Trends Schmends

Trends – I’ve never been one for trends, in interiors or anything else, preferring to plough my own furrow. Who needs to hear that their latest handbag, sofa or wallpaper is “so last season” and who cares anyway as long as it makes you happy? And yet, it’s always interesting to observe trends and it’s undeniable that there sometimes seems to be a global consciousness at work. Here are five trends I’ve observed recently, many possibly resulting from our financially austere environment. I have to say for once – I like them!

1. Quality - Investing in objects and materials that will last.
2. Handcrafted - Knowing that someone has made an object with skill and love.
3. Colour - Hurrah!
4. Eclecticism - Particularly mixing old and new.
5. Product lifecycles – Interest in where, by whom and how a product is made, how does it get to me, how long does it last and what happens to it at the end of its life?