Hottest Trends
House and Home, Ireland’s best selling interiors magazine, gives you a sneak peek of this season’s hottest looks and confirms that the high street will be full of fabulous and affordable buys to help transform your home for the new season without blowing the bank.
PURPLE REIGN:
Brace yourself and your living room for an opulent autumn as you cosy down with the
new seasons colours. The colour purple will be key to the look says design expert Neville Knott who reveals his emerging colour palette to House and Home. It’s opulence all the way this season as interiors take on a renewed colour confidence and decorators look to medieval influence to cosy up for winter.
The dark opulent look that has been emerging over the past two years will come to the fore as rooms are dressed with dark aubergine and purple shades, etched velvets and silks and lightened with chrome and silver accessories and crystal lighting. “This whole look is incredibly sophisticated and has a wonderful comforting feeling, like hibernation, with a medieval atmosphere”, Neville says. “If you want a younger, trendier look, combine this with a very strong lime green. Soft Pistachio from Crown sits beautifully with the aubergine shades to give a contemporary twist that will work brilliantly in apartments and townhouses. “Ambiance is another shade that works well with these purples. While the vast majority of people are using muted whites and beiges, there is a little nudge over into darker shades. People seem to be allergic to the sparkling greys, but there are so many to choose from, between cool greys and warm greys, that are just stunning, particularly when put with luxurious fabrics. Combined with grey carpets, velvets and silks it looks spectacular.”
Those in the know are borrowing their inspiration from top hotels, to recreate a feeling
of high end relaxation and cosiness right at home. The Malmaison in Newcastle is a
shining example of this lush and luxurious colour scheme. If you’re tempted to go and check it out in person visit www.malmaison-newcastle.com
BAROQUE
The grandeur of the baroque era is adding a little luxe drama to our homes in an increasingly chic way. No longer a heavy, dated, headache-inducing affair, the new baroque is a style that is mysterious and glamorous, perfect for adding allure and sensuality to any home. In a world where people are far too fond of the safe, neutral option, we’re seeing the tide turn away from inoffensive, airy schemes and towards a deeper, richer palette of colours. Ornate swirls and repetitive scroll-type patterns are typical of the look. Regal colours dominate, with rich purples and metallics ensuring that black doesn’t become overbearing to a gothic extent. A fittingly throne-esque chair is essential – but be careful about going too far with this, as the look can become very tacky all too easily. Don’t go crazy with pattern; a scroll-style pattern on cushions and lampshades will do the trick. Velvets for soft furnishings and high gloss lacquer for furniture are what you should aim for materials-wise. If you feel it’s all a bit medieval for
your taste, try a baroque style pattern on a mirrored surface for a more modern take on the look, and a sexy cut crystal vase in black will always be in fashion. The ubiquitous wallpaper will always come up trumps and is easy to get your hands on. Either way, a little ornamentation never goes astray, so jump right in and create your own little palace at home.
DESIGN CLASSIC
Classical designs are always in style, take the Barcelona chair which was designed by German architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, who was also a director at the renowned Bauhaus design school. After designing the German Pavilion at the 1929 World Arts Fair in Barcelona, he was challenged to create appropriate furnishings for the building. In the end the only furniture to be found in the Pavilion when the King and Queen visited were the iconic Barcelona chairs, which they used as thrones. Mies van der Rohe redesigned the chair in 1950 to incorporate new developments in steel, and soon after authorised
the licence to be held by Knoll manufacturers, who still hold the exclusive copyright.
Tips on How to Spot an Original:
1. The chair is produced in Mies’ original dimensions; W75cm xD76cm x H77cm, seat height 43cm.
2. The signature of Mies van der Rohe is stamped on the base of every chair.
3. Each piece is labelled with an individual production number with a corresponding certificate of identification and authenticity.
4. The stainless, seamless steel frame is hand buffed and hand finished to a mirror finish.
5. The cushions are upholstered with 40 individual panels cut, hand welted and hand tufted from a single hide. Each finished piece uses 126 pieces of leather.
6. Seat back and cushions adapt to fit the curve of the frame.
7. The side and edges of the upholstery straps are dyed to match specified upholstery colour.
Where to buy:
Original
Walls to Workstations is the only licensed distributor for the Mies van der Barcelona chair in Ireland. Price: €4,140 +VAT Baldonell, Dublin 22. Tel: 01 642 0050. Web: www.w2w.ie
Vintage
Wild Child Originals deal only with authenticated originals and at time of going to press had a 1960s tan leather licensed Knoll model. Price: €4,000, South Great George’s Street, Dublin 2. Tel: 01 475 5099. Web: www.wildchildoriginals.com
Lost Weekend source original licensed pieces from around the world which precede 1980. Price: On application. Selskar, Wexford. Tel: 053 918 0090. Web: www.lostweekend.ie
The budget option
If you are determined to get your designer look and keep costs down, reproduction pieces are for you. These vary greatly in quality and you will have to be your own judge that you are getting your money’s worth. Reproductions, by law, cannot state that they
are ‘originals’, and must quote an obvious term such as ‘inspired by’ or ‘in the style of ’. We found a number of reputable reproduction dealers in Ireland that sell this type of design:
- Design Classics Direct, from €1,100 available in eight colours. Tel: 1890 252 104; Web: www.designclassicsdirect.ie
- eBay, various prices, Web: www.ebay.ie
- InStore, €699 in black, available nationwide, Tel: 1890 252 508; Web: www.instore.ie
- Living, €1,195 available in black, white, beige and brown, Dublin and Bray, Tel: 01 675 1898
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