2016 Trends

While the following thoughts are by no means set in stone as to what trends in interior design lie ahead, they are based on patterns we see emerging.

Certainly over the years architects and designers have approached design with "wellness" in mind. Much of this is to offer spaces which allow individuals to live and function in a positive environment.  In fact you only have to search wellness to see how relevant it is in many

sectors from food to town planning.

From here we see the family bathroom receiving the greatest makeover. No longer just a space to bathe or shower,  it has become the starter for creating that multi generation space. From wetrooms to steam rooms , showers are still evolving. Technology includes mirrors doubling as flat screen TV s,  electronic sensor taps, thermostatically controlled showers, led shower heads, sound systems recessed into ceiling, and air injected taps to reduce water use.
Ordinary tiles and grout on walls have been making way for ceiling height water proof panels. White raised shower trays being replaced by wetroom floors.

One crucial area too has been in the importance of good branding. By that I don't mean having Downton Abbey initials on some type of unknown porcelain, but the clear branding of suppliers like Villeroy and Boch, Hansgrohe, Laufen... It does seem that people once fooled by cheap quality are now looking for the tried and trusted.

While there will always be a favourite accent colour in furnishings, the bulk of showhomes still play safe with a neutral pallette.  Magnolia has long gone, with white being around some time. What we might see is layering of whites. By this I mean a few shades of white close to each other that work to highlight different surfaces. This is something that many people who use Farrow and Ball paint will be used to doing, but tricky to get right.
As an alternative to white, grey is becoming more popular.


Surprisingly feature wallpaper is still hanging in there. Big bold, brash, and often shiny - 3 rolls is generally all needed. Thankfully there are alternatives in the form of  faux brick, and both engineered, and recycled woods which bring more texture and life to a room.

The industrial  look is perfect for apartments and older properties. Shiny chrome taps have been replaced by antique brass or nickel to compliment a more relaxed kitchen space. It is surprising how many cookery shows have a background of exposed brick in the kitchen areas.

A few years ago it might not have been out of place to install a bright red signature kitchen. Now the look is more refined, greys and creams as popular as white.
Much more attention is given to the work surface.  In fact many granite suppliers will say how much in demand that product is now. Overall the use of natural materials like granite and porcelain have  been on the increase in the last few years, and this doesn't appear to be slowing down.
Porcelain on the floor is perfect for heavy traffic areas.

What I have written about elsewhere in this blog has been bio flame fires. While I see no emerging trend as such, they have been spotted in prestigious London apartments recently. They really do look stunning, so that will be my one off the wall prediction for 2016..

For advice on delivery of any of the products mentioned, contact me 

Cersaie 2015

Cersaie 2015 was as busy as ever. While it is predominately about the best in ceramics and tiles,  there is still a lot more to see.
With 1000 exhibitors and over 100,000 visitors over 5 days it is one of the must see design shows on the calendar.

The Cer-Stile exhibition was a must. A journey in design made easier by the mock up of the imaginative idea of a luxury interior of a train, complete with changing landscape through curtained windows.  There was a modest bunk, comfy private seating, open benches, and even an antique boxed sink that folds up. Only in Italy!

While the Bologna Cersaie was certainly not an Express Train, there were undoubtedly some significant products expressing themselves in the best way - as part of a design scheme. Glass 1989, Duravit,  Cordivari,  Vitra,  Cristina Rubinetterie all had great products on show as part of this taster exhibition.

It was outside in the main halls where design became even more interesting.

There was much to see in 3 dimensional large scale ceramic wall surfaces. Some of the suppliers creating ranges which allowed greater choice and more flexibility for designers to create a more unique look. While there was some colour, mostly for commercial, there was definitely the core shades of safe neutrals across all ranges.

While designs may have taken a large leap, manufacturers were playing safe with colour palette.

Fiora

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There are always a lot of brick style ceramics in the show. The puritan brickie will appreciate the difference between imperial, metric, and American bricks.They will even explain to you the methods of how bricks are stacked - stretcher and Fleming bonds to name but two brick laying techniques.  Personally I thought some of the random colours fun. Why we don't use more tiles on walls in homes is just my opinion.
I was taken with a lot of the grunge, graffiti styles.Equally some really excellent pastels too.

Brem

Again some great ranges consisting safe plain tiles, coordinated texture, and feature tiles. This makes a designer's life easy in a bathroom or wetroom.
Last year seemed to be about hexagonal and introducing lava. This year there were concrete looks, larger tiles, pared back colours, and raised texture designs.

