We bring you the latest looks from this year’s London Design Festival
It has been a decor extravaganza this week as architects, interior designers and style-savvy homeowners gathered for the London Design Festival. Team Bricks & Mortar has been on the ground at the festival, casting an eye around for the next big interior design trend.
Forget paint, wallpaper is experiencing a revival, and not of the subtle kind. The brasher the better as far as designers are concerned, with tropical prints the favoured theme.
Geometric patterns and “millennial pink” (somewhere between a salmon and rose hue) were also ubiquitous.
If you want your home to be in vogue this autumn, take note — we’ve rounded up the top looks and trends.
Geometric shapes
Furniture is getting edgy. “Angular” is the best word to describe the RM57 armchair, part of a new collection influenced by geometry from the Polish design manufacturer Vzor (pieces from £333).
Meanwhile, in the world of upholstery, geometric patterns inspired by Greek mythology are coming to the fore. Alex Holden, the managing director at Oliver Burns, the luxury architectural interior design studio, says: “The classic ancient Greek key border has made its mark on everything from architecture to artefacts, instantly identifiable from its maze-like, interlocking pattern. We expect to see this decorative border add interest and texture to curtains and cushions, lending a luxurious feel to textiles.”
Think pink
Millennial pink is here to stay, it seems, but right now it is the ideal shade to complement Heart Wood, Dulux’s 2018 Colour of the Year, which was announced last week. Expect to see the colour — a cross between dusky mauve and taupe — combined with blush pink, millennial pink and, for the brave-hearted, fuchsia. Clarke & Clarke, Hazelton House and Ailanto Design offer plenty of pink fabric inspiration.
Dara Huang, the founder of Design Haus Liberty, the design studio, also recommends pairing pinks with dark mint and teal. To get the look, you might turn to Maisons du Monde, which has affordable home flourishes in pink and green hues, from scented candles and tealight holders, starting at £3, to a pink woven wool pouffe for less than £80.
Botany
Botanical-themed designs have become bigger, bolder and unapologetically maximalist; brands such as House of Hackney lead the way. Witch & Watchman’s Amazonia wallpaper takes its cues from the iconic Martinique banana leaf wallpaper in Sunset Boulevard’s Beverly Hills Hotel (£240 for a 10m roll). Meanwhile, pink flamingos and tropical foliage are the theme of Charlotte Jade’s new Tropical Flora collection of cushions, chairs and wallpaper.
Charlotte O’Reilly, a co-founder of Charlotte Jade, says: “Florals and botanicals bring organic textures and patterns into spaces and are an innovative way to incorporate more depth into modern interior design.”
You can also incorporate house plants into decor by filling your home with clusters of potted plants, cacti and lush foliage in hanging glass vessels. For a cheap quick fix, Oliver Bonas has a mirrored-base terrarium for £27, and the Urban Botanist has a wide selection between £30 and £40.
For a pricier, quirkier alternative, John Eadon’s MIMA furniture collection has its own twist on the botanical trend with its “Record Table” — a record player table cum plant stand (£1,450).
Jesmonite
The London Design Festival’s “material of the year” is Jesmonite, the brand name for a water-based cement, plaster and acrylic mix.
Already popular with building restorers, it is being used by designers, artists and sculptors to create unusual pieces of homeware.
A table cast in Jesmonite by the London designer Russell Pinch has been selling fast (albeit at a price of £7,950), and the French-born designer Ariane Prin has launched a new range of rectangular Jesmonite tiles.
Rugs as art
The use of woven rugs and carpets as wall hangings has a long history. In the 1970s travellers on the hippy trail who brought rugs home with them as souvenirs turned it into a trend; now it is experiencing a renaissance.
Perfect for this are Jan Kath’s abstract Artwork rugs, which are designed for practical use, but look like oil paintings. Kath’s designs are inspired by modern abstract works, using wool to build up layers of colour as an artist would do with paint (£2,200 a square metre).
Artisan glassware
Emerging designers are bringing experimental techniques to the craft of glass blowing. Glass Cares, an exhibition of ten glass pieces by Portuguese designers, included a glass vessel by Samuel Reis created by blowing molten glass into the inside of a tree (£218).
Bent plywood
Plywood is attractive and lightweight, but it has the strength of metal; its ability to bend has inspired designers to use it for sculptural and curved pieces.
Based on a 1930s-style school chair, VG&P’s bestselling piece is its Canteen Utility Chair, which features a moulded plywood seat. The company has added a new chair to the range, which it launched at the festival: a stackable high Canteen Stool (£324).
