Interior design is what makes a house a home—a chance to showcase your personality, create a welcoming space that you love whilst adding value to the property. There are a number of ‘golden rules’ that interior designers may follow, but certain emerging interior design trends are breaking these rules…
Be Bold
Recent interior design trends are moving away from the mono-chromed and minimalist Scandinavian-inspired influences of recent seasons, and moving more towards bold colour palettes. A ‘feature wall’ can create a unique look, especially amongst an otherwise neutral décor (and is a little less intense than painting the entire room a bright colour). If you’re not prepared to fully commit to bold walls, experiment with vivid home wares instead.
Outside In
If you have no or limited garden space but want to bring greenery into your home, there is a growing trend for bringing the outdoors in—especially in urban areas where green space is rare. It can be easier than it sounds, from a few tweaks to traditional gardening techniques (such as using specific indoor soil mixes instead of outdoor soil) to hydroponics (growing plants in water without soil).
Homegrown herbs in the kitchen, such as thyme and rosemary, are functional, visually appealing and quite low maintenance, requiring just basic attention to survive and a sunny spot on a windowsill.
In With the Old
Once thought to be dated and belonging in the homes of our grandparents, vintage furniture and home wares are now considered fashionable. Incorporating vintage chic into your home can be achieved in a number of ways; inherited pieces, antique sales, or many stores now create furnishings with a vintage-inspired look. Gilded fixtures, upholstered furniture and intricate floral-printed fabrics are a few staples of the vintage look.
Phil advises, ‘blending old with new can work in some cases, of course, as long as you show respect for the integrity of the house. Mixing contemporary with older furniture and features in a period house looks fantastic if you have a flair for introducing the new to the old.’
See also: Interior Designs
Piece of Art
Displaying works of art can contribute to the mood of a property, adding warmth and interest whilst showing personality. Art fairs are a good place to check out original works from young artists, and could increase in value in the long term. As most of us won’t have the access to real masterpieces, faux ‘old masters’ can be commissioned online. Fabulous masterpieces has a wide range of reproduced artworks ranging from approx. £190 to £2,390.
Just Do It
If you’re on a budget, get creative with furniture you already have. DIY is a cost-effective way of adding personality to your home, and you have control of the style you’re going for. Look at existing objects in a different way: an old cabinet can be repainted and used as a kitchen cupboard, old jam jars can be used as plant pots and vases, or old curtains can be sewn into giant floor cushions. Furniture can be given a new lease of life with a lick of paint.
Whether decorating your cupboards with patterned paper, replacing old doorknobs or reupholstering furniture with a staple gun, the options to make your home look and feel unique are boundless. Draw inspiration from interior design catalogues, magazines and books, and browse websites like Pinterest.
Child Friendly
If you have children, or frequent little visitors to your home, child-friendly interiors can be chic instead of childish. The growing trend for chalk-board walls will allow the little ones to colour in the walls while you’re at peace knowing it can be easily wiped clean. The Rust-Oleum Black Chalkboard Paint (available from Homebase, £15.99 per litre) is scratch-resistant and wipe clean. Stationary Island (stationaryisland.com) has a range of chalk marker pens, which alleviates the dust and residue that chalk can create.
See also: The Perfect Paint Job
