Latest Trends in Interior Design

Interior_Design_300 If you’re about to embark on the first design and decorating project in your new home, you may wonder how important it is to be aware of the latest trends in interior design. You want to make sure that whatever design and decorating scheme you select will enhance the resale value of your home. Should you restrict your thoughts to whatever is most current?

Many expert designers would say interior design should reflect you and your personality, not necessarily what is trendy and fashionable. However, if you are the type of person who is first in line to buy the latest electronic gadgetry in a never ending quest to be up to date, the latest trends in interior design are very relevant.

It can be difficult to keep up with the latest trends as they have a way of changing quickly, sometimes from season to season. Fine decorating magazines you can look through at your local library are great sources as are Home Improvement Design and Decorating Trade Shows.

Designers also tell us that sorting through contemporary decorating trends and comparing them with classic styles helps us to define what we don’t like. Sometimes this is a great help in getting a clearer picture of what we do like. Before we look at a few examples of latest trends, there is a final principle of design to consider.

To borrow from the world of modern architecture, the form – or the physical appearance a room should take -- should flow from its function – how you want to use the room. Suppose you sit down and spell out precisely how you would like to use your kitchen and your lounge room. You give it a lot of thought and develop a big list, the last item being: it must be easy to keep clean. As a functional principle, that may be a bit of a stretch; but it is important to you, so it’s relevant

For your lounge room one of the latest trends is the use of natural stone look wall panels. These are very dramatic, giving a 3D effect through their varying use of stone-look raised patterns. The grooves and nooks and crannies provide depth and texture for a stunningly dramatic effect. But these same grooves are dust and dirt magnets.

Now it’s on to the kitchen, where natural stone countertops continue to grow in popularity. However, the shiny glazed finishes of granite tops are becoming less fashionable and the latest trend is the honed stone finish.

This finish is produced by high speed machine buffing which yields a low luster finish that resembles stone in its natural environment. The finish is also highly porous. The maintenance requirements are equally high. The stone must be thoroughly sealed with an expensive sealer and repeated frequently. Even when sealed properly, the countertop can be more difficult to clean than the less fashionable polished granite top. The highly polished shine resists adhesion of food particles to the surface, which the lower luster finish does not. Finally, if the seal fails, the countertop can stain.

The question you have to ask yourself is this: “Is having the latest trend more important to me than easy cleanup?” It’s your choice.

Some designers advise trend lovers to play it safe with the expensive decorating items – like the countertop – and go with the latest trends in your selection of room accessories. Regardless of what you decide, the process of searching for the latest design ideas will be well worth the investment of time and effort.

If you’re about to embark on the first design and decorating project in your new home, you may consider how important it is to be aware of the latest trends in interior design. Not to mention, a little knowledge on UK house prices would also help. You want to make sure that whatever design and decorating scheme you select will enhance the resale value of your home. Should you restrict your thoughts to whatever is up-to-date?