I hope you’ve all had a wonderful start of 2011! If not, It can only get better :)

You will see some changes in Trendey this new year and one of those is I’ll post less often. Sad but true, need to finish some work. And that’s why this post is looooong! Can’t stop you know. Last year Trendey saw a huge rise in visitors and it has been great researching the field of interior decorating giving you the trendiest of trends right on spot. The two people me and Henen have inspired most the year passed is……tada, Mia and Henen! Nevertheless, we are sincerely thankful and very happy for all the comments, all lovely words, all advices and ideas you, trendey.com-readers, has given us along the way. You rock.

Now here’s a roundup of major style trends happening right now. First of all, the Dark Painted Walls and the Boho-charm. Two longlasting favourites.

Moving on, we of course have the retro styles. The 50s came very strong in 2010, but we have a hot 70s on and also a 80s vibe surely even 90s waiting around the corner. Retro is the word, design pieces are key. Orange and caramel are two smokin’hot colours.

And let’s not forget the 40s and the decades behind. Personal favourite. Within this lies what I refer to as Faded Glamour, the granny-esque vibe and the Granny and Grandpa-style. Also a retro style, but one with war times, family, nostalgia and memories written all over it. It’s feminine, rough romance and/or Grandpa-ish.:)

Lastly, as we’re speaking of more lasting trends, not mayflies (there are a lot of those, look out for recent themes in the Decor Trends & Tricks section), we have on the one hand the recent ethnic-eclectic very globetrotter-inspired theme, and on the other  -  the trendy countryside: countryish and simple spiced with something. For example: art.

| pics: photographer lucas allen, photographer mark roper, stylist leesa o’reilly, leva & bo and house beautiful UK, feb 2011 |

Discuss!

This kitchen below belongs to Underbaraclara. She has been mentioned before, not least lately as I’ve snowed in on the trendy countryside :) It’s a kitchen in 30s/50s style mainly made up of old recycled parts.

An old genuine kitchen was disassembled then rebuilt to fit into this house. The decor scheme is fresh bright pastels with a mix of patterns under the motto ‘colourful but bright’.

They found and installed an old beloved wood stove, and even the tiles are second hand! The checkered 50′s wallpaper is Rut, by Sandberg. In the window stands the Swedish National Flower in Interior Decorating – a  pelargonium. The curtains, lovely hanged as you can see on the upper pic, were a 7 buck bargain at a flea market. Very charming I think!

| photographers. upper photo: sandra lane, bottom: tobias harvey |

A highly interesting and appealing interior design trend in my opinion is the Granny & Grandpa-line of interior thought. It’s a retro style not pointing out specific decades or design styles, but going a few generations back – to a time without decor-anxiety. To a time when homes were furnished and decorated from the owner’s head and heart. Things we surround ourselves with had a purpose. The homes had character and were taken care of. With family history, old portraits and flowers, genuine materials and things we need, not for one reason or the other must have. A time when DIY wasn’t a concept, it was life. And that’s where we find Granny and Grandpa. In the trendey-archive posts can be found e.g. within the Faded Glamour-style, the countryside trendification and now – in Granny’s wallpapers! Because I’m on a mission right now to find wallpapers of this kind for our bedroom. So there will be more on this. Stay tuned :)

| 1 st pic via The Selby, 2nd is a collection from earlier posts: Granny’s Wallpapers, True Scandinavian Style & Swedish Folklore Style – Still Going Strong |

…and we do love the dark painted walls we’ve indulged in lately. It’s so stylish, beautiful and in a way “new” we made it an own category also, under Decor Tricks. Sooo, trendey welcomes you to the Dark Side! Moahaha..and mind you, “white walls” is only a tag :p

From my urban-Swedish position I continue to examine the trendification of the countryside. Here’s another fresh and inspiring example. An urban career couple with a nice Stockholm apartment stumbled upon a very rickety, even dilapidated, timber cottage from the year 1792. It was in the beautiful countryside region of Hälsingland, and so their four-year adventure began to make the decrepit place a homey home.

The entire interior of the old cottage was dismantled and fixed by using traditional methods and materials. The couple also endeavored to add traditional patterns and forms from the district, e.g. the rugs below, woven by grandma. The chairs in the dining room are newly manufactured after old model and has been painted with linseed oil according to the district’s tradition: grey frame and black seat.

The city pair became a family running their own business in a rural area. They have now the house of their hearts, a fixed point in life with great comfort. And may I add, with great style. I fully understand projects of this kind! And it’s great to see trendy interior styles be applied to, and created in, beautiful countryside houses.

| story – and all images, by Anna Kern for, – SvD |

This home, featured at mixr.se, is nothing less than pure country living! The house is situated outside the sunny town Karlstad in Sweden, and the couple living in it actually manage without water and sanitary sewer. However, they have broadband (!) The old log house has been passed down for generations. Current inhabitants are the eighth generation. Johan’s grandmother’s father’s cousin Hildur lived there last. Hildur’s old glasses are kept as an interior detail.

Kitchen-wise they do well with an old bench, a pantry, a wood stove and a shelf. And a refrigerator and freezer placed in a corner. The plan is however to install a proper kitchen with, of course, retro or vintage appliances. But the old wood stove will never be exchanged to an electric one. They’ve become so attached it, and it’s also one of the main heat sources in the house. Now how is this for geniune country style! And at the same time cozy, folksy and trendy.