Due to the revival of the seventies for some seasons we have been seeing designers picking up on macramé craft techniques to create new shapes. Passed down over hundreds of years, this craft of using decorative knots to finish the loose end of hand-woven textiles slowly spread throughout Europe. It eventually became a common pastime for sailors who sold their products like hammocks and belts when they reached the shore, thus spreading the craft to different places. Knot-tying remained a popular hobby and way to adorn clothing and textiles through the Victorian era and never completely lost its magic, hence all new inspiring interpretations we currently see in fashion, architecture and interior design. 

Lots of new ideas are at our fingertips when looking at the latest interior design trends, combining materials, colours and patterns being currently one of the most important. This blending brings new perspectives to spaces and creates interesting, unexpected details. By doing this based on a clear conceptual idea you can’t go wrong (mostly J). Take inspiration from the Vietnamese tapas bar by Genesin Studio in Adelaide (left), where silk textiles decorate the walls and contrast with the leather benches, or combine a terrazzo table top with rattan chairs like in restaurant 83 Hanover Street in Edinburgh. Be inspired, create and enjoy! 

In need of more playful interior items that add some fun and make you smile? Look no further and let your inner child take over your imagination and creativity. Opt for colourful items and sculptural, bulky shapes as known designers are doing currently. Depending on your taste and available space, you can choose to go all the way and let yourself be inspired by a kind of disproportionate interior like Misha Kahn did for the above shown installation (picture in the middle), or you just add one eyecatching item to a neutral base. Both options are interesting to research and can give new ideas and visions for future product developments. 

Currently we’re reliving in many different ways designs of earlier decades to create new contemporary products, like the above shown products that are inspired by impressions of various Mondrian paintings. Mondrian used the simplest combinations of straight lines, right angles and primary colours and was an important leader in the development of modern abstract art. His work possesses an extreme formal purity that embodies his belief in a harmonious cosmos. These elements (purity and harmony) are also very relevant and visible in lots of new product developments and reach new and unexpected levels of beautiful design, when used in combination with primary colours.

Looking for clear powerful statements designers turn to bold colours like for instance this ‘electric’ blue. The use of this colour name was first recorded in England around 1845! It has, until this day, the same intense and vibrant power as we are witnessing in the latest interior and product designs as shown in the pictures. Being a very versatile colour, blue can be used as a solid hue in different materials. Just take a look at the picture of the bathroom where blue tiles and blue coloured glass panels make for an interesting modern combination. Or the chair where blue velvet upholstery teams up with a blue metallic frame, and where vivid yellow is used to create an interesting contrast in the presentation of the product. Different shades of blue have already been declared colour of the year 2020, so I think we can say that blue hues are on trend and a not to be missed colour when designing for the near future.

After the minimalistic wave of the nineties we see a lot of new interior design developments that embrace decoration. All those years of almost complete white interiors makes us long for a different approach. So we are looking for colour, texture or pattern to highlight our walls and ceilings. Luckily there are many trends that give the necessary inspiration, whether it be metallic gold combined with gold damask, big flower prints, Delft blue or colours and patterns that are inspired by nature, just to mention a few. This new decorative style can be added to big or small spaces, but will definitely give your interior a boost. So explore all the different possibilities and I’m sure that, depending on your taste and budget, there will be an idea or solution that for certain triggers excitement.

The story behind this blog begins with Alice, climbing through a mirror to step into the world that she can see beyond it. Written in 1871 by Lewis Carroll this book and its predecessor Alice in Wonderland, still present a kind of dreamworld where magical powers are capable of creating the most amazing scenes. This outer world with its unknown aspects and possibilities still appeals to old and young, which we are witnessing in success movies like Game of Thrones and Harry Potter. Perhaps because these worlds are filled with fantasy and imagination and pull apart the world around us to reassemble it in a different form. We need those kind of dreams, imagination and perhaps a bit of magical power to create this different world. A world with interesting, exciting and mesmerizing products and concepts, where real life is as magical as the adventures in wonderland.  

