New Home Trends

What I like about new home trends at the moment is that you can literally pick an era of time and incorporate that into your design. Every decade really had their own style that is so easily identified, and I think we have now got to a point where, when people look back on 2010, there will be no set design, it will be a lot of different decor styles infused together. At the 2009 exhibitions, we saw a lot of 50's and 60's inspired furniture, but with its own twist.

I have also noticed a strong revival of Art Deco which was first introduced in the 1920's and was then revived in the 80's but this time, though it remains elegant and classy, it has a slight 60's twist to it which makes it fun! A fabulous example of this is furniture made by a wonderful Portugese company called Boca Do Lobo. Their 'soho' cabinet is a perfect example of modern eclecticism. It uses drawers in different shapes and colours. Their Guggenheim drinks cabinet is one of the most beautiful pieces of furniture I've ever seen (picture below somewhere in a previous blog) in its Zebrano wood. I connect with them because their styles are so mixed yet so contemporary at the same time - they are definately creating 'furniture of the future'.

There is a lot of nature inspired furniture, fabric and wallpapers about this year too. Cake stands with tiers held together by steel dragonflies (check out www.anncoston.com), Cole & Son's Woods wallpaper and many other fabric and wallpaper companies using leaves, trees, animals and many other designs inspired by nature. In an age where we are trying to live more 'green', this is really appealing. It is also very grounding to have a home that has many natural aspects including water features, which Feng Shui believes brings wealth into the house.

Seletti are another company who I think make beautiful modern furniture with a twist, check out their website www.seletti.com and have a look at the Assemblage Tricot cabinet and their 'Trip' collection. While on the subject of modern furniture makers with a twist, I think Johnny Egg is the one to look out for innovation. His 'Twisted' and 'Oscar' side tables are one of a kind.
One more company I really admire for their creativity are Andrew Martin. They really revived the 'Best of British' design schemes this year with their Beatles cushions and all things Union Jack!