The thing about trends is that they constantly go in and out of fashion, quicker than you can bake a potato! Yet we are all influenced by them as none of us want to be opening up our doors with out of date interiors. One minute metallics are in, the next butterflies are big – it’s a minefield.
Question is when should you actually buy into a trend and when should you ignore it?
Figure out your personal style
First and foremost, figure out your personal style and forget about trends for a minute. Do you prefer a retro look or something a little more bit country-esque? Maybe you prefer something a little bit more glam or baroque? Figure out what works for you and then you are halfway towards nailing it.
I don’t know about you guys but when I see something in a magazine or online that reflects my personal style, I’ll buy into it. As I mentioned above, trends come and go so when something on trend tallies with my own style then I’m in!
Right now I’m big on metallics and yet this trend has run before, gone out of style and come back again with a boom – all within a few years. Does that bother me? Not at all because I happen to love what metallics do for an interior, especially at this time of year with dusk fast approaching. Metallics bounce the light around so beautifully and I’ll never tire of them. Anything that doesn’t fit my aesthetic, like butterflies, I won’t buy into, no matter how much coverage or fuss they get in the press.
Think classic not kooky
If you buy into a classic look then there is little chance that your pieces will date so easily. There is something incredibly comforting about traditional styles. Something I do time and time again is buy traditional quite classically shaped pieces on the big spend items. Think wing backed leather armchairs, deep seated sofas, marble ornate lamps and supersized convex mirrors. With trends forever changing, the main pieces in my pad will always feel classic and never go out of date. If I went all classic, chances are ‘my look’ would feel really boring so I want to always update and refresh it with kookier smaller accents like art, frames, vases and cushions. They’re all pieces that don’t cost the earth and I can switch in and out of them depending on the season while making sure that my room has an edge.
Go with your gut
If something moves away from being cool, don’t feel that you have to ‘move it out’. I’ll give you an example. I’m forever seeing white hospital tiles all over the place these days on the walls of numerous independent cafes all over town and Tesco’s. I like them and I happen to have them in my shower. The fact that the industrial look has been so oversubscribed doesn’t put me off. I just make sure that my accessories aren’t super industrial. You can punch up any interior with a bit of colour, or some magical detail to elevate what has become a tired trend into your very own super cool trend!
I think the best piece of advice that I can give is to not buy into the ‘of the moment’ pieces if they are not quickening your heartbeat. It’s a bit like fashion. Some things don’t suit us and purely because they are in fashion doesn’t mean that we have to be a slave to them. Also, the great thing about decorating these days is that anything goes. There is no fixed look as such which makes buying into trends so much easier. It’s often times like these that those little pieces which you’ve picked up in flea markets or stumbled upon like some artisan
Ceramicist, will make guests wonder where they’re from. They might not be particularly on trend or in fashion but they’re something that you happen to have fallen in love with. Embrace trends by all means but don’t go overboard.
Happy Shopping!
This article nails it for me !
The home is a private space were you can suround yourself with things that you like !
Just wish I had enough cash to keep on top of the essential maintenance without worrying about whether my choices were trendy or not.
I so agree Abigail! Knowing your style is the absolute key to not getting caught in the river of crazy trends.