Designers have to be forward thinkers to keep one step ahead of their clients. With 2014 right around the corner, now is the time to brush up on the trends that will influence the industry next year.

Here are the themes that will define design in 2014. Interlinked and interwoven, each is impacted by the other but is also important in its own right.

1. Sentiment: Folkloric future
Heavily encrusted in wonderfully dense embroidery, surfaces portray Old World patterns and folkloric charm. Designers set forth in search of a vanished time, sourcing inspiration from antiquated tribes. Handcrafted illustrations and embroideries reflect the beauty to be found in belonging. The romantic trend has evolved into a new feeling of lush sensuousness, as blazing reds and smoky oranges bring a deeply ornate and rich synergy to the fore. Jet black and plum add to the air of sensuality, while an opulent tribal wind showers surfaces in a swarm of sentimental trimmings.

2. Quietude: Blank oblivion
Following desire’s pursuit to close down and condense life’s chaos, design is a master class in minimalism: whiter than white, subtle and sparse, it retreats back to the bare essentials. This trend is a backlash to the surplus left over by today’s consumerist climate. This story is submerged in silence. The palette is muted, washing solace over the season and cleansing the chaotic climate of modern day life. Slow down and stop rushing; things seem more spacious here: large and limitless, like silence itself.

3. Allegory: Brooding desire
Storytelling spins a beautiful yet brooding tale. The cobwebs that have built up over time and clog the free-flowing mind begin to swirl away, bringing wild and imaginary worlds to light. By exploring the darker side of desire, allegory reveals wild worlds where myth and memory meet. Inspired by mythology and philosophy, allegorical imagery roams this beautiful and imaginary realm. As for colour, a midnight mist descends, revelling in murky mink and lead, with highlights of antique brass.

4. Rapture: Live to laugh
A giggle a day keeps the doctor away, that is the rising rule of rapture. Humans are pleasure seekers first and foremost, and laughter is, after all, part of the universal vocabulary. Rejoicing in the rapturous moment of pure happiness and boundless liberty, colour churns into an ecstatic expression of bright, happy tones, with pops of shocking pink, apple green and buttercup yellow.

Isham Sardouk is the chief creative officer of Stylesight. He oversees all major content divisions within the company’s portfolio, including trend analysis, trend forecasting and market intelligence.