If you’re looking to update your home’s look with some new furniture pieces this year, you’re likely to find a few trends that will speak to you. You may appreciate the retro items reflecting the “bold and globally fueled” ’70s, as interiordesign.net puts it, or the stylized tech of the ’50s and ’60s, or you may gravitate toward sustainable design or pieces that provide seamless transitions between the outdoors and indoors.

Read on for more 2016 trends you’ll find in furniture showrooms — and enjoy in your home.

Spaces for connection with family and friends

While some people may be maximizing their space by turning their formal dining rooms into offices or media rooms, according to houzz.com, others are eager to use that dining area for its intended purposes: entertaining friends and bringing the family together for regular mealtimes. There are plenty of great options for dining sets and servers to hold tableware and food.

And while most families are surrounded by tech and devices, some are looking to furnish a living room that eschews the tech and just encourages conversation and personal connection, or a quiet spot that’s a “respite” from digital distractions.

Fabrics that are sturdy but show pizzazz

“Outdoor fabrics are becoming increasingly hard to distinguish from traditional indoor fabrics,” houzz.com notes, so they are being brought inside, “where their durability makes them perfect for high-traffic dining room and living room furniture.” Pair them with pieces that have unusual or eye-popping silhouettes, and you can display a snazzy sensibility even while resting easy about their sturdiness, House Beautiful advises.

Flexible and fluid

Get more for your investment and make the most of your space by selecting items that “facilitate numerous different activities,” as interiordesign.net says.

One example is a modular-unit sofa system that can be customized to integrate as many functions as needed. Another is a series of lamps, bedside tables and desks that can “wirelessly charge any portable electronic devices that are placed on them.”

The 'return of the desk'

Again, taking the laptop into the living room and working while lounging on the couch is becoming so 2015. Same goes for using your bed as a work station. This year, the desk has reasserted its importance, even if it doesn’t get a whole home office but takes up a comfortable position in a corner or alcove. House Beautiful says it’s “previewed dozens of high-gloss, high-power versions, all ready to help you make this year your most productive yet.”

Get the blues … and pinks

If you love color, take note that this year’s Pantone colors are “rose quartz and serenity,” or calming, soothing blue and pink. They can bring balance to a home environment, when all outside is busy and hectic. “The winning combination of these two hues (rather than their separate effects) is the true focus here,” Decoist says. “Imagine a sunset sky and the way its blue and pink tones create a soothing yet intriguing vibe.”

Put it on a pedestal

Whether you choose metal, wood, marble or a mixture of materials, a pedestal placed strategically in a corner will make that space pop, House Beautiful recommends. Pick a favorite sculpture or plant to grace the top. (Or go retro ‘70s and put a pink landline telephone in that spot. Have fun scouring antique stores or your grandma’s attic.)

Check out your local Ashley Home Store and make it all come together.

Cathy Carmode Lim is the founder of RatedReads.com, a website that reviews books and gives them ratings according to content. She is also a copy editor and blogs at LifeandLims.com.