03 Jan Polished plaster trends for 2020

Polished plaster has been used for thousands of years to decorate walls and ceilings. Pioneered by the Egyptians, it was refined by the Romans and Venetians over thousands of years, creating the stucco we know today.

The material witnessed something of a renaissance in the UK during the 90s with the “Tuscan” decorating style, which made warm colours and rustic design fashionable. Today, it’s used in high-end applications to give spaces class. It’s superb as a background in ornate rooms and as a decoration itself.

2020 will see a number of interior design trends emerge and we expect polished plaster to remain a hugely popular choice for designers.

Here are the five main polished plaster trends we expect to see in 2020:

Natural luxury

For businesses who cater to increasingly eco-conscious customers, the benefits of decorating a store in a natural way are enormous.

The vegan market in particular is huge, growing at a rate of around 6% each year. Polished plaster is a 100% natural material without any of the environmental concerns of paints or wallpaper, giving businesses an opportunity to be greener. We expect more luxury brands to adopt polished plaster in their stores for this reason.

A replacement for bathroom tile

Stone tiles are less durable than polished plaster and require grout, which breaks up the seamless design. Polished plaster is applied to walls in one go, with no need for grout or broken lines. It mimics solid marble, travertine, or limestone.

Sealed polished plaster is 100% waterproof, and you can use resin-based systems which have a resin and acrylic aggregate for durability in wet conditions. In 2020, we expect more bathrooms to use polished plaster in place of tile.

Colours to become the new neutrals

Neutrals like beige, grey and brown have their place, but bright and bold colours are altogether a more exciting proposition.

Polished plaster can be tinted virtually any colour, enabling brands to create continuity across the workplace, and interior designers to create truly unique spaces with a special ambience. We expect this trend to grow in 2020.

Metallic flecks to surge in demand

Just as polished plaster can be tinted with natural and artificial pigments to change its colour, it can also have metallic content mixed in.

Gold, silver, copper and bronze flecks give each polished plaster application a beautiful ornateness, with the wall shimmering as you walk by and playing with the light in an interesting way. This technique is particularly good for feature walls and hallways to give an otherwise ‘lost’ or ‘blank’ space a special character.

More and more applications in public spaces

In 2020, we expect to see more interior designers make use of polished plaster in their projects and especially in public areas.

Shopping complexes, galleries, department and retail stores, hotels, bars and restaurants are prime candidates for polished plaster, not only because of its beautiful appearance, but because it’s durable and easy to clean. It’s also extremely long-lasting, with a lifespan of 20 to 30 years so long as it’s looked after properly.