These are the design trends that we think will define the six months ahead. According to top designer Thomas Hamel it’s all about different (pretty) shades of white. Plus the rules to help you get your colours right.
ORGANIC CURVES
Nature-inspired shapes that hug the body and promote a sense of comfort. It’s a trend mainly seen on bathtubs, sofas and armchairs where the softly rounded contours feel as beautiful as they look. And that’s what this trend is all about: wellbeing is just as important as appearance. Boffi Iceland freestanding bathtub by Pierro Lissoni, www.boffi.com.au Boffi Iceland freestanding bathtub by Pierro Lissoni, www.boffi.com.au
CUT CRYSTAL
That old perennial makes a comeback with mega-brands like Kartell re-issuing its Tavola collection from the 1970s in cut-crystal transparent injection-moulded polycarbonate plates, trays, glasses, bowls and carafes by Patricia Urqiola, out this month. www.spacefurniture.com.au Kartell Jellies Family tableware by Patricia Urquiola, $25-$115, www.spacefurniture.com.au
INTERESTING MIRRORS
Wonderfully-shaped pieces that will calm your senses as well as upping your style credentials. You’ll find the most interesting looking glasses that wouldn’t look out of place on the walls of the best houses in Harbour Island or Copenhagen at junk shops, auction houses and online.
UGLY MARBLE
The more heavily-marked the marble, the better. Exotic marbles in browns, pinks, greens and greys have become the new darling of the design scene popping up in some of the snazziest modern spaces from London to Barcelona and Milan.
BLACK IS THE NEW WHITE
From the Tate museum to the table, black is a key trend, and evidence of design’s new grown up mood. We’re talking black walls, tiles, tapware, floorboards, fences, lights, chairs, crockery, cutlery, refrigeratiors and more. You want proof? Big name brands from Vitra to Smeg are releasing iconic pieces in all-black. It’s glamorous, understated, low maintenance and we love it.
MIX-AND-MATCH LINEN BEDDING
is having a major moment. High-end Italian brand Society started the trend, and now almost every lifestyle brand has a range of washed linen sheets, duvet covers and pillowcases to suit all looks, tastes and budgets. Hale Mercantile euro pillowcase with ruffle, $140 and standard pillowcase, $60. www.lesinterieurs.com.au
UNITING THE HUMBLE AND HIGH-END
The most stylish interiors feature a mix of contemporary interior design and simple robust charm. It’s a worldwide trend that’s been shaped by leading Belgian architects and designers.
PINK WALLS
Pantone’s colour of the year is Marsala, but we’ve noticed dusty pale pink walls are popping up in the best interiors from Copenhagen to New York. The new approach to pink is not about nostalgia or romantisicm, it’s about freshness and keeping it modern.
HANDMADE DINNERWARE
It’s everywhere. Mud Australia pioneered handmade tableware in this country and its collectable dishwasher-proof porcelain which is sold all over the world (Barneys, ABC Home and Design Within Reach in US, Le Bonne Marche and Sentou in Paris and Conran in London) has transformed the colours, materials and designs for tabletop companies from big-brands to niche makers. Mud Australia porcelain Flare, Noodle and Rice bowls, and Salt dishes, www.mudaustralia.com
PENCIL CACTUS
Say goodbye to fiddle-leaf figs, people. The new IT plant is the pencil cactus.
HERRINGBONE
The chevron pattern continues to look fresh. As in the Herringbone House by Atelier Chan Chan.
CONTRAST
It’s cool to mix old with new, natural with synthetic, hand-made with mass-produced. Cool with warm. Smooth with rough. Jonathan Adler contrasts perforated brass with oak, and nickel with marble for his best-selling Nixon cocktail table. Oly San Fransisco mixes cast resin with antique silver for its monster-hit, the Muriel chandelier, Jonathan Adler Nixon table, $4295, Oly Fransico Muriel chandelier, $3795, www.cocorepublic.com.au
BLUE
Beautiful blues of every kind are having a major moment. Nina Campbell’s new Cathay Collection features Jinsha, a vertical striped cotton in great cerulean blues. Then there’s Matthew Williamson at Osborne & Little’s recent collection that features Mustique cotton velvet and wallpaper in sapphire blues and turquoise. And Osborne & Little’s Abacus, Eclipse, Equinox and Facade for cushions, curtains and furnishings featuring blue aplenty. It’s the perfect hue to sharpen up your rooms and the jewel-like tones are one of the easiest colours to layer. Matthew Williamson at Osborne & Little Mustique collection, Seneca Textiles, www.senecatextiles.com.au
HOME BARS
Drinks tables are back in a big way. Nothing looks worse (or meaner) than one bottle of gin, one of vodka, a couple of tonic waters and a lone ginger beer. Plus it’s visually meaningless. We are seeing a return of bar trolleys (new and vintage), plus tables pushed against walls, and lined up with bottles and row upon row of tonic water bottles, tomato juice, campari and several back-up bottles of spirits. It gives a generous welcoming atmosphere, and if a stack of pals drop in, you are ready for them.
BLUE-GREY KITCHEN CABINETS
Blue-grey paint has been trending in the kitchen for many, many seasons now, and there’s good reason: it’s chic and makes everything else look right. This year, though white may reign supreme in the kitchen, we are going to be increasingly drawn to its use in culinary spaces.
