HGTV's Colin and Justin’s:
The one thing guaranteed to get us though a grizzly Canadian winter is the prospect of Spring just around the corner. Yup, with its air of freshness and new life it’s at this time, more than any other, that our ideas for the home spring forth like blossoming flowers.
Just like our clothing, home decor should be forward thinking, comfortable, personal and above all… fashionable! And to make sure you know your ‘Crystal d’Arque’ from your ‘Philippe Starck’, here’s a ‘what’s hot and what’s not’, guaranteed to keep you on trend and more importantly, make your home a brighter, better place! We’re all about colour! Sure, grey and beige (GREYGE!) are all very well but with immediate effect… COLOUR IS BACK! Just glance through our brand new book, ‘Colin and Justin’s Home Heist Style Guide’ (pub by Penguin, $32.99) to witness that. Featuring jaw droppingly gorgeous before and after photographs (and ALL Canadian homes!) it’s a roller coaster ride of affordable decor and design advice that’s guaranteed to brighten up your life! Sure, we also love low key design but we reckoned the time was right to add a little decorative rocket fuel.
Colour is back… again!
The best antidote to all that wintry sepia sky is to ‘pop up’ your home with bright colours and we predict that ‘vibrancy’ will become the buzzword in home design this season. The trick however, is to be bold, subtly - raw clashing colours must be balanced out with translucent or neutral tones to soften the look and bring harmony to your home. Navy blue replaces black as a contrast colour (especially with white) and the winter’s hot fashion shade, purple, will be softened by the sun to become lavender. Use yellow to add fun and sun and use its luminosity to contrast with smart sharp grey or tone in with the subtlest of orange tones. Three very different greens round off this season’s colour palette, capturing the season’s theme of freshness and rebirth. Use a vibrant nature green to provide the quintessential spring hue of freshly mown lawns, dark citrus inspired greens like moody lime can be used to create a calmer look or use reflective Lucite green to provide a subtle hue with a slight shimmer.
Adding Gloss
Gloss finishes on furniture will be huge this season both in vibrant colour and in crisp clean white. This season become a magpie and take a shine to anything that’s glossy. Use a signature piece of furniture in isolation like a bright yellow Ikea sideboard in a white washed room to create an art gallery exhibit style or add a large single coloured iconic vase or objet to create a real talking point.The influence of the iconic iPod can be seen in the rise of gloss white furnishings and accessories and with white car sales across Europe on the increase, it seems that it pays to be all white on the night!
Lighten Up
Just as the days are getting lighter, so too should your home follow suit! This season its time to pare down your dark wood furnishings and replace them with blonder, lighter timber tones. Invest in low slung, long furnishings or sand your existing darker pieces and colour wash them with white to create a dusted, sun baked look – think Scandinavian chic meets Andy Warhol pop and you’re on track! Colours to favour for this look include pink and citrus tones that will add a candy-like, manufactured colour to contrast with natural timber.
Go Green with Envy
If strong colour contrast is your thing and you’re looking for a new palette to dream from then mix pink and green to dramatic effect. A perfect combo, it’s a scheme that’s going to be abundant this season. Turn up the colour to hot pink and citrus lime and a pop art style highly coloured room will be created!
Pop Art Modernity
Take Pop Art one step further and turn your home into a rogue’s gallery of famous pop art images. This style is all about attention seeking so be inspired by Andy Warhol’s Pink and Green on Turquoise Marilyn Monroe print and you’ll be in good celebrity company. Frame up brightly coloured soup can labels, chip packets and Asian lettered newspapers for a low cost art extravaganza. Use colours that pop via your choice of soft furnishings – imagine a hot pink sofa - or go wild with a rainbow of throw pillows for a less expensive source of drama.
Mix City with Country
A key trend this season is to mix city with country, so combine cold and precise concrete grey and friendly leaf green or use fresh green with complementary blue to mimic sky and fields. Complement your look with zesty fragrances and bowls of fresh limes. Install a slice of this colour way into a neutral room with cushions and curtains with big bold leaf prints on plain backgrounds – Ikea has a great range of leafy textiles – and branch out into a whole new look!
Eco-chic
Eco chic continues to be popular and as the increasing range of exciting earth conscious products continues to blossom, so too does our desire to have them. Shop organic, Fairtrade and recycled and don’t forget that buying second hand items is a form of recycling! Using light timber also ties in with this look and glass accessories are also essential but in a less sleek way than normal. Be on the lookout for bumpy textured glass, or finishes that are reminiscent of water or ice. Handmade items for the home will continue to be popular but they should be finer and much gentler. Yup, rustic doesn’t have to be rough! Lose the sackcloth and replace it with woven linen for a much more sophisticated approach to Eco-chic.
Affordable Luxury
Even as we continue to watch our spending this season, we’ll still want to feel special at home and will want our accessories to be as rewarding as possible. This is where our need for adornment comes in as we add simple splashes of elegance to our homes – invest in crisp white cotton bedding with luxury trims in suede and linen or add elegant touches to your sofa with bejewelled cushions and beaded throws.
Design Without Borders
Create a United Nations approach to décor with global and multi-cultural decor inspired by China, Russia, Latin America, Morocco and India. And don’t feel you have to have visited each country to be inspired – there’s always the internet to give you all the pointers you need. Click on your favourite tourist board and take it from there! Global (primary influences) are mixed and matched to create a global design tour at home and bring in a real sense of escapism. And don’t feel that this look has to be traditional – update your references and you’ll update your final style!
Pattern Pride
Become the Prince or Princess of prints this season and use pattern to enhance your home and add drama. Art Nouveau and Art Deco inspired, botanicals, paisley, brocade, elegant animal prints, stripes and geometric patterns and motifs appear in decorative accessories and furnishings.
Reinvention
This year is a great one for delving into the past to come up with the future as new interpretations and re-editions of tried and tested home classics continue to signify.Just as in the motoring industry, where icons have been reborn with new technology like the Mini, and the VW Beetle, your choice of home furniture and accessories can follow suit. Think of retro diner style coffee makers that work at the push of a 21st century button, digital ‘Roberts’ radios and retro looking record turntables that connect to your computer and you’re well on the way! This trend is all about mixing traditional with technological!
Independence
This season it’s all about you! Being your best, your most honest and your most comfortable at home as this trend’s focus is on independence! Take a stand and unleash the be(a)st in your home – find your style, explore the inner you and totally be at one with your home space.There are no borderlines between retro, past and present but you should be aware of key trends and rebel against them as designer anarchy takes over…