As we perch on the edge of a brand new year, it’s always fun to guess what will be hot in the coming 12 months. What will be the rage on the fashion runways? And, most important to me, what new interior design trends will be sweeping the market? One of my favorite brand-new-year traditions is to ask interior style maker and trend spotter Holly Blalock to look into her crystal ball and share with us what she sees being the big new thing in interior design this year. Holly is the vice president of merchandising and marketing for CR Laine Furniture, one of my absolute favorite furniture makers, and she has an eye for fresh, new fashion for the home. Here’s what Holly’s lovin’ for ’16:
A Room Filled with “Cattitude”
I have always been a big fan of adding animal prints to the mix of fabrics in your décor. I like how this touch of the wild shakes things up a bit and offers us an interesting way to add patterns, like dots and stripes, to the story on a bed or sofa.
After watching models clad in animal prints saunter down the catwalk at all the big fall and spring fashion shows, Holly predicts exotic big cat prints will be making their way into home interiors. This year, Holly says, “There’s no stopping the magnetism of the powerful leopard as king of the pattern jungle.”
CR Laine is unleashing this Elle chair as part of its Tobi Fairley for CR Laine collection this year. The chic brass arms are wrapped in Cattitude Onyx fabric, which is so soft, Holly says you won’t be able to keep your paws off.
In this room scene, created by CR Laine, the designers boldly mixed traditional and modern. The sofa, with its shaped back and skirt, along with the floral wallpaper, lean into traditional, but the addition of a contemporary piece of art and the brass arms of the animal-print covered chair keep the room from being one-dimensional.
Holly says, “This collected look is not only appealing to the eye, it is the best way to manage your design budget. Instead of buying the matching pieces in a set all at one time, you can buy complimentary (not matching) pieces over time. However, I strongly advise creating an initial plan with the help of the staff at Nell Hill’s, who are trained in space planning and color layering. A mismanaged collected look can cause frustration and you can miss your overall design goal.” I think that’s great advice!
Walls Washed in Bold Paper
Here’s the same room scene, but without the art so you can see the wall of wow: artistic wallpaper. This particular paper is by Fromental luxury wall coverings and was custom scaled to fit the wall size and custom colored for the colors CR Laine selected for this room scene.
Sizzling Accent Colors
Holly says one of her favorite things about the room scene above is the addition of the throw pillows on the sofa. She’s crazy about the luxurious new velvet, called Radiant Orchid. She shares: “This is exemplary of how the addition of one or two bright pops (via decorative pillows or accessories) creates all-new dimension. Keep this in mind when you are refreshing your design. A few small but critical purchases can inspire new emotion in your room.”
Spaces Bathed in Blue
Every year, Pantone picks the color of the year. For 2016, they parted with tradition and picked two colors. I’m thrilled to share that Serenity, a pale shade of blue, was one. Hip, hip, hooray for blue, my lifelong color crush!
There is a lot we disagree on as Americans, Holly says, but decorating our homes with various shades of blue is something that brings us all together. As a lifelong fan of blue, I wholeheartedly agree. Holly is predicting that blue will come on even stronger in the coming year. In the room scene above, from CR Laine, the designers have mixed a variety of shades together, from the quiet tones in the sofa to the nearly black, inky shade of blue in the swivel chair.
Pretty in Pink
Pantone’s second color pick? Rose Quartz, a soft and powdery pink. When CR Laine introduced a similar blush color and mixed it up with greens and creamy whites for their fall collection, I fell in love. This collection by CR Laine’s design collaborator Tobi Fairley is soft and sensual, yet spunky, and dripping with glamour. We are having fun working the pieces into our room scenes at Nell Hill’s.
Many of us were over the moon about pink when we were little girls. And even though we outgrew our bubblegum pink rooms, a part of our hearts never let go. That’s why I gravitate toward this soft blush pink: It allows us to add this favorite back into our lives once again, but in a sophisticated, stylish way.
Holly shares, “Tobi Fairley brought this barely there color into her collection with CR Laine with her signature bold, bright and tailored style. This room is filled with dynamic color, thanks to the layering of a saturated green velvet.”
A Bit of Whimsy
When I decorate a space, I like to add one or two surprises that make people smile, a bit of whimsy that leads to delight. After all, life is just better when you’re smiling, isn’t it? When I spotted this fabric that depicts internationally renowned American artist Hunt Slonem’s bunnies, I was smiling ear to ear. CR Laine has used it to cover a swivel chair, and we have it at Nell Hill’s. Love!
A Few More Predictions
Holly’s crystal ball shows …
- Gray will continue to be king of neutrals. But look for this color favorite to show its warm side as it will be paired with whispers of colors like lilac, blush and sky.
- Nail trim continues to make a statement as we find new ways to feature this accent.
- Because technology is turning hard copy books into antiques, look for books to become a favorite accessory.
Next Week … I’ll share my favorite furniture styles and looks for the coming year, to celebrate the beginning of our huge upholstered furniture sale, which kicks off on Jan. 15.