I often find striking similarities when looking at the latest developments coming from various design disciplines like architecture, interior design and fashion. It sometimes seems that a certain trend (in this case geometric shapes and 3D effects) just hangs in the air and that one way or the other, we seem to be strongly attracted to it. So it pops up in all kind of different ways, like we can witness in the pictures above. Used as terra coloured tiles that are re-entering our homes, as a pattern for this Versace outfit for autumn 2019, but also as a telescoping outer shell on The Shed, New  York’s new center for artistic invention that just opened. So be curious, have an open eye for all kind of design developments and you’ll find many examples where a trend doesn’t stop at one discipline, but where they interact and inspire each other. 

The joyful period of spring and summer always brings out the best in me, and I think I’m not alone in that. The laid-back vibes that living outdoors with lots of al fresco dining and other relaxation bring us, appeals to our senses and makes us happy. Luckily there is a lot of inspiration available with plenty of ideas on how to create our own summer retreat, whether big or small. Just take a look at the above shown pictures from the casa cook hotel in Rhodes (far left), or the home of designer Kelly Wearstler in Malibu. Choose natural colours and materials like stone, rattan and wood and opt for structured finishes, because the look shouldn’t be too smooth. Add comfortable (vintage) lounge chairs and lots of tables and poufs so it’s easy to extend the seating capacity for friends and family. Opt for home textiles that take their design inspiration from native American or Western styles that are very much on trend at the moment.

It’s been some time that we used hues of the colour green for interior and product design. Reason for that was a common belief in retail that green was a bad seller and consumers were not willing to buy any green items. Well, I think that is about to change hence the many inspiring variations of green we’ve been seeing recently in magazines and on the net. The interest in green started some years ago with the trend of adding green plants to our living spaces. This trend has strong roots in the seventies, a decade that currently faces a strong revival and brings back dark hues like teal, green, olive and mustard. Looking at the new product launches and new interiors that embrace all kind of green hues, we seem ready to adopt these colours in our homes. So opt for green tiles to add some flavor to walls, add one specific green product or go for green plants that fit into any lifestyle!

We’re growing more and more aware of the increasing environmental problems and the fact that we have to take action to stop pollution taking over planet earth. Fortunately there are increasing initiatives from different disciplines to work together to find solutions to this big problem (see printyour.city or fashionforgood.com). Also in the design world, whether fashion or interior design related, we see good examples of finding ways to make products from recycled material, thus being more eco friendly and sustainable. Take a look at Konstantin Grcic’s fashion collection for clothing brand Aeance, made of 96% recycled, natural or biodegradable materials. Or the carpet tiles made out of recycled polyester by Object Carpet and the remake of garden furniture (designed in 1955 by the late Hanna and Jorgen Ditzel) made from ocean plastic by Copenhagen based company Mater.

The Mursi People from Ethiopia have been using elaborate and decorative body art as a form of self-expression for an extremely long time and find great pleasure and pride in painting and expressing themselves. Body painting starts from a very young age, with mothers painting and decorating their babies with detailed designs. Body art is used to connect the people of the Mursi Tribe to their surrounding natural environment. It is believed in the tribe that if you are connected to your land you will live a long and prosperous life. Each pattern and design has a different meaning and is used for particular events, ceremonies and rituals. One of the main features of the Mursi tribes body art is the use of many spherical shapes, a heritage that still inspires modern product design!

The origin of lace is disputed by historians. There is both an Italian and a Flemish claim, but since lace evolved from other techniques, it is impossible to say that it originated in any one place. The late 16th century marked the rapid development of lace, both needle lace (made with needle and thread)and bobbin lace (made with bobbins and a pillow) became dominant in fashion as well as home décor. The popularity of lace increased rapidly and the cottage industry of lace making spread throughout Europe. Originally linen, silk, gold, or silver yarns were used. Now lace is often made with cotton yarns, although linen and silk yarns are still available, the choice of course depending on the exclusivity of the design. Manufactured lace may be made of synthetic fibre and modern artists and designers create lace effects and objects with all kind of materials as shown in the pictures.

