Looking forward to redo your house in 2018? Here’s a quick guide on how you can go about it.
While 2017 was big on pastel shades for interior décor, this year is likely to go beyond that, towards a more experimental and edgy styles.
Gone are the days when the living room was the only place where you showcased the beauty of your house. These days, people are more concerned about beautifying their personal living spaces. “Dress your personal space the way you dress yourself,” says Suruchi Khanna of Sana Furnishings.
Contemporary bedrooms must reflect the personality of its inhabitants, and the most important element in this aspect is the lighting. Khanna adds, “The lighting plays a major role in the bedroom, and mood lighting is surely huge these days. It gives an ambience to the place and also enriches the furniture of the room. Most importantly, you can highlight an area or its artifacts, while keeping the rest of the room under general lighting. The choice of furniture is also very important. Trendy low-height beds with side tables are quite appealing for the eye. Furnishing plays a vital role, right from upholstery to curtains. The fabric, colours, prints and accessories, all play a significant part. If the colour of the room is dark-toned, one can opt for bright elements for curtains or wallpapers, and vice versa.”
Sukriti Sharma, director, PLÜSCH talks to Guardian 20 about how you can make your kitchen more edgy and attractive. She says, “The kitchen is an essential part of every house where a lot of time is spent and hence, it should be designed ergonomically while keeping in mind the aesthetics. Kitchen design is constantly evolving in response to consumer trends and preferences.
“Across Europe, and subsequently India, the past year has seen many design trends that define ‘synchronous kitchen design’, like a matt glass surface for wall units is an interesting element that is becoming increasingly popular and will continue in 2018. This gives a high-end touch to kitchen design, but comes at a significant cost. Glass is one of the most expensive finishes for kitchens in any case, and matt glass doors are toughened and often treated with scratch-resistant materials, which further add to the cost.”
Natural elements, such as warm wood, soft comfortable fabrics and textured tiles bring a new dimension to the room. Smooth, sleek surfaces will be the main focus for interiors designers in 2018. Other patterns that will trend during the approaching year are geometrical shapes, stripes, abstract patterns and hand sketches, which could be used on a range of hues and textures.
Satinder Chawla, managing director, Span Floors, says, “With people being more and more sensitive about the impact of chemicals on health, there has been a move towards natural as well as benign materials which do not contain harmful chemicals. The luxury market prefers natural materials, such as real wood, over imitations, stone over tiles, real leather over faux leather etc. In terms of colour trends, there is a clear shift towards pastel, lighter tones and greys in the wood flooring segment.
“We are also seeing a demand from the market for sustainable products. In the wood sector, the attention is on products derived from sustainable forestry. Ease of maintenance is also one of the key demands from the sector although it can be seen that people prefer natural over synthetic even though it might require a bit more maintenance.”
In home décor, the first thing that comes to our mind is to decorate a space with plants, to reduce stress and help enhance concentration. Another way to touch up your home would be to invest in sculptures and artefacts. In terms of colour, mustard yellow and lavender, light and deep purple colours, rich blue and pink shades should make up your palette for the year 2018.
“For 2018, we expect an emergence of new finishes and new materials, both for the faucets and the furniture elements inside the bathroom. The purpose of luxury is to create products that can make the customer’s life easier and more comfortable. For this reason, products have to be attractive and at the same time functional and easy to maintain. So for this reason, in 2018, GRAFF is going to introduce a full range of new bathtubs and washbasins developed following these criteria,” says Emanuela Tavolini, director of sales, Europe, GRAFF.
Ashok Basoya, founder, Ottimo, informed us about how to add more spark to your living area. He says, “Metal and metallic colours, and nature-inspired colours will rule in 2018. Also, lots of natural plants and greenery in living spaces—be it in the form of herb gardens, vertical garden walls or indoor plants— will add style to the living area. This is largely propelled by the increasing pollution in cities, global warming, increasing urbanisation. Metals will continue to dominate and play a leading role in providing a natural richness to the interiors.
“We also expect to see an emergence of pastel colours inspired by the fashion industry. The focus will be on fusing minimalist looks with rich materials, like wood, marble and metal.”
Furthermore, the year is likely to witness a rekindling of interest in retro styles. Nostalgia and a desire for richness after the frugality of past years will propel this emergence.
When it comes to themes and trends, saturated colours and rich, colourful accents will prove to be among the lasting trends in home decor. Bright room colours and accented shades cheer up modern interiors, and can be used for emphasising unique home
decorating ideas.
Monica Chawla, founder and interior designer, Essentia Environments, says, “Some vibrancy through blues and emeralds always adds a colourful charm to the property. Ash grey and burnt wood add an edge that the basic grey and beige lack. A huge sitting is essential in designing these days. Also, the layout is being planned where the natural green beauty from outdoors is welcomed inside the house.
“Private skylight, mini gardens are not just limited to the public areas now; they are also extended to private spaces, like in washrooms. Monochrome interiors are sprinkled through the greenery around the house.”
Julie Engineer, marketing manager, Clarke & Clarke, an interior design firm, spoke to us about colour and fabric. “Cobalt blue, emerald green, ash grey, burnt wood are the colours in vogue. Animal designs will play a big part in home interiors for 2018. These fabrics can be complemented with subtle metallic in various shades of gold, copper and pewter.”