. 

Adjmi noted that his projects always involve a conversation between historic and contemporary forces. Roderick added: “When starting a new project, we always look carefully at the location of a project; the state, city, block, and from an interior standpoint, the position within the building. Research is an essential part of what we do.”

Lewis noted: “We tend to collaborate and are always in conversation with our clients. So, as the genesis, at the start of our projects we primarily focus on the client and try to understand their culture, what they’re bringing to the table, and what they would like to see mirrored in and reflected in those interiors.”

Pulling up images from the archive that reveal his current preoccupations regarding material, Adjmi identified breeze blocks masonry and plaster work. “Yeah, I think plaster work is something we see a lot of in warm minimalist interiors, especially monochromatic spaces; that texture on the wall can be a great way to create depth within an environment that is very one note and we see all over Instagram,” Studach responded. 

Roderick cited wallpaper as a timeless component. “It’s never totally gone away,” she explained. “It’s always been there, but I think people’s willingness to be bold with color, pattern, and texture is having a moment. Wallpaper allows you to add depth and character to a space and get something that feels layered. I think one of the challenges we often face when working with new building projects is getting that patina and that sort of worn feeling right out of the gate. You don’t want people to walk into a space and for it to feel sterile.”

Roderick added that pulling inspiration from an archive rather than the usual sources of Pinterest and Instagram allows her and her team to deviate from the norm much more and not end up doing what everyone is doing. 

“I think their clients trust them for that approach,” Lewis chimed in. “I think they draw it out so well. You know what I mean? To build a conversation around that evidence of what it could be is so valuable.”

For him, the 1970s, particularly how Architectural Digest was laid out at the time, remains so appealing. “It was a great period where architectural style was expressed within interiors but also the decorative arts,” Lewis explained. “I’m obsessed with fine art. I’m a collector and to see how art still has such a strong impact on what we perceive as decoration and how much it tells a story about what a client is thinking about and how they want to occupy this space is powerful.”

Organized by decade, style, project typology, and type of room, the Architectural Digest digital archive is accessible to a wide range of members. It can be an essential resource for those looking to engender a different type of result, a different interpretation of current trends.