“Please contact me if you would like a consultation or further information about any of the products you see here at Decorum.”Posts Tagged ‘Trends’
Mixing Old and New
On Wednesday I was invited to Patina Antiques to hear Alexandra Gordon from Vogue Living share her insights from the 2010 Maison et Objet which is held in Paris.
Patina Antiques specialises in 18th and 19th Century French furniture and it was very sumptuous to sit there for an hour or so, sipping champagne and hearing of the new trends and releases from Paris.
19th Century French Canape from Patina Antiques
Some of the trends Alex noticed included continued use of metallics. I thought this might be coming to an end after the GFC when metallics could be seen to represent wealth, but apparently not.
Metallic fabrics from Westbury
Florals were popular especially in fabrics and no-one does florals quite as good as Sanderson.
Roslyn from Sanderson
Blue was around in all items from furniture to light fittings. The other designers present discussed whether blue was popular because Pantone had announced Turquoise as the Colour Of The Year of whether blue represented the melting ice and lack of water the planet is experiencing. Blue is the most popular colour of the spectrum so maybe it was just safe to present items in Blue.
Blue Touches from Marriott Interiors
The other interesting trend Alexandra reported on was the influence of Asian motifs. We felt this wasn’t such a “new” trend in Australia as Asia is so close and we have been taking our decorating (especially our indoor/outdoor) inspiration from Indonesia, Thailand and China for many years.
Orissa from Jim Thompson
It was fascinating to look at images of a number of new furniture pieces which were released at the fair but we had difficulty trying to place them in the homes here in Sydney.
Bite Me chair by XO
Textured Sideboard by Dust Deluxe
I’m heading to Designex today to see what new products and trends are being released onto the Australian market. Have a good weekend and check back next week for my wrap up.
Alex Perry & Electrolux at Saturday in Design
Alex Perry, Australian Dress Designer to the stars, was guest speaker at Electrolux during Saturday in Design. What a fabulous bloke. It was just as if he was sitting down having a chat to us all. Alex was espousing the virtues of the Electrolux Drier amongst other things. I was amazed to learn that he had trialed it for a weekend prior to accepting the alignment offer and threw in a $10,000 evening gown. The gown was on display still in one piece and still with feathers and sequins attached!
Alex also spoke of the design of the laundry and how it should not look like a utility room. I’d have to agree with him there. We spend thousands and thousands of dollars on our kitchens making them somewhere we like to be yet the laundry is forgotten. We can spend many hours there so why not include a TV to watch while we iron. Alex also spoke of the similarities between fashion designers and interior designers and architects. People often get comfortable in what they know. It is the role of the designer to push them out of their comfort zone, they should take people to another place. Designers tend to know ideas and different ways of thinking to keep new and alive.
Electrolux Shiny black kitchen
The Electrolux showroom was full of wonderful products that make life easier. They have just launched a new black fridge and had it set in an all black kitchen. This is a result of the predominance of black at Maison et Objet earlier this year. My photo of the black kitchen didn’t come out very well as it was looking into the light. Sorry about that!
Electrolux and Jamie Durie Outdoor Kitchen
Whilst we’re on the subject of kitchens, this outdoor kitchen had everything a man (and woman) could want. Burners, barbeque plates, wok space, and even a cooktop at the table. The advertising blurb says it’s not just a piece of furniture or a utilitarian space – it’s a new concept in outdoor living. The little pots at the front could be used for herbs so the man of the house can add a bit of flavour to his piece of meat.
Tetsuya was about to demonstrate the Electroluc Induction Cooktops but our bus arrived and we whisked away to our next stop.
Saturday in Design – Done and Dusted
We did it! Feeling a little foot sore and weary but we did it. We managed to accomplish everything on our list of “must sees” at Saturday in Design as well as many others. It was a fabulous day. The weather was great – blue skies and sunshine and there were plenty of buses and cars ferrying everone from one stop to the next.
We even managed to snag a ride in a chauffeur driven SAAB
The atmosphere was good with everyone out to enjoy themselves and see the design sights of Sydney. Congratulations organisers on another successful Saturday in Design. I had hoped I could tell you I’d won dinner at Tetsuya’s or the use of a Mini for a week or a Mandarina Duck travel bag or a shower rose or one of the many other prizes which were up for grabs, but no, I am not a lucky one.
Never mind, I am rich with ideas and products which I will share with you over the next week. One thing that was evident was that black is the new black and when teamed with white it’s an absolute winner.
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Coral
Coral colours in nature
Isn’t it funny how you never notice things until they are in your radar.
I read a number of northern hemisphere colour and design blogs and one of my favourites is coco+kelley by the very talented Cassandra Lavalle. I particularly like her Rooms From The Runway where she looks at current runway fashion and matches them to interiors – brilliant.
The northern hemisphere is upside down from us here in Australia. While they are donning their swim wear and heading to the beach, we are rugged up in our Ugg boots sipping hot chocolate.
Cassandra recently posted a number of articles on the colour coral and how it works with black, navy and jade. I hadn’t really thought much about this colour, although when it was in fashion a few years ago, I did have a cashmere twin set that everyone admired. However, when I was on holidays last week in Brisbane this house jumped out at me.
And then this one.
And yesterday, walking into the local shopping centre, all the fashion stores had started to display their spring clothing. Guess what colour?
If you’d like to put this colour on your walls, inside or out, consider these colours from Dulux.
Corally
Coral Atoll
Bleached Coral
The complementary colour to coral is teal and when used in interiors gives a calming warmth to a room. Which shade of coral do you like – bright, dark or pale?
All Things French
Champagne, HERMES, Coq Au Vin, de Chelles, Yves Saint Laurent,
Croquembouche, Dior, Chaise, provincial, Lacroix, Perrault,
Givenchy, escargot, Cardin, Monet, Chanel, Poodle, armoire,
Putman, MANSART, de Wolfe, crepe, Lanvin, Laroche, Ricci,
Ligne Roset, Matisse, STARCK, commode, Renoir, Putman,
quiche, CEZANNE, Gaultier, croissant, Givenchy, Pissarao,
chateau, Jourdan, camembert
HAPPY
BASTILLE DAY!
and
Happy Birthday to my little French girl – Sophie.
Shaker Style
Hidden Colour
Hidden colour under the shoe
I recently attended an event where paint company Dulux released their colour forecasts for 2009-2010. One of the palettes expected to be big in the next 12 months was “Intrigue”. This palette is a huge step away from the boring beige 90′s and will bring splashes of colour back into the home. But our homes are not turning into a three ringed circus, it will be more of a subtle colour injection, a secret concealed colour. This palette has been inspired by fashion such as the Louboutin shoes which has colour on the sole.
Hidden colour on the catwalk
This hidden colour is also seen in clothing where the garmet has bright, colourful lining.
We will now see this style of colour in our homes. Already there are amazing lamps with secret exciting colour concealed on the inside.
This concept made me think of Sydney based architect Scott Weston. Scott is known for his innovative use of colour and has won numerous awards including the Design Institue of Australia’s Best Use Of Colour and a Dululx Colour Award. I love the way Scott tends to “hide” colour in his interiors so that on first glance, it is just another piece of furniture but open it up and you are knocked out with by the unexpected and strong use of colour.
Custom made joinery
Exciting Colour on the inside of the cabinet
Fantastic blue felt lined drawers