I couldn’t stop myself to again show some amazing design in black & white. It is such a versatile source and has such a powerful design language that it pops up time and again and has the capacity to keep us hooked over and over again. The current interest in geometric design may have to do with the fact that we’re celebrating 100 year Bauhaus in museums and galleries across the world. Architect Walter Gropius founded the Bauhaus in Weimar, Germany, in 1919. Although it was in operation for just 14 years, it has become the most influential art and design school in history. At first influenced by 19th and early-20th-century artistic schools and movements this vision had, by the mid-1920s, given way to a stress on uniting art and industrial design, and it was this which underpinned the Bauhaus’s most original and important achievements. Many of its key principles as form follows function and linear geometrical forms where only line, shape and colour mattered, still stand today in fashion and interior design!

This week’s blog is about one of the many new colour ranges we have seen recently when it comes to interior design. Our focus is on warm earthy colours, ranging from terra to soft pinks and from warm sand to coral hues. These colours have already been the focus of interest for several seasons for designers and architects alike, because they make for the perfect new neutral base. They are both warm and soothing when applied within its own colour palette, but can also be the starting point when mixing with other colour ranges. Think combinations with whites and beiges, pastels or the darker grey and black hues. We even see them combined with small accents of vivid yellow and blue, to work as eyecatching details. Furthermore, this neutral colour base is  perfect when wanting to combine different trends (think dried flowers, new romance, soft shapes, the use of rattan) to create a whole new atmosphere or collection.

The middle of winter has long been a time of celebration around the world. Already centuries ago early Europeans celebrated light and birth in the darkest days of winter. Many peoples rejoiced during the winter solstice, when the worst of the winter was behind them and they could look forward to longer days and extended hours of sunlight.
Taking a brief look at history we see that there are various traditions and festivities concerning this winter solstice, that we adapted along the way to fit our modern lives. So we celebrate with good food and wine (like the Romans did), make a cosy fire (like the Norsemen did in recognition of the return of the sun), or look after the poor and less fortunate (also done by the Romans). It was a way of bringing groups together across the lines of wealth or social status. So let’s all be merry and have a peaceful, warm-hearted december holiday!

A tough fabric, “serge de Nimes” was the base for the denim workwear clothes Levi Strauss created somewhere back in1853. An invention that has survived many hypes and trends and has grown over decades into an evergreen that appeals to almost everyone. History tells us that the fabric was produced in Nimes in the South of France and was dyed indigo blue because at that time this was the cheapest dye in the market. This blue dye came from Genova, which then was under French reign, and was called bleu de Gênes. This is were the name (blue) jeans derived from. The cloth was called denim from shortening the fabric name “serge de Nimes”. The colour blue is also an evergreen and a favourite colour for many people, it is associated with peace and harmony, intelligence and trust. So I suggest to take these two evergreens as a starting point to create beautiful designs.

Throughout history colour schemes have often been used to define different feelings and emotions depending on one’s culture and origin. Colours can affect how we feel subconsciously, we may not even be aware of it, but the impact on our behavior is certain. The use of colour to express certain messages is still very relevant nowadays in every day life, art and design. The reason that we’re seeing lots of yellow based colours in fashion and interior design, is in my opinion because designers want to express the message of hope. Looking at the positive meaning of the colour yellow we see words like sunshine, positivism and happiness. Yellow also represents freshness, joy and optimism and studies show that the colour helps to encourage communication, enhance vision and build confidence. So let’s use lots of yellow hues!

There are certain ideas, the use of vivid colours and geometric shapes being among them, that don’t follow the latest trends, but have a timeless approach that could stand the test of time. Perhaps this is one of the reasons that both artists and designers often come back to them, finding new ways of interpreting these evergreens and developing new products, artworks, sculptures and installations that in turn can be a source of inspiration for fashion and interior design. Have a look at The Gibbs Farm sculpture garden in New Zealand with its arrangement of coloured squares, or Christo’s The London Mastaba in Hyde Park made of 7506 barrels placed on a platform that floats in the water and translate these images to carpets, boxes, small furniture items or tube lampshades. There is a world of inspiration waiting out there!

In Greek mythology Narcissus fell in love with his own image in a pool of water not knowing what created this effect of his reflective image. Nowadays technology gives us all the tools to create new images and products that have this idea of reflection as a starting point. We are fascinated by the multiple possiblities and seek all kind of ways to maniplulate the effects of the reflection of light on surfaces and materials by folding, bending or even using lasers to create patterns. The outcome of this search is an impressive range of interesting products, installations or sculptures as can be witnessed in the latest product designs that saw the light at this season’s fairs or at the Burning Man Festival 2018 (picture on the right side). So check out this theme and its sources and be inspired.

