Interior Design Trends For 2018

Happy New Year everyone!

Hopes, regrets, resolutions, predictions...these are what we are faced with every January, and 2018 is no different. It is this last one which we will be looking at today - and we all known how easily a prediction can come true if it comes from trend-setters!

Interior Designers are, to a large extent, the people who write the handbook, so what they say often goes...so we’ll have a look at what’s going, and what’s gone, in 2018...

New Philosophies

Just before Christmas we brought you a blog about Hygge, the philosophy of homliness exported from Denmark - although this will continue to be an influence, we’re seeing other cultures come into interior design philosophy which will emerge in full this year.

There are continuing threads of authenticity and intimacy, but from the warmth and coziness we are moving to the more austere Japanese concept of ‘Wabi-Sabi’.

Much like Hygge, there is far more to Wabi-Sabi than a design aesthetic. It is very difficult to translate and is connected to many other concepts of Japanese philosophy, particularly Buddhism - however, in simple terms it is about the acceptance and appreciation of imperfection.

Hagi-Yaki Tea Cups- Image Found On WikiPedia

Nothing is perfect or permanent, so we should look to find the melancholy beauty in things which are flawed and changeable.

What does this mean for interior design? Well, expect to see regular, artificial shapes replaced with more natural, asymmetrical and ‘perfectly imperfect’ objects, much like the traditional Hagi-Yaki tea vessels pictured above.

The pure undyed wool of Alternative Flooring’s Barefoot Range is a good carpet-based example - no two batches are the same, so they are all beautiful and unique!

Colours

Several companies have come forward to announce their chosen colours of the year - we already mentioned Dulux’s ‘Heartwood’, a pleasantly warm pinkish-brown.

But this are other contenders - colour giant Pantone have given us ‘Ultra Violet’, which already seems to be capturing the hearts of interior designers because of its versatility - it can be paired with all sorts of other colours, such as gold, black and even red.

Meanwhile the UK’s own Farrow and Ball have chosen the leafy ‘Studio Green’, a bold choice as green colours having been missing from the Interior Design colour palette the past two years. Still, maybe it is time for a come back!

Apart from these, people are predicting an overall darker and more moody tone that last year’s airy white-on-white designs. Still others are going full on with ‘Millennial Pink’ - we’re not too convinced, but if you like it then we do have a couple of carpets which match that style!

Materials and Styles

Brass Lion Head On Mosiac - Image Found On MaxPixel

Brass

Copper fittings have been in the ascendant these past few years drawing on past contemporary styles - you can read about that in one of our previous blogs - but now copper is out and brass is in.

For some it may seem a purely arbitrary change (aren’t they all? This is fashion!) but it does give a different feel to a room - the more golden, yellow brass gives a better contrast than its fiery, orange-hued cousin. It works well with black, white, green, red and blue - a great way to finish a bathroom or kitchen!

Herringbone Pattern

The classic herringbone pattern is also making a comeback - people are talking about herringbone floors, walls and yes, even ceilings; We are happy to see this of course, given our large number of excellent herringbone remnants!

Terrazzo Flooring

Terrazzo flooring is a composite material, originally made in Italy from offcuts of marble and granite - you have probably seen it, or an approximation of it, in a hotel lobby or even your local shopping center.

But despite its widespread commercial use it has been generally out of favour for interior design...until now! Many interior designers are seeing a bright future for this historical method, so keep an eye out for it. Plus, it does look rather lovely paired with a designer rug.

Terrazzo Flooring - Image Found On MaxPixel

Indoor and Integrated Greenery

Bringing plant indoors - from succulents to herbs - making green feature walls and adding artificial greenery as rugs - is becoming a popular feature in Interior Design, and looks set to become a major theme of 2018.

We already looked into how having plants indoors was beneficial in many ways - check out our blog on How To Create A Calming Bedroom' to find out!

Curves

Curves are back in for furniture - these more organic, flowing shapes fit in with the Wabi-Sabi aesthetic and also turn-of-the-century movements like Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau.

Well, that’s the round up of predictions for now - of course, there are other things buzzing round the design world...people are talking about ‘Statement Storage’ and ‘Statement Ceilings’ and the use of eclectic and mixed materials - we’ll have to see how 2018 goes.

But wherever the trends end up taking us, and regardless of whether or not you follow them, we will be here to provide designer carpet at a great price!

Until next time!

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