Hygge shift: The inside story of the year

12 January 2017 - 10:47 By Staff reporter
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This year will hopefully see us enter a new era of tranquility where decor inspiration will be drawn from the natural world. This trend is likely to fully reveal itself at Decorex this year.

Sian Cullingworth, portfolio director at Decorex, explains: ''The 2017 trends push us to take time out from the plugged-in world where the constant interaction with electronics surrounds us with a non-stop buzz of mental and physical interference."

With the fervent hope that our living spaces can achieve this lofty goal, we look ahead at some of the coming year's trends:

INTERIOR INSPIRATION

Drawing from the Danish concept of "hygge", which involves making your home nice and cosy, 2017's trends will tend towards a more centred, calm lifestyle where warmth and wellbeing are elevated within our own spaces.

In an attempt to create this serene space, natural energy is harnessed through "biomimicry". This movement emulates nature's patterns and strategies within the human world. Inside the arena of interiors, this translates into natural colours, textures and patterns.


From nature: Promote warmth and wellbeing

COLOURS

White on white

Starting with a clean slate, this crisp look is powered by the desire to switch off, protecting ourselves from the barrage of noise that accompanies the outside world. An indicator of emotional wellbeing, white promotes the notion of replenishing seclusion that connects the 2017 trends. Mind you, if you have children it may have a less-than-positive effect on your emotional wellbeing...

Black over black

On the other side of the spectrum is the movement towards black set upon black differentiated by various textures. It's also cleansing, but where white encourages enlightenment, black promotes introspection and rest.

"A somewhat unexpected trend, we are seeing this Noir movement taking hold, although this is the last of black trending so enjoy it while it lasts," said Cullingworth.

Black and white deconstruction

The merging of the two colour trends creates an extremely powerful contrast. This trend brings in the rejuvenating white while anchoring the design with mood-sustaining black.

 

TOUCH

Tactility trend

The smooth finish of the digital world has created a desire for contact with rough, textured elements in our interiors that can be achieved through the use of throws, accent cushions, natural woven fabrics and hints of metal within wood.

"We crave more than the touch of metal," explained Cullingworth. "There is an inherent need to feel the various textures that we encounter outdoors. It's a comforting, revitalising sense that makes us feel whole."

Urban jungle

A desire to reconnect with the natural world, insulating us from electronics, is seeing elements of nature seeping into this year's designs, with dark shades of green set against tan leathers, brass lamps and natural linen.

"The creation of an 'urban jungle' is bringing about a return to the natural aesthetic for interiors with genuinely rustic wood, natural woven baskets and botanical prints coming through," said Cullingworth.

"This ties in perfectly with the sustainability drive which has taken hold of the interiors' world where natural, responsibly-sourced materials are taking precedence."

 

ACCESSORIES

Large wallpaper prints

Creating a big statement is the wallpaper print trend, where non-repetitive patterns and designs are displayed in the home. There is no use of tiled graphics but rather large murals printed on wallpaper more closely representing large-scale artwork than traditional decor.

The wallpaper ranges from linear designs to large floral prints, all with an impactful, playful element.

Wordy furniture tattoos

Providing a creative outlet for the inner artist, uninhibited doodles, vibrant etchings and inner monologues are being projected onto clothing and furniture in the form of "tattoos". Once again touching on the black and white colour contrast, the design mimics artistic notebooks and design sketchings before final creation.

"All interior is a form of creative expression and the tattoo trend is a very vivid example of our need to express ourselves in a very real way," explained Anita Bloom, creative director at Decorex SA. "The clean slate is being brought to life through seemingly nonsensical words and imagery that work their way into an entrancing pattern."

Linear design

Moving towards the other side of human nature is the need to control and manage the mayhem by placing items in frames or boxes. This is evident in the linear trend which is a modern, simplistic design, that echoes the "thin black line" trend, but takes it further with vibrant colour. While the straight lines provide structure and control, the eye is quickly drawn to the playful colours that remind us of our more spontaneous characteristics.

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