Interior designer Jason Short of Absolute Interiors, gets all fired up about colour.
I’VE spent the last five years dreaming in chocolate brown, beige and cream and, frankly, I’m bored.
Thank the Lord then, for the explosion of rich colour and texture which has now overtaken interior design trends, spelling the end of stark minimalism in favour of something altogether bolder, more interesting and much more comfortable.
Lime green, aqua marine and hot pink compete for attention alongside the browns and charcoal greys which once stood alone in a cold landscape. Now things are altogether brighter, the new shades and finishes toning beautifully with what was, not so long ago, uber cool … but always cold.
Flashes of colour and lush textures bring life back into your home and allow you so much more freedom while, at the same time, making everything that bit more comfortable and more luxurious.
Interior design so often follows trends in fashion and beauty, and this is the perfect example, with lush colours and textures reflected on the catwalk, on the best-coiffeured heads and in the palettes of cutting-edge make up artists. Big, opulent style is back, and your home is set to be all the more comfortable for it.
But don’t worry if everything in your home is still all brown, grey and cream, as these tones make a great background for Technicolour dreams with flashes of vivid colour and wonderfully textured wall coverings, curtains and bedding.
The key is to use minimal backgrounds to best effect by introducing the odd flash of colour, texture and luxuriant opulence here and there; making the most of vivid prints and dyes without falling for stately home overkill.
Ulf Moritz wall coverings are tactile and luxurious, boasting metallic effects, bead-encrusted touches and pearlised finishes which work perfectly as artworks in their own right, encumbered by little else to distract the sense. Meanwhile, Cole & Son is enjoying a renaissance of its vintage prints, their orchids rescued from the archives for a new lease of life, re-coloured for a modern audience.
Echo the shades and textures of your walls with luxurious silks and Egyptian cottons for your bed, adding piles of throws and cushions trimmed with ribbon and beads Souk-style, or opt for bold damasks and florals for the best-dressed windows in town.
While minimalism will always leave you with a slight chill, your home now should comfort you and wrap you in layers of luxury. If you want to touch it, wear it or wrap yourself up in it, then go for it. If it leaves you cold; chances are it’s better suited to the Arctic. Here, things are definitely warming up.
* Jason Short is at Absolute Interior Design, Barrack Road (just up from St James’s Park), Newcastle, tel 0191 261 9633, www.absoluteinteriors.com