New Year New Trends

A New Year means out with the old and in with the new. That also includes the interior design trends that we are set to see this year.

With the world becoming more environmentally friendly, the colours looking to make an appearance this year are of earthy tones. Expect to see a lot of natural dyes being favoured over chemicals, such as the use of berries.

Along with the more natural earthy tones the interior design world will also see the introduction of more vibrant global tones especially in the way of sofa's and soft furnishings.

Green and yellow will play a huge art in the colour schemes of any modern dwelling and expect there to be a hint of purple and orange to add to the rich vibrant colours of the season.

Environmentally friendly textiles will play an important role in the design of any interior and concrete greys will become the new black in the neutral colour chart.  

Light up your life

If you’re as big a fan of interior design and home furnishings as we are, you’ll absolutely love these innovative lampshade designs.

You could be forgiven for fearing they’d catch fire, but these mohair seamlessly machine knitted light fittings sit snugly over energy-efficient noiseless Compact Fluorescent (CFL) light bulbs, cables and sockets for a real homely atmosphere.


Designer Lise Lefebvre from Amsterdam describes them as providing a warm, soft and inviting glow that avoids risk of fire thanks to the low temperature the CFL bulbs provide.

Coming in different sizes and patterns to accommodate different types of CFL bulbs, expect to pay between $30-40. Sales go directly through the designer, who can be mailed here.

Equally, this BÖJA lamp from IKEA is a pretty perfect partner for a cosy bedroom, living room, or conservatory. Each individual lamp features a uniquely made plaited bamboo handmade shade, which when lit casts decorative light patterns on the wall.

Designed by Maria Vinka, the 40cm wide lampshade stylishly comes in either natural or black bamboo with a cast iron base weight plated in nickel.

For under 25 quid we think it’s a real bargain and will be snapping a few up before they all disappear.

Habitat to launch online magazine

The home furnishings retailer Habitat has appointed Fitzgerald Shurey Tarbuck to launch an online digital magazine. The mag is intended to provide ideas and inspiration to the growing number of customers who interact with Habitat on the web.

A digital newsletter will showcase the Habitat range and keep customers up-to-date with current interior decorating trends and the latest store news. Recipients will also be able to click through to the magazine microsite.

Habitat recently got into some hot water for using the Iran election and interest in products such as the new Apple iPhone to help publicise money-saving discounts at its stores on Twitter. It used its Twitter account to add keywords, known as hashtags, to Tweets.