Spring Fever
One of the best perks of my job, is keeping an eye on the design industry’s new collections. This involves taking time to gawp at the fresh sets of designs released throughout the year - and seeing what new colours, patterns and textures will be weaving their way into the tapestries of our own homes. It is a pleasure to get paid to fondle velvet, examine new wallpapers and test the new selection of paint colours available, imagining how they can be incorporated into an interior design. By March, I am truly ready for the Spring/Summer collections and the inspiration they bring. There’s nothing like the therapeutic kick I get from freshening up my home, shaking off the winter hibernation by introducing some new pizazz.
The movement of interior design in 2018 is an exciting one. We are being dictated to less and less about what, and what not to do. Instead, individuality is encouraged with the vast selection of choice available to us. This is a liberating time, an undercurrent partly created with the help of social media and its empowerment of individual expression. For example, we can now publish images of our own creations with the use Instagram or Pinterest, sharing our ideas with each other and bypassing the traditional media channels. We are capable of contributing to the design world by believing in our own ideas and our individual way of executing them within our homes. The ‘lived in’ home for example is now appreciated, and stands equally alongside the ‘show home’.
Whatever plans you have for your space, I recommend seeking out this seasons’ new collections and finding ways to put your own spin on them. You can research them yourself online and in interiors magazines, but the best way to view them is in the flesh; for true colour accuracy, and to judge the quality and appreciate the textures by hand. One place you can do this locally is Country Seats Interiors in Bridport. Here you can browse through an extensive library of collections both old and new from suppliers such as Osborne & Little, Sanderson, Designers Guild, and Romo. Trawl through their books, you are sure to be inspired.
You don't have to spend a fortune to create huge impact. You don’t need to redecorate every year or even swap winter furnishings for summer, I could never be that organised, but you can add layers and rearrange. If I want to make an eye catching statement, I might buy a metre or two of amazing fabric and use it to maximum effect. A few striking scatter cushions or a re-covered headboard in the bedroom? I often update a space to incorporate a new fabric or wallpaper, because the design was so inspiring. Sometimes I just hang fabric on the wall, especially if it is embroidered. Such pieces can be a work of art in their own right. If I fall in love with something really special I save up for it, and when it finally graces my home, I appreciate it all the more.
It is important not to be seduced by the new trends unless you feel a connection with them. Always be open to ideas and listen to advice. Consider shaking things up, but keep your feet on the ground when deciding if a concept suits your personality, your lifestyle or other family members. Embrace your individuality and choose what is relevant to you. If you find it hard to imagine what a design would look like in your own space, take notice of the way it is presented in the brands’ photography. Observe the background, the styling, and overall display of the fabric or wallpaper. Also, take into account that when you look at a single creation, it may look completely different seen up close to when viewed from far away. When considering a new fabric or wallpaper, pay attention to your first impressions and take notice when something jumps out at you. Don’t let the fear creep in - entertain all possibilities, trust your instincts, and go for it.
I hope you have as much fun as I do soaking up the eye candy laid out for us in the new collections, and return home with fresh zest and renewed enthusiasm to add positivitivity to your own environment.
Photo details: Torcello velvet, from the Palazzo collection. www.osborneandlittle.com
Published in the March 2018 edition of Bridport Times magazine: bridporttimes.co.uk
