Interiors Nut: September 2012

Saturday, 29 September 2012

London Design Festival 2012: organic orange...

The current obsession with orange spans shades from coral to an autumnal burnt orange to a pinkish persimmon. They’re all nature-inspired tones that sit happily with the dominant trend for neutrals and naturals, where they add an essential accent colour (replacing acid-bright yellow?) and a spirit of warmth and optimism.

I'm hoping to add captions and links at some point but if your work is here and you'd like it captioned now, please email me at the address in the 'about me' section.

Friday, 28 September 2012

London Design Festival 2012 trends: back to black...

Black was a trend that was very much in evidence at last year's design fairs but, even so, I was surprised by how prevalent it was at this year's LDF. Black - whether on furniture, accessories or lighting, whole items or just details - was everywhere. Even designers without any black pieces used the colour on their display stands. Thankfully this look has nothing to do with the black ash furniture beloved of the late 1980s adolescent male. The finishes today include gloss, a soft sheen and a LOT of matt black. This last suggests a grown-up, serious and unfussy mood. Some of the matt black pieces I saw reminded me of volcanic rock - a material that has both dramatic and unchanging 'elemental' qualities). And I particularly enjoyed seeing mixes of matt and gloss within collections, like Another Country's Another Pottery Series.

 If it seems like this trend is rocking the boat, it isn't. As in fashion, overtly feminine looks have been out of vogue for some time now, replaced by more androgynous or masculine styles - and black interiors are a continuation of this. And, as black is effectively a neutral shade, it slots in comfortably with the massive over-arching trend for neutrals and naturals, while at the same time giving it a bold update.

I'm hoping to add captions and links at some point but if your work is here and you'd like it captioned now, please email me at the address in the 'about me' section.

Thursday, 27 September 2012

Prevailing trends at London Design Festival 2012: this is happening now!

Picture copyright Kate Jacobs

I went round LDF with my eye on new and emerging trends, which I'll be posting on shortly. But I wouldn't be telling the whole story if I didn't include something on the prevailing trends which, although they've been around a few years now, are still really powerful and have plenty of mileage in them yet. And the majority of the new things I've seen work WITH this look rather than heralding a whole new era. So here's a recap.

THE MOOD: simple, functional, industrial, utility and a sense of humility.
MATERIALS: materials in a natural and unfinished state: raw, untreated wood, marble, stone, tan leather, woven grass etc, outsized / chunky knits, animal hides, rope, wire and polished metallics.
COLOURS: neutrals, taupe, grey, cream, white, tan, nude and acid yellow.

AND ALSO: splayed legs, geometric patterns and facetted forms.

Picture copyright Kate Jacobs

I'm hoping to add captions and links at some point soon but if your work is here and you'd like it captioned now, please email me at the address in the 'about me' section.