Maureen Whitemore
If I can, I always try to get down to London for the big interior design events. It’s a good opportunity to have thinking time – I usually meet at least a
couple of potential new suppliers and there’s always inspiration for my clients and this column.
London Design Week 2018 was no exception; in fact it was more inspirational than ever. Fabulous bold colours in literally every shade you can imagine were everywhere, with lots of pattern, particularly on wallcoverings. Whether changing your feature walls or going for a completely new look for a room, paint is the quickest and cheapest way of updating your home but wallpaper does really add something special
– in either case, the message from London is to be bold. If the budget isn’t there for a complete room remodel, add the on-trend colour and pattern with accessories – the shops will be full of these very soon.
To be honest, I have never seen quite so many new wallpaper designs at one show as I did this year. All the on-trend colours of teals, blues, oranges and bright pinks cropped up in the latest designs, which ranged from geometrics to brash botanicals. And there was a strong retro feel to both trends with rubber
Retro geometrics and the trend for slim-legged furniture create a spacious, light look
Our interiors expert shares the latest trends from London Design Week
Problem solved
For a fabulously uncluttered look when hanging curtains, I use this Silent Gliss 6243 track. Its only drawback is that it is difficult to retro-fit but it is ideal if you can plan ahead when the ceiling plasterboard is going into place. The track is fitted so that its lower edge is flush with the plaster board – it is literally set into the ceiling. No pole, no rail and beautifully simple.
Brash botanicals incorporate the retro feel with rich colours and even rubber plants; below: Traditional Swedish designs combine pattern with subtle colours and an almost William Morris style
plants and cacti in some of the most striking botanicals and lots of Seventies patterns in the geometrics.
Other trends continue from recent years, such as the use of dark wood for everything from flooring to furniture. Brass, bronze and copper finishes are still everywhere, especially for lighting.
One surprise, to me at least, was the shift in Scandinavian- inspired décor from pale wood and pastel colours to a much richer palette and designs that have a hint of William Morris. One of the best wallcovering and fabric ranges for this trend to a darker Nordic look is the Borås
Tapeter range that is being distributed in the UK by Cole & Son. They have taken archive patterns and used them as a basis for a very different Scandi look that I think could work really well in Cumbrian homes.
The final trend is for slim legs – chair legs, sofa legs, sideboard legs and everything else too. For wooden legs, think Ercol and Seventies furniture but slightly more slender and stylish. For metal, think unusual new shapes on very quirky upholstered pieces. The big advantage is that the gap created beneath the item of furniture gives a much more spacious look to your room.
I’ve been encouraging clients to follow this trend with beds for several years and it’s good to see the same approach being applied to other “heavy” furniture. Many Cumbrian homes need to make the most of the available light and, if you can lift your furniture, it will lift your room too.
The images here are just a taste of what’s happening in
interiors – there’s a lot more online and in the new pattern books as well as the homes magazines – and there’s lots of potential, whatever the style of your Cumbrian home.
Maureen Whitemore runs Whitemore & Thwaytes interi- ors in Penrith. She has been in the interiors design trade for nearly 50 years and is on the Board of the Association of Master Upholsterers and Soft Furnishers. Maureen’s new website is at www. whitemoreandthwaytes.co.uk.
CUMBRIA LIFE / MAY 2018 / 73
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WALDEMAR FROM BORÅS TAPETER, COLE & SON
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