We’re witnessing a comeback of Western and Indian styles in the latest fashion shows. Whatever the reason that lies behind this, perhaps adventure, perhaps the search for traditional craftsmanship, living a freer live, or perhaps all of these, it gives us many sources and inspiration to work from when designing items or collections. Focusing in this article on craftmanship, think basket weaving by using leaves, grasses or thin strips of wood. But also beadwork by using different sewing techniques, for instance raised beadwork, unique to the Northeastern United States, a technique which creates dimensional designs which rise up from the surface of the fabric, or rugs from the looms of Navajo weavers that have distinct patterns and styles, all ready to be researched and developed to create beautiful new items.

Line is one of the formal elements of art. Along with elements like colour, shape and texture, it is something aesthetic that is an indispensable part of the design process.
Objectively, artists use line to outline shapes and create perspective, among other things. But there is also a theory that suggests various emotional states can be inspired by different types of lines in art and design. For example, a horizontal line supposedly conveys restfulness, a vertical line spirituality because it infers height, mixed horizontal and vertical lines stability, diagonal lines motion and curved lines supposedly convey humanity and sensuality. It is unknown whether people actually experience such feelings when looking at lines but both Kandinsky and Mondrian believed in the communicative power of line to express something harmonious and universal and they (still) have many followers.

We’re seeing a lot of new interpretations of the terrazzo trend that has been going on for some time. I believe this trend is here to stay because of its multiple possibilities and the recycle story that lies behind it. The technique is already hundreds of year old and was ‘invented’ by Venetian workers who used the rejected or residue material from the mines for terraces around their houses. This re-using of leftover materials is also something to research and develop further by interior designers because it helps diminish waste and can deliver beautiful product design that fits perfectly in contemporary lifestyles.

In the visual arts, composition is the ordering of elements according to a predetermined strategy. It is an attempt to create order in chaos. The term is sometimes also used as the title of a work of art, when it is the artist’s intention to make a work with the aim of creating a fascinating surface division, see picture on the left where Donald Judd created a landscape that he said could be seen as a carpet. Composition is also working with opposites. In the past, more thought was given to harmonic terms, rules were more strict, whereas in today’s art the disharmony and individual style research often prevail, leaving the spectator challenged and stimulated to improve the composition.

It’s interesting, four totally different designs, yet they look connected by the shape of the square patterns. What amazing products are created by just looking differently at a square, is shown in the pictures. From a vintage Moroccan rug giving inspiration through the simple square design, moving forward to clean and modern interpretations of the square as seen on the lampshade, the tiles and the mosaic.

Hand drawn, hand written or sketched patterns are seen on a broad range of products and add a touch of personal expression to the product. Next to that I saw on Vogue.com the designer shows for AW 2018 bringing us many clothes and accessories with text messaging. Almost like reliving the status focused nineties, but luckily these days it is done with a wink and a smile and is the main message to express creativity.

It seems kind of official now, shell shapes are the new trend. Maybe the source is the interest in design from the twenties, because for me it gives that kind of feel. Interesting is that we see it in original twenties pattern, but also in the 3D designed chair by Patricia Urquiola.

The Wayuu is a Native American ethnic group that lives in northernmost part of Colombia and Venezuela. Wayuu culture is known for making Wayuu bags called ‘mochilas’. Characteristic for the fabrics are the decorating patterns inspired by nature and what they see around them. The patterns mostly have a geometric design and can be used to create all kind of products (see wall tiles on right side of picture).

Looking back to past decades still gives lots of inspiration for product design that fits the modern lifestyle. In this case elements form the seventies like shaggy textiles and old tapestries seem to have been one of the inspirational sources for designers like Dries van Noten (shaggy coat with green detail) and Tom Dixon (cushions).

The Fall 2018 runway shows had many collections with a Western style approach. Fringes in all kind of colours and lengths were already there, as well as macrame wall hangings, but the theme is ready to be explored further. The techniques of quilting, and weaving, next to the print and pattern possibilities (esp. Navajo) are almost endless.