trendey

If we are to identify one strong overall trend on the garden/outdoors part it would be to decor as if you were inside; to bring the interior design ideas outside. Below I have put together some inspirational expressions of this.

To use step ladders in home decor is not a new thing, but it’s surely well suited for outdoor decor. Not least on a balcony, to use height. Enhance the summer with tropical colours!  Why not paint a an outdoor wall candy pink? And further emphasise the tropical summer feel with details in green and orange…An outside mirror (bottom photo, left) is decorative. It gives an illusion of space and with colourful furniture it will set a tropical, yet urban vibe. Let your home decor-thoughts, e.g. for a living room, follow you outside. Comfortable chairs and sofas, and decorative details such as lanterns and butterflies (bottom, right)….

An excellent, neat and ûbertrendy example of the interior-goes-outside-trend can be found in the summer house of the writer/entrepreneur/ journalist/blogger Alex Schulman on the island of Gotland. Wall art, details, decorative lighting and even a wall shelf. A magic garden room!

Ok now, the roses trend is obvious. Let’s talk about it. What say you?

I favour them. Roses are poetry. Roses have meaning and soul. Roses are love and beautifulness.

Life is a bed of roses – roses come with thorns

Now, don’t mass-produce roses on everything. A rose is still a rose, but they should be carefully looked after.

…in the forest by the sea, I have this wallpaper, Vergel, by fashion designer Miriam Ocáriz.

| Via Sköna hem |

| pics: Living etc |

This season is a whole lot about innovation, personality, creativity, colours and love. Every day is Valentine’s day, right? I have told you about her before, but here we go again: Wendinskan, one of my favourite pillow-makers. She uses recycled fabrics and stylized patterns of old embroidery books and makes the lovliest pillows/cushions. She has just released a new collection of colourful, romantic and lovely (!) love pillows. You will find them here, updated with new lovely pillows every week this spring.

To celebrate her new collection, she’s currectly holdning an auction on a very special pillow, Sweet Love Of Mine (below). It’s a pillow made of the finest old linen, lace curtains and other stuff from the 40 -, 50 – and 60′s. Embroidery of gold-coloured rayon. Zipper at bottom hem and inner pillow of down. 40 × 40 cm. Email your bid to info@wendinskan.se and watch the bidding here. The money from the love-pillow auction will go to MSF‘s fund for relief operations. Now I told you, perhaps you will outbid me…..as with the fast-selling bracelets and pillows of Uttran, it’s a shame!! Self-destructive! Can’t help sharing my treasures though :)

Swedish home textiles brand Himla (right) and Danish fashion empire DAY (left) have similar feelings about spring this year. I include myself in the same track. Nothing feels more longingly and attractive than just one of those beaches and such a sky. It’s the perfect mood for spring decor – to freshen up the home after a long, dark and drab yet cozy winter.

As for Himla, I particulary fancy their Spring New Linen Look (below). It has a pale and rough-dry expression that feels vintage and bohème. The collection is based on uncomplicated and resistant febrics that can “withstand being loved”. In stores in March.

Now, let’s start off with the trend 2010 talk with denim. Jeans/denim is ALWAYS in trend, but with variations. Spring 2010 runways showed a a relaxed, worn and bitwise patched style. Below’s Ralph Lauren, Stella McCartney, D&G, Chloe and Louis Vuitton.

[pics: style.com]

How does this fresh denim style this translate into the home decor part? Well, easier than anything! Who does not hold a bunch of old jeans? Too small, too large, too worn, out of style? I have loads, enough for a fine bunch of pillowcases, lampshades, and even a curtain length. This season’s denim style is perfect for DIY. Make your own denim pieces and mix with brown leather furniture, beautiful lace or some fluffy or sleek material. Or combine denim with something plaid patterned. I think the denim-curtain idea isn’t too bad; with the nicest part of a pair of suspenders or a piece of a belt as curtain tiebacks – It’s great fun to translate clothing into interiors!

Never before has interior design and (clothings) fashion been such close friends. Home decor has always been affected by general trends, mirrored fashion a bit afterwards and partly led its own course – but today the two parts flow in parallel. They are intertwined! An (almost too) obvious sign of the interaction has been the growing number of collaborations between fashion and interior design; with fashion companies going ‘home’. When it comes to fashion-fitting collaborations Boomerang (bottom) and Diesel (the two top pics) are two brands with nice denim or denim-looking home items in their current collections.

