Being bold and going green: check out the latest interior trends

Autumn is the season of mists, mellow fruitfulness and decorating. Here are some of the season’s interiors trends:

Going Green

Sloucher sofa by Loaf

The organisers of the Decorex International say green is set to be the predominant colour and it includes everything from olive and rich pistachio to emerald and deep forest tones.They say the colour’s association with nature creates a calming and restorative mood.At this year’s Decorex show, which is at Olympia, London, from October 6 - 9, you will find it on everything from from velvet upholstery and patterned wallpaper to carpets and decorative lampshades.Neutral bone is also much in evidence at the design shows and teams well with green.

Burnt Orange

This autumnal colour also works well with green and is perfect for retro-inspired interiors, which are still popular, not least because they work well in new-builds where they can add character.Some of the most beautiful examples of this colour are to be found in vintage fabrics from the 1950s to 1970s. You can find these at textile fairs, in vintage shops and on eBay.

Coloured tableware

Coloured tableware by John Lewis

Philippa Prinsloo, Head of Design for Home at John Lewis, says that the store’s customers are embracing colour in most aspects of their lives, from fashion to interiors.She adds: “We now aim to elevate this by moving the look and feel in a new direction by taking colours and offering ways to effortlessly layer them together.“We are predicting that, for the first time ever, coloured tableware will be as popular as white, so we have created the largest change ever across tableware with 55 per cent of the range new for the season. We have also introduced 10 new colourways to our bed linen collection to make it our largest offering.”

Biomaterials and sustainable design

Lightshades by Crea-re

This is one of the key trends at the forthcoming London Design Fair, which runs from September 19 to 22.The four-day event features 550 homeware exhibitors from 40 countries. It will showcase furniture by Fernando Laposse who uses Totomoxtle. This is a new material made from the colourful husks of native Mexican corn.Each husk is cut and peeled off the cob, ironed flat and glued onto a paper pulp or textile backing so it is ready to be cut into small pieces to make marquetry for furniture or interior surfaces.Ecobirdy has invented a colourful new material from recycled plastic, which it uses to make children’s furniture.Crea-re.com make fabulous contemporary lamps from newspaper pulp, pictured above.Heal’s, which has a store at Redbrick Mill, Batley, has embraced sustainability with its own-brand Duo cushions and with Way fabrics by Ferm Living, which are made from recycled material.

Collectables

Another laudable trend in evidence at the London Design Fair is collecting. The fair even has an International Craft Pavilion devoted to collectable pieces.This is the antithesis of the throwaway culture. Rather than buying inexpensive, mass-produced homeware, art and decorative accessories, the emphasis is on collecting handcrafted pieces.Yorkshire is blessed with many talented artists and makers, along with notable galleries and events. The latter include open studios events in York, Sheffield, Hebden Bridge and North Yorkshire.

Velvet

We have fallen back in love with velvet and we refuse to let it go. The fabric is perfect for this time of great uncertainty as it is soft, plush, rich and decadent, offering an escape from stark reality. If you can’t afford a gorgeous velvet sofa then look for cushions. HomeSense has a good range in stock as does Matalan.

Peacocks

Mural from Wallsauce, £32 per sq. metre

We are a nation of animal lovers but one usually dominates when it comes to homeware and the latest creature to capture designers’ imaginations is the peacock.Sophie Allport has used the colourful bird on a new range of tableware and table linen, Laura Ashley has a peacock cushion in its new season collection, Oliver Bonas has a very attractive pair of peacock bookends and Wallsauce has a very tasteful mural.

Connected home

The Symfonisk lamp

Smart Home technology is merging with existing homeware and becoming more discreet. Ikea’s Symfonisk table lamp is an example of this and has a WiFi speaker as a base.Ikea say: “ Two functions in one means one less cord to hide, one less power socket to reach and one less product to buy.”Symfonisk is a discreet design, which blends in and it costs £150.

Spirit of adventure

Bathroom by Richard Grafton Interiors with Osborne and Little paper

Homeowners are becoming bolder when decorating, according to Michelle Frost of Richard Grafton Interiors, which has showrooms in Ilkley and Harrogate.“Our clients are being much more adventurous with interior design schemes and more daring with colour choices.“They are opting for darker wallpaper and paint choices than usual. Popular Perse Grey from Paint and Paper Library is a good example of this, as is a cloakroom we recently completed, which has an Osborne and Little wallpaper and a striking vanity unit handmade in our Yorkshire workshop.”

Plants

Picture; Next.co.uk

The fashion for houseplants, which was huge in the 1970s before fading away in the 1980s, looks like it is here to stay.That’s partly due to environmental concerns. Plants help clean the atmosphere and they also add feel-good factor to a home. You are allowed to cheat by adding a few faux among the real McCoy. Sainsbury’s Home has a good, low-cost range of fakes.For interesting plant pots, check out Anthropologie’s collection.