Away from the tiles, I was impressed with Rubinetterie 3M brassware taps and showers.
From a design perspective their products are stunning.

The taps and shower heads are completely different to anything else I saw at the show.  The quality of the materials exceptional. The flow and economic delivery of water ticks boxes.  I must say really taken with their designs.

Fiora had an amazing stand and some new products. While we love Fiora bathroom furniture and shower trays, they now do wet walls. A new range of furniture and excellent display electric radiators and we are hooked.

I had to go check out Zucchetti Kos. I first saw them at Bologna water festival last year.
As expected they had their own fantastic stand, and also popped up in the Day Off exhibition. Some great basins,  but love their showerheads.

Villeroy and Boch seemed to be having a good show too. We loved the rose gold floor mounted bath mixer.  I know this is a finish that is not as popular as the chrome and brushed steel finishes - but it looks gorgeous on display.

Flaminia

Washbasins came in all shapes and sizes.  They were moulded in mineral cast, porcelain, glass, concrete. They were recessed, sat on top, or moulded as one with surface. They had an overflow,  no overflow,  exposed traps, were freeflowing or not.

Really one could narrow down a favourite once you had seen over 1000. Oh, and there were some great colours too.

Wetrooms have become much more the norm over the last few years. It was great to see so many manufacturers really looking at wetroom walls and floors as part of their portfolio.

I'm not sure emerging trends. What I can say is I love good materials - and no manufacturer or designer will waste a good material on a bad design.

"Style is a simple way of saying a complicated thing"
Jean Cocteau

Related post Wetrooms 

Ora italiano

Zucchetti

Le Mur Finium

It is exciting to see natural materials being used creatively in interior design. Le Mur Finium are a Canadian company that have brought eco friendly , decorative, prefinished hardwood panels now to the UK market.

There has been a great surge in demand for natural finished looking materials for wall surfaces. The rise of decorative stone and faux brick has become increasingly popular as consumers move away from more traditional wallcoverings

Le Mur Finium are not a particularly young company, they have been going strong in the North American market since 1999. However this is their first foray into the UK through the helm of established wall supplier Designer Walls.

While the eco stats mount up nicely-  low value reclaimed wood, water base glues, ultraviolet light cured  - it is really the design possibilities that are endless.

With so many different woods and shades, their Friendly Wall is a  really is a versatile product.

It is lightweight and easy to install so requires no particular skill other than competent joiner. Check their Youtube

It is hard not to feel inspired.  In the home it can used to create a fabulous effect behind a bed, look smart in alcoves, be used on one wall for feature effect, or even on the ceiling in a loft conversion.


The commercial applications are many. Communal entrances, feature walls in reception areas. Used to surround an elevator shaft it makes a functional requirement into a design feature.

Instead of whitewashed walls or lacklustre wallpaper, a hardwood wall has something very appealing and tactile in a restaurant area adding warmth to an interior scheme. The panels are quite resistant to scratches so very good also to use as a decorative base in a bar area perhaps.

As shown in the example images here, the wood looks fabulous with clever lighting highlighting the textures and colour of the oiled wood panels.

There is no reason why a combination of materials can not be used. Woods, brick, steel, ceramics all work comfortably together.

To find out more about this highly versatile product contact the UK agent here 


Related article Designer Walls

Designer Walls

If you are looking for a stylish alternative to wallpaper or want to create a feature in a room or commercial environment then Designer Walls may be just what you want.

Inspired by textures, the range includes brick, stone, slate and rioja wine barrels!

These innovative wall panels are lightweight yet high strength. Tough and durable they are suitable in most areas.

 One of the most captivating elements is the incredibly natural look, but then some of the panels are actually made from stone veneers. The Rioja range is made from layers of oak taken, unsurprisingly, from actual rioja wine barrels.

As demonstrated by the images shown here is the completely natural appearance and how well they blend into so many different schemes.
The Manchester brick in red is a firm favourite!

 Whether used as a feature wall in a restaurant or to give a plain wall a dynamic feature, I am sure with imagination almost any area can benefit from some natural texture.

Many people already use faux brick panels to line an old chimney recess when replacing a fireplace, so why not clad a whole wall, or use as a feature in a modern bathroom.

