Trends and themes for the happy new home
Wonder what you’re likely to see in interiors in the coming year? Copper paint, black bathrooms and enough angles in print to poke your eye out. The trends for winter 2016 are already known to trade insiders but let’s futurise for a moment about the look for 2015.
You don’t need vast, flabby areas to deliver a gorgeous bathroom in 2015, and less square metres in an en-suite or shower-room allows for five-star qualities.
Exquisite boutique styling with backlit mirrors, shamelessly modern freestanding furniture and would you believe —black basins, sinks and loos were on show throughout this year’s trade shows — including London Design week and the Salone del Mobile, in Milan.
If we are going to plunge into high design, we seem less afraid to express ourselves in the contained area of the bathroom than anywhere else in the house.
Look out for that single sculptural piece, such as a fabulous wall-mounted sink with integrated counter, match it to luxurious flooring and keep the clutter out of its way with seamless storage. Angled or organic, choose sanitary ware made to be noticed.
Wood in tight, dark, gorgeous grains continues to relax the colder character of tile, porcelain and sealed plaster in deep hardwood colours. Take timber up the walls in dramatic feature panels, (sealed birch ply is an architectural flourish), and use it to personalise cabinetry — but pare off those handles in favour of recessed pulls or push-action fronts and drawers. You can safely take this woody relief to the floor with laminate products including Quick-Step Levyn with its synthetic core and durable top face.
Irish shower manufacturer, Merlyn Showering, offers top flight contemporary design with virtually frameless beauties riding on a slender 30mm frame floated over a low level tray. The range includes a One Door and Offset Quadrant and a Hinge and Inline (for recess and with a side panel). Ask for the Series 8 launched this autumn. www.merlynshowering.com
Traditional kitchens with painted finishes are holding the twee end of the market, but to get excited we need to look at the progressive kitchen. The minimalist, blocky system kitchen is top of the pile with a sophisticated, amenable character that suits so many homes and tastes.
Entry level systems at IKEA remain committed to the principle of simplicity of line with Metod replacing their Faktum range beloved by buyers for over 20 years. Mixing up white or dark blocks as the anchor for the room consider the popular shuffles with colour and wood cabinets to cosy up the look. Higher up the kitchen class (say €30k plus), Siematic’s Floating Spaces uses panels in wood, matt or glossy resins to cover the cabinets and doors. It can climb the wall as integrated storage and also serves as plain panelling providing hanging points for Seimatic’s celebrated floating shelving.
Clean, crisp, functional, the Siematic look and similar modular systems are discreet enough to flow directly into living spaces already wearing a 1970s built-in symmetry of beech or white media units, room dividers and panelled walls and storage with no abrupt edge between one functional area and the next. This creates a complete look —what the pros call total design, and you’ll either love it, or run screaming from the showroom.
Meanwhile here are three design directions for the next 12 months as signalled by the working market in the dying weeks of 2014.
*
You really shouldn’t live without these two elements combined, but expect to see more sophisticated surroundings brought to heel with a soft, yielding edge. Ugg, the maker of those comfy boots has launched a range of furniture and even John Rocha has got in on the act with a stunning new range of RJR Element and Eclipse upholstered range from Debenhams (from €500 for two Eclipse dining chairs).
Warm up those hardwood floors and metallic surfaces with warm signature rugs, throws and cushions, now available in eccentric, confections for every taste. As an investment piece, artist Andrew Ludick’s gorgeous designs for Céadogan Rugs start at €820 for 1.2m rugs in melting, soft 100% wool.
From retro revivals to Italian upscale gorgeous — the furnishings on offer everywhere are determined by statement style. You don’t have to break the bank to pick up a single piece of furniture that can make a whole room. Explore the eras and looks that make you shudder with desire and commit to following one unashamed look in at least one room.
If you love vintage but can’t afford say a mid-century original or something nudged to life in its honour — cheat, but cry out for quality.
We love the iconic interpretations of CA Design in Dublin for just this reason. Cadesign.ie.
Interior trends sashay directly down from the catwalks of the fashion world — that’s high couture for you and me. This autumn/winter sees an obsession with geometric prints and bold monochromes in faded-out, graphic lines applied to dresses, coats and separates.
Pick up something like Jenny Walsh’s fabulous new Geometric lighting in recycled cardboard, or just stick to angular prints on textiles to shake up your rooms. Take this look up the walls in applied painted decoration or wallpaper.
If you go for a paint-job, try a feature wall in a geometric mural in blue/grey/soft black or even copper/orange, free-hand with a slightly dry brush, recreating the look of large pieces of broken glass in softly blurred, reasonably straight lines.
Liza Jones of Porter & Jones, Irish bespoke furniture and kitchen specialists advise that hardware can refresh the entire look of any kitchen. Chrome, nickel and stainless steel are no longer the go-to for kitchen metals anymore. Very much leaning towards the timeless traditional kitchen, shades of iron, graphite, brass, and copper are becoming increasingly more popular. They also look great against big slabs of natural stone. www.porterandjones.com
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
