Trendometer: what’s hot and what’s not

Twist pendant by Jo Davies (Image: © Matthew Booth 2012 All Rights Reserved)

Going Up

Drop pendant lights

We agree, in the middle of the room a drop pendant light is a bang on the head waiting to happen, but pendant lights are everywhere. From the Tom Dixon light fittings in Long & Waterson’s interior designer-curated bedroom on page 6 to the show homes at the Olympia’s Ideal Homes Show, hanging lights are all the rage. Maybe it’s the Shoreditch effect, but there’s something rather lovely about a feature bulb swinging devil may care from the ceiling.

A living wall at Lancaster Stables, NW3 by Michael Nathanson (Image: Archant)

Wabi-sabi

It’s official, hygge is out and wabi-sabi is in. The interior design term stems from a philosophical appreciation of imperfection and the process of aging, and embracing imperfections is something we can all embrace if it means celebrating that broken ceramic mug we can’t quite afford to replace. Think distressed wood, asymmetrical bowls and minimalist décor. Bonus points for sliding partition doors, metallics tarnished with a patina and

Dear the 1970s, you can keep your tassels, we don't want them (Image: Cheryl Quigley)

Outside in

Maybe it’s something to do with the digital world encroaching more and more into our daily lives, but interiors are positively brimming with plants, fossils and petrified wood at the moment. Think of using a plant instead of a sculpture, statement beams and distressed wooden side tables rather than plastics, and hanging fossils on your walls in place of a painting. Maybe living walls the answer to the polluted city on our doorsteps, or maybe they just make a statement. Either way, injecting a little greenery into our interiors is one answer to living in a world of screens.

Going Down

All-white, all-grey and all-boring is out. Instead, embrace the warmer weather and throw in a splash of colour. (Image: This content is subject to copyright.)

DIY

We’re all for getting arts-and-craftsy with our friends on a lazy Sunday, but when it comes to the home, investing a little money into artisanal products which are carefully crafted and worth every penny is a far better way to get the rough diamond look. Stop using old tin cans as plant pots, cutlery dispensers and toothbrush holders and invest instead in a beautifully hand crafted ceramic pot that you know has come from someone with a passion and a time-cured skill.

Tassles

We knew it was coming since the Kardashians started donning them, but this is an interiors trend which must not catch on. The 1970s tried and failed to make tassles cool and we don’t want them hanging from our sofas, wobbling from our lampshades or, god forbid, dangling from our wallpaper. Yes, you heard that correctly.

50 shades of grey

Whatever shade you indulge in, don’t suffer the boredom of grey. We’re done with pale, sickly and muted tones that don’t say anything about the person behind the home. Scandi-inspired hues which allow the light to percolate are great for base layers, but don’t stop there. Brighten up a room with colourful throws and cushions, mix and match your patterns and go bold with textures and metallic tones. Eclecticism is key for a brighter room that aims to please.