trends 2016

It should never be a case of out with the old and in with the new, rather the addition of layers, and editing of spaces.
  

It's that time of year again, looking at trends for 2016.  You can't look forward without looking backwards, see what I forecast for 2015 here.  I definitely got brass being the new copper!  I remember feeling last year that nothing much had changed, but this year I feel a definite shift in direction.  Yes all things textural and earthy will still be hip, but there is a definite shift back to paler wood tones teamed with pastel shades.

I picked rose pink last year, Pantone selected Rose quartz for 2016, and this suits the direction I see us heading in.  Soft pared back glamour, pastels, greys, and lighter woods matched up with brushed metals, marble and travertine, polished cement and lalique style glass.  Art choices will be softer, less reliant on graphic shapes and high contrast colours.  It isn't a total move away from the Scandinavian theme that has been so big, more a softening of the contrasts and warming of colour tones.

Ofcourse your own style should always be personal, cherry picking the current trends for objects you love, choosing designs that impact positively on how you live your life.  It should never be a case of out with the old and in with the new, rather the addition of layers and editing of spaces.  In this world of more information, more choices, more products, curating has become singularly important.  
In our homes we need to be curators too, actively choosing what interests and inspires us, and editing the choices of the past.  So keep those gorgeous ben ourani carpets and kelim rugs, your brass objet and marble coffee tables, but be selective about what you add, and edit what you already own. 

Credits top row: cement encaustic tile, cement look ceramic tile, white floor living room
Row 2: white metal coffee table (at left) and side table (at right), antler knob (center) - all from Anthropologie
Row 3: bedroom detail from Veda house, kelim rug, Yokata wall basin set from Brodware
Row 4: linen by Hale Mercantile Co, detail of bathroom with travertine
Row 5: Stella cushion by Hale Mercantile Co, coffee table