Hot or not? Interiors

A sort of coolometer of interiors by me (because I'm so qualified in these matters) - with a strong dose of influence from the credit crunch.

Up (still digging these):

Origami everything; mobiles, cushions (not towels though). Might spend next Friday night indoors making origami and saving money by not buying G&Ts :-)

Chintzy prints (I'm not keen on this one as I lived through the last chintz fad in the late 80's - hopefully it will never really take off in the mainstream). Modern chintz matches wallpaper, fabrics and lamps with the same pattern - but I'm sorry, for me, even Chloe Sevigny can't make chintz cool.

Green; grass green, olive green, green green (recession = back to nature), green is everywhere at the moment; in prints, fabric patterns, often teamed with black and white and a bit of wood (blonde more often than dark). Green isn't just being seen in furnishings but also in our increasingly eco-friendly attitudes (not mine admittedly). Plants also feature highly, and are being displayed more creatively than ever in hanging gardens and unusual vessels. Just below is Chloe Sevigny's green wallpapered hallway.

I love these 'wall gardens' but hate to think of all the creepy crawlies they could provide a home for...

The lady (?) to the right is standing on a real moss bath mat, apparently very absorbent.

Scandinavian furniture (I think this one is going to last). I 'heart' Hans Wegner.

Re-purposed furniture (e.g. doctor's cabinet used as a bathroom cabinet or the office archiver below used in a home setting)

Down (time to bin these trends):

Neo-baroque - especially those black chrystal chandeliers and flock wallpaper

Wall decals/stickers (at some point these just started to look cheap and now I only think they're ok in kid's rooms)



Modular sofas - too hard and inorganic in shape. We need sofas that are going to 'hug' us when we're broke and forced to spend the entire weekend indoors.

Resin furniture (too hard-edged and aggressive in these times of trouble)



Culturally themed living spaces like Chinese bedrooms and Indian living rooms (unless you are actually in said country)... On second thoughts I predict a comeback for Africa as a design influence...

Having too many designer pieces in one room (Fortunately, I am poor and don't suffer from this problem, but the same principle would apply if I were to fill my house with reproductions of designer pieces). An Eames lounger, a Barcelona chair and a Philippe Starck ghost chair in the same space is just showing off in these times of trouble, 'less is more' in the famous words of Mies van der Rohe - hear me preach!....