THE YEAR AHEAD

Another year has started. I can't believe how quickly it has come around. This time last year I was planning my epic trip to europe, what an adventure that was and one which heightened my love for design in general. So another year starts and thus begins the new forecast of trends in design. At a recent party, I was fortunate to meet an incredibly talented designer who happens to be Tom Dixon's right hand man, and he told me that copper is on the out! Which only confirms really, that one should never invest too much into trends. My philosophy is to keep the base pallette simple, invest in key furniture pieces, rugs and lighting; don't be trend driven here, it will date all too quickly. Then layer with objects that can bring in those punches of colour, texture and/or metallic finishes into a space.

So what is going to be big on the agenda this year? Well I still think the return to more artisanal crafts will continue, with ceramics and weavings. Boy I am such a fan of a beautiful piece of pottery. I have invested quite a bit on some in the past year. They certainly add a layer of warmth and texture to my home, while supporting the artists of this very important craft. Along with the aforementioned, I feel that natural materials, marbles, timbers, leathers etc will continue to make their way into homes. Paint colours for walls, furniture and objects will still feature, soft sages, peaches, and dusty pinks but I think dark bolder colors such as deep greens and blues will present themselves too.

Plastics may come in to the fore with the use of 3d printing technology creating different and obscure pieces especially in the realm of lighting. Combining plastic with the use of old techniques such as crocheting brings a modern twist to an old art form.

So I shall leave it at there and I will re read this post at the end of the year and see how right or wrong I turn out to be! Happy New Year!

images via here, here and here