what's hotThe Experts Have Spoken
With just a couple of weeks into 2011, the experts have started to spill the beans about what's going to be making an impact in the way we decorate our homes this year. The range is quite broad, but they all seem to agree on the fundamentals. According to them, the main design trends will derive from our need to re-evaluate they way we live, our longing for comfort, our interest for innovation and the urge of personifying our homes. Now that the design authority has spoken and given us its prediction, I believe these two trends will be the ones going strong:
PRESERVING THE PAST
Due to the global economic hardship, there has been a big appreciation for family heirlooms and traditions. This feeling of nostalgia will stimulate us to mix and match our decorating styles. "2011 is the year to celebrate the classics, shaken and stirred. I am eager to mix up timeless pieces I already own to show them off in a fresh light. Reinterpreting heirlooms and flea-market finds is not only green, it can also be terribly charming,” explains Katie Armour, The Neo-Traditionalist. The key to this trend is combining the basic and old with the modern and the high-tech to create a cozy, yet simplistic space. According to IMM Cologne's trends book, Interior Design Trends 2011, “the piecing together of old and new details are symptomatic of a desire to dismantle and re-arrange that finds particularly strong expression in this trend.”
A GLOBAL VIBE
To help in our search for comfort and coziness, manufactures will be presenting us with decor inspired by traditional tribal design elements and colors, as well as natural materials. The experts have noticed people are becoming more interested in their roots, hence their attraction for patterns, textures and colors of global influence. Consequently, we'll be seeing lots of reclaimed woods, kilims and patterned and distressed leather. Be on the lookout for chevrons, zig-zags, stripes and grids as design motifs, as shown in this West Elm rug collection. In general, furnishings will have clean lines, geometry and no frills. Products will be multifunctional and manufacturers will also use transparent materials. In addition, soft fabrics, knits and everything hand-made will be huge.
Among other trends, IMM Cologne reports “the dominant color is a cold grey, accompanied by ash grey and black and brightened up with vibrant dashes of citrus yellow and mandarin orange. A light taupe mediates between grey and white and adds a little softness to the colour scale.” Also, back in December, Pantone had proclaimed Honeysuckle 2011 Color of the Year and the defining hue for Spring.
Although painting your walls is the easiest way to add punch to your room, detailed, hand-drawn or hand-screen printed contemporary wallpaper will continue to be a huge trend this year. Needless to say, sustainable decor will also grow in popularity and will continue to be a major movement that hopefully will reach every home. However, while trends come and go and influence how you decorate, your home should always reflect who you are and your personal style. This, by far, is the most important trend of all!
Sources: IMM Cologne, The Independent, Examiner, SFGate
Images by: (1) TheDesignerPad (2) Mel Yates (3,8) Per Ranung (4) Magnus Anesund (5) David Prince (6) West Elm (9) Pedrali
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