What’s New in Interiors

Let’s go shopping for some new things to liven up our homes as we wait for a long-anticipated blast of summer sunshine

Our perpetual optimism that a bad winter means a summer heatwave is rarely proven, but one thing we have control over is the atmosphere in our interiors, bringing something new, bright and cheery to our space regardless of outdoor conditions.

A cushion, a mirror, a rug or a framed art print can give your chair, floor or wall a new identity and some seasonal style to shift not only a room’s mood but our own mood too.

Personality over permanence

Living lightly is a surprise development in interiors, driven mainly by the shortage of homes to buy which in turn has driven the numbers renting upwards. But as more people are living in rentals, sublets and temporary spaces, it seems it’s not always because they have no other choice.

You might have to share space with the design choices of other people who lived there before you or a landlord who decorates and furnishes on the cheap, but you can through your own curation of accessories gently anchor yourself to the space. Having favourite pieces around you can help compensate for the lack of permanence, and for those who like to move frequently and experience living in new locations, they get to take their own taste with them to make their new place immediately feel it has their mark on it.

Prints, for example, will travel with ease and have a light, non-permanent touch of the tenant’s personality, making the new place feel homely immediately.

Get the look: Our new collection of artworks including Leaves Change, Tone Tandem and Licorice (from €119) add vibrant abstraction to counter the effects of a favourite paint choice of landlords everywhere, magnolia. For art with a more figurative quality, both human and canine, Hidden Figures (€139), and Green Hound (€99) are eye-catching options.

Wall Art Collection

Whimsical Décor

If you’re looking for joy in your space, something to prompt a smile as you walk through the door, whimsey might be what you’re missing. After years of tightly wound minimalism, colour, pattern and vintage themes are the way to go. Nothing overwhelming, just a thoughtful accent here and there will do the trick.

We’re loving how Dutch blue and white delph is having a moment away from the world of ceramics, showing up in art prints and woven into rugs. Admittedly, you have to let your guard down with whimsical décor but you’re not abandoning good design by any means when you introduce the trend.

Get the look: If you love antique ginger jars but don’t have the real thing, and you don’t particularly want fragile ceramic pots around, what about a pair of prints depicting them? Measuring 100cm x 100cm, they’ll take up serious wall real estate and get a conversation going. Go a step further with the Renuu vintage Bala blue rug (from €85) which has the same colours and pattern theme.

Mirrors also add whimsey if they have unusual features. The Maxine’s swirling vortex frame has the optical illusion of movement (€199) finished in antique gold, but if you want to go with something more contemporary, relax your desire for perfect symmetry with the Luna irregular framed mirror in bright yellow gold or black (€89).

Luna Organic Black Irregular Shape Mirror

Granny Chic

Get out the patchwork quilt: Granny chic, also known as grand-millennial chic, has truly embedded itself in our design psyche, maybe as a result of our long-lasting winter when cosy textiles are coveted and comfort a priority. The look works with so many interior design styles, especially when there’s a contemporary twist included.

Get the look: The Heritage Collection now includes a white oak wooden bed frame (5ft king €799) playing to our love of nostalgia with its turned legs and head board finials, but in a subtle way so it wouldn’t look out of place in a modern home.

Add in the Selma vintage terracotta rug (from €90) and the Lucille wooden table lamp with its traditional fabric shade (€119).

Granny chic goes al fresco with the Oxford beige rattan dining chair (€224), its lines echoing the design of Lloyd Loom chairs of the 1930s. Another take on this classic design brought right up to date is the Celine set of two chairs with a matching table (€399) for when you have a friend round for a pot of tea and a slice of cake, making the most of sunny days outdoors.