Decorex SA reveals the 2017 trends

AS 2016 draws to an end, we are entering a new era of quiet, self-reflective luxury where inspiration is drawn from the natural world.

Leaders in the décor, design and lifestyle industry, Decorex SA has encapsulated the 2017 trends in its theme Make your space your living dream, with the expos – being held in Durban, Cape Town and Joburg – creating a platform for this revitalised concept.

Sian Cullingworth, Portfolio Director, explained: “The 2017 trends push us to take time out from the plugged-in world where textured furnishings, soothing hues and cosy nooks revitalise the soul and mind, rebooting us for the outside world.”

 

Interior inspiration

Drawing from the Danish ethos of ‘hygge’, the 2017 trend embraces a more centred, calm lifestyle where warmth and wellbeing are elevated within our own spaces, allowing us to achieve a continuous sense of comfort and happiness through a form of escapism.

In an attempt to create this serene space, natural energy is harnessed through the notion of ‘biomimicry’. This movement emulates nature’s time-tested patterns and strategies within the human world as a way to seek sustainable solutions. Within the arena of interiors, this translates into natural colours, textures and patterns within the home.

 

Colour Comforts

White on white

Starting with a clean slate, this crisp look is powered by the desire to switch off, protecting ourselves from the barrage of noise that accompanies the outside world. An indicator of emotional wellbeing, white promotes this notion of replenishing seclusion that connects the 2017 trends.

“This ethereal, almost intangible décor echoes an urge to discover the inaccessible while liberating ourselves from manmade conventions and the everyday monotony of life,” said Cullingworth.

Black over black

On the other side of the spectrum is the movement towards black set upon black differentiated by various textures. While also cleansing, where the white encourages enlightenment the black promotes more introspection and rest.

“A somewhat unexpected trend, we are seeing this Noir movement taking hold, although this is the last of black trending so enjoy it while it lasts,” encouraged Cullingworth.

Black and white deconstruction

The merging of the two aforementioned colour trends creates an extremely powerful contrast of black and white imagery. This power-clashing trend brings in the rejuvenating white while anchoring the design with mood sustaining black.

 

Tender Touch

Tactility trend

The smooth finish of the digital world has created a desire for contact with rough, textured elements within our #livingdream which can be achieved through the use of throws, accent cushions, natural woven fabrics and hints of metal within wood.

“We crave more than the touch of metal,” explained Cullingworth. “There is an inherent need to feel the various textures that we encounter outdoors. It’s a comforting, revitalising sense that makes us feel whole.”

Scanned theme

Integrating the technological world with that of interiors, the transparent aesthetic highlights the poetic, artistic nature of the electronic world using light, airy materials.

“The use of x-ray at airports, ever-watching street cameras and cellphone photography means that our lives, inside and out, are constantly on display,” said Cullingworth. “This trend is a way of embracing the inevitable by accentuating the beauty of the scan, its underlying fragility and transparency.”

This trend is given life through the use of x-ray materials, transparent fabrics, floaty silks and sheers which ultimately create a gentle romance that both reveals what lies below while bringing in an optimistic lightness. This harkens to our explorative nature, forever seeking what lies beneath, constantly searching for answers.

Urban jungle

A primal desire to reconnect with the natural world, insulating us from electronics, is seeing elements of nature seeping into the 2017 designs, with dark shades of green set against tan leathers, brass lamps and natural linen.

“The creation of an ‘urban jungle’ is bringing about a return to the natural aesthetic for interiors with genuinely rustic wood, natural woven baskets and botanical prints coming through,” said Cullingworth. “This ties in perfectly with the sustainability drive which has taken hold of the interiors’ world where natural, responsibly-sourced materials are taking precedence.”

 

Show stopping shapes

Large wallpaper prints

Creating a big statement is the wallpaper print trend where non-repetitive patterns and designs are displayed in the home. There is no use of tiled graphics but rather large murals printed on wallpaper more closely representing large-scale artwork than traditional décor.

The wallpaper ranges from linear designs to large floral prints all with an impactful, playful element that serves to create a #livingdream.

Just wordy and furniture tattoos

Providing a creative outlet for the inner artist, uninhibited doodles, vibrant etchings and inner monologues are being projected onto clothing and furniture in the form or ‘tattoos’. Once again touching on the black and white colour contrast, the design emulates artistic notebooks and design sketchings before final creation.

“All interior is a form of creative expression and the tattoo trend is a very vivid example of our need to express ourselves in a very real way,” explained Anita Bloom, Creative Director Decorex SA. “The clean slate is being brought to life through seemingly nonsensical words and imagery that work their way into an entrancing pattern.”

Moving towards the other side of human nature is the need to control and manage the mayhem by placing items in frames or boxes. This is evident in the linear trend which is a modern, simplistic design, which echoes the ‘thin black line’ trend, but taking it further with the use of vibrant colour. While the straight lines provide structure and control, the eye is quickly drawn to the playful colours that remind us of our more spontaneous characteristics.

Special space

That #livingdream can be found ensconced in one of 2017’s comforting cocoon-like trends, the cosy hovering. Found in both indoor and outdoor hanging swings, these gentle spaces force us to disconnect from the intrusion of technology and find serenity in the freeing motion, yet secure environment of the swing. Undoubtedly connected to a womb-like comfort, this trend is an extension of the ‘cosy nook’ movement where we are being encouraged to replenish with meaningful human interaction or a good book.

“We’re seeing more relaxed furniture – such as the hanging swings – oversized seats and daybeds which create havens of calm and tranquillity,” said Bloom. “These are spaces for quiet introspection or one-on-one human interaction without the use of gadgets.”