Use the panels to create a vintage look in a bedroom where it perfectly complements french style furniture, creating a beautiful wall full of light and shadow.

And of course the brick works so well when recreating the New York loft style feel in an apartment.

 With the emerging trends for using more natural materials like granite and stone, the subtle stone texture works incredibly well.

Because of the lightweight material used, these panels are easy to fix and will not damage the original walls.

 The Rioja range has excellent eco credentials, as they are made from recycled original wine barrels.

We love the subtle but striking effect shown here.

So whether you are considering shopfitting a commercial unit, or are looking for a feature wall in a showhome or your own home, it is definitely worth visiting Designer Walls website and having a chat.

Related article 

Saturday afternoon Interior Design finds

 We are big fans of the feature stone/ brick wall panels by Designer Walls  While paint and wallpaper will always have its place in interior design, there is something aesthetically pleasing about an , albeit faux, natural material. Due to its texture these panels look amazing as shown here with light bouncing off the surface, creating contrast through shadows. Teamed with a high polish ceramic floor and clean lines of contrast paint, they help create an interior scheme that is both subtle but very contemporary.

 It may be hard to believe, but this basin started life as a lowly lump of rock. Polished smooth on the inside it looks amazing sitting atop a smooth granite surface. This type of sit on bowl is becoming more popular in bathroom design, lending itself to wall mounted taps. We think black would be a great contrast to the usual chrome.

 These Keuco taps look spot on with another sit on top basin, this time by Burgbad. Keuco have an incredible range of quality products.  Burgbad, a German company, reflects the high level of engineering in its products that the Germans are so infamous for. The high quality of the ceramic used by Burgbad creates a beautiful basin that is hardwearing and can be moulded into a variety of shapes and sizes.


Posh Bathing are now offering a selection of inhouse made furniture for bathrooms using steel and  granite that can be custom made. A range of complimentary wood furniture is due to unveiled shortly, so keep watching this blog for the latest information.

Brem radiators don't just create highly efficient and effective radiators, but their designs could easily be seen as works of art. The Lame redefines heating systems as we know it with round heating elements encased in rectangular bars. Again, this product is available in a range of sizes and colours and can be supplied as a plumbed or electrical unit. Available through Radiating Interiors

 Chandeliers are definitely in vogue. This square french gold finish with amber crystals is perfect for rooms with a lower ceiling height, still giving a luxurious feel. This model by Dar is also available as a dimmable unit.

And there is plenty of class shown here with Maier taps. They are available in polished and matt  gold and silver finishes with interchangeable swarovski decorated heads.

Inspired by Nature

It is always comforting to bring a bit of Mother Nature into the home and we have found some great ideas.

Floral fabrics are always a popular line in any supplier's catalogue. We particularly like this Romo fabric of budding magnolia with its warm undertone and almost watercoloured pastel effect. With a martindale rub test of 20,000, this fabric is suitable for cushions, curtains and upholstery.

The Murano velvet is again a subtle brushstroke

 in earthy tones reminiscent of a mosaic tile effect. While this fabric is suitable for curtains, we think that used flat as cushions or in upholstery would give it greater appeal.

Swaffer have brought out a romantic collection called Austen, evocative of the country house and inspired by Jane Austen.

More chintzy in its design, the range is a glorious mix of florals, plains and small patterns - making it easy to co-ordinate.

 DesignerWalls have some fantastic wall panel systems which are suitable for both domestic and contract use.

While they offer a range of brick and wood effects, shown here is one made from slices of wine barrels.


The wine barrels themselves are made of oak, and the whole production of the panels

 gives it very eco-friendly credentials.

As feature walls go, we think that this effect is a fantastic alternative to the "feature wallpaper" that seems to be prevalent.

We have always loved the lighting, particularly the chandeliers supplied by Ochre.

Seed Cloud is a great range available in either polished bronze or satin nickel finish.

Shown here is the 112 LED light in polished bronze and is 150cm diameter.

Ochre also offer a variety of floor lamps, furniture and accessories.

This Bamboo Evolution radiator by K8 Radiatori is an outstanding example of Italian design.

Elegant with curved tubes, it is indeed a natural and appealing design which is floor to ceiling fitted and perfect as a room divider as well as a great source of heat. The sister range, Bamboo, is similar in design but wall mounted.

It is easy to see how the designers featured here were inspired by nature to create such beautiful and contemporary products.

Are you inspired?

For more information contact