Personally, I think the ‘fashion fusion’ is both interesting and enriching. Ideas on clothes outfits and room decor:  many elements coincide. Let ‘em! Denim your house :)

While Akzo Nobel chose a light airy optimistic blue for The Colour of the Year 2010, Pantone picked a combination of blue and green – Turquiose. Pantone claims turquoise is a colour that most people respond to positively; whether envisioned as a tranquil ocean surrounding a tropical island or a protective stone warding off evil spirits.

“With both warm and cool undertones, turquoise pairs nicely with any other colour in the spectrum. It adds a splash of excitement to neutrals and browns, complements reds and pinks, creates a classic maritime look with deep blues, livens up all other greens, and is especially trend-setting with yellow-greens.”

Turquoise Transports Us to an Exciting, Tropical Paradise While Offering a Sense of Protection and Healing in Stressful Times..

Today, the Danish super-brand DAY (Day Birger et Mikkelsen) released press photos of their Spring 2010 home collection. The early photos look very promising! It feels healthy, fresh and natural: evocative of the sea and beaches, nature, forest…

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There is no doubt the trendiest colour 2010 is blue. Blue is simply the new black! Here’s some inspirational photos, first from the London home of the excellent interior designer Abigail Ahern.

|photo: Mads Mogensen for Sköna hem|

It is easy to spot that these chosen gray-blue hues have many matching-options. Other blues, beige/light brown,- white, copper, wood…it makes an elegant and friendly look.

|photo: Mads Mogensen for Sköna hem|

…and not least, a great combination with attention-grabbing red and yellow (complementary colour of blue) details:

|left photo: Mads Mogensen for Sköna hem, right photo: ATELIER Abigail Ahern|

The book on international colour trends 2010 pointed out a variety of shades of blue along with the light airy Colour of the Year 2010. From airy and optimistic ‘lifting the spirit and lighting the darkness’ – to soulful teals and turquoises and rich, clear ultramarines. Personally I am particularly fond of spiritual and creative blue in a home office/study room, but blue is a colour that fits any room. Below are two dining room-examples: Pale blue crispy walls with white and crystal…a modern quirky look. And white furniture and accessories against a pale blue-greenish background and rustic floorboards.

|photos: HouseToHome|

Calming blue is of course great for bedrooms. Though, the shade and decor does not need to be sleepy. Below, a french country style bedroom with pink roses and turquoise details, – and a strong lively shade of blue together with green and gold in a Spanish inspired sunny bedroom.

|photos: HouseToHome|

|photos: HouseToHome|

The pictures above – having popped up and circulated on various interior design blogs this fall – is somewhat iconic of the Parisian Chic Interior Style. Pictures one can look at and ponder for a quite a while, it’s something with the atmosphere.. It’s a contemporary yet traditional style. Below is a more loose Parisian style, more arty Parisian, a bit less “chic”.

|Photos: CôtéMaison.fr|

And whilst speaking of Parisian chic, it is interesting to note that the Danish fashion empire Day Birger et Mikkelsen points out Parisian Rock Chic Style as a must-have look this Christmas season:

We have a special eye to trends here @trend-ey. It has been suggested that the main interior trend of 2010 is not to follow any trends. The trend is anti-trend. Key words are personality, freedom of choice, individuality and creativity. To celebrate diversity and imperfection. Or perfection. You choose: Individuality rules!

So, how is this expressed? So far we have seen a strong mix-trend. To mix and match, or actually: mix and consciously miss-match. Preferably, you mix new sustainable design with old furniture and fittings from flea markets and auctions. You mix shabby industrial parts with soft delicate fabrics and fine arts. Re-paint, re-use, and return to your (great) grandmother’s caches. Create your own unique design and decor by putting together spare pieces from today and yesteryear.

| photo: freshome |

Ideally, in this trend, you pretend not to pretend. You are above and beyond trends; you do as you like. Your newborn obsession with heirlooms and flea market finds is just You, it’s your personality. Now who’s fooling who. This isn’t follow no trends, is it?

So what is and what will be the expression and direction of the anti-trend trend? It is not the parisian rock chic, crazy colourful, eco, folklore or country chic; they are all trends… An anti-trend is an aversion to something that is usually chosen. So this need to work behind always-closed doors, otherwise people will ape after each other right? And there, we have the seeds of a trend.

As a first option I boldly say:

There is no such thing as an anti-trend trend. You can not escape.

Option two:

The supply will be wide and diverse, in interior design magazines and blogs and in every conceivable kind of shop. Personal style rules. The world is our interior design oyster.

Option three:

Back to basics. The prevailing perception is that you should own as few things as ever possible. Eco-thinking and consequences of the consumer society makes us want to live organically and be self-sufficient as far as possible. We really don’t care about glossy magazines and expensive design products. Mother Earth is our interior design oyster.