This Season's Popular Home Trends
When you own a home, one of the great joys in life is crafting that home to your own taste, bringing out your own personal style to the space.
We recently carried out research with UK homeowners to get an idea of how we, as a nation, like to decorate our homes and the results are a good indication of just how different our ideas are about what makes a beautiful living space.
In this article, we'll take you through this season's interior trends which have proved most popular with the British public in our study, as we set out to understand what makes these trends stand out.
Natural materials
In the days of iPhones, Instagram and all things digital, it seems that inside our homes, our decorating tastes are taking us back to nature. Nearly a third (29%) of those surveyed said that they liked natural materials over other trends, bringing back furniture and fittings from outside, inside.
The trend sees designers opt for materials like wood, copper, canvas, concretes and other natural resources for their furniture. The fact that these materials come from nature lends an authenticity to a house or flat, and when you add your own choice of house plant into the proceedings, a 'natural' home takes on a calm and almost introspective feel.
This trend has proven popular for centuries, and is more so today than arguably ever before, thanks to our increased interest in interior décor based on natural materials.
Floral fabrics and wallpaper
There is a common misconception among interior design enthusiasts that floral fabrics and wallpapers are somehow old-fashioned. This is an easily busted myth, and the British public agree, with residents choosing floral fabrics and wallpaper as their second favourite trend.
The great thing about floral fabrics is their flexibility and variety. The sheer number of different combinations you can pick from when applying floral fabrics to a room means that you'll never run out of options. You can tailor each wall and fabric to your own furniture as well; we recommend a gentle palette with gold highlights to make for a subtle, but eye-catching backdrop.
Abstract burst
Where to start with abstract designs? Birthed from the combined artistic forces of Romanticism, Impressionism and Expressionism, abstract art is vivid art, which enjoys substantial departure from any visual references that the world has to offer. Put simply, abstract works step away from reality and into the figurative imagination, and 13 per cent of those surveyed said they loved it.
When it comes to home décor, abstract design indicates a desire to depart from the norm and to make a statement in the face of the reign of minimalism. Bright patterns infused with striking colour schemes set abstract rooms apart from those in other homes and allow a great degree of personal preference. Pair these with bold geometric patterns to bring out an expressionist touch to proceedings.
Curved furniture
Curved furniture is back! Our survey revealed that 12 per cent of the UK are fans of curved furniture and this marks quite the change from our recent love affair with Scandinavian squares and minimalist lines.
This trend can land on just about every item of furniture you own if you want it to. Curved armchairs and sofas are naturally more comfortable and can significantly soften the look of a room, while curved lighting can spread ambient lighting across a room more efficiently. Curved coffee tables and bar stools stand out much more, wherever they're placed.
Curved furniture often makes for a fine addition for the drama and intrigue it can bring to the home; its implementation suggests an interior designer who wants to indulge and who are willing to take more risks.
Velvet furniture and furnishings
Velvet has long leant itself as a material to the luxurious and indulgent side of interior decorating - recently that seems to have affixed itself rather nicely in the public's imagination with 11 per cent of those surveyed favouring the style.
Velvet comes in different textures and shades and it is perhaps this that has contributed the most to the material's popularity. Because of its versatility, velvet can work nicely both in stripped down styles and over-the-top maximalism, working its magic on sofas, stools, armchairs and beds. More so than just that, the different varieties of velvet, such as patterned velvet and crushed velvet can suit individual furniture items.
From an aesthetic perspective, the soft and indulgent luxury that velvet brings to any room is a worthy addition to any décor.