Interior design: how to sort the long-term design directions from passing fads
Sorting the long-term design directions from passing fads can be tricky, especially if you want spark in your spaces.
Interiors
Don't miss out on the headlines from Interiors. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Sorting the long-term design directions from passing fads can be tricky, especially if you want spark in your spaces.
When you’re taking on a big building project, it can be a relief to get past some of the more tedious aspects, like sorting out insulation or placing plumbing and power points. Armed with images from Pinterest and Instagram, the urge to let your inner interior designer run wild can be strong.
But if you plan to stay in your home long term, it’s worth considering your choice of materials carefully to create a look you’ll love living with. Plus, if you’re looking at re-sale value, you need to think beyond personal taste.
Q. We’re looking at a significant renovation, including the kitchen and living room. We have a floorplan but we’re bogged down on some of the basic choices around flooring, tiles and benchtops. What would you say is still going to look good in 10 years’ time?
A. We’re all searching for that ‘timeless’ look for our interiors. Changing up your home is not as easy or as affordable as, say, overhauling your wardrobe. But interior designer Richard Archer, from Archer Design, says there are some basics to consider if you’re hoping to create a look that will serve you for some time.
“The simpler you keep things, the safer you are,” he says. “If the materials are trusted and we know them to be stylish and timeless – which is a dangerous word – then you’re on solid ground.”
While it might be tempting, avoid up-to-the-minute colour choices in favour of neutrals.
“Last year I saw avocado toilets and basins on the market – I remember that look from the ’70s,” he says. “If you think of a palette that is not too colourful and quite restrained that you can add and subtract from, that’s a much safer step.”
Q. Are there trends that have had more staying power than others that we could go with?
A. We like to think that the classics have always been the same, but they continue to evolve, albeit at a slower pace than passing trends. Most people would not think of putting in an enclosed kitchen these days, but the open plan kitchen only really became standard from the mid 1990s.
Marble has only come back into vogue in the past decade or so, and is now being specified in a myriad of colours, from pinks and burgundies to golds and greens. If you’re getting overwhelmed Richard says it’s worth looking further back in time for inspiration.
“Yves Saint Laurent said ‘fashion fades but style is eternal’,” says Richard. “White marble has been in style since Roman times, so you can’t really go wrong.”
Similarly, timber floors, which were once concealed under old carpets, have proved their staying power, although their profile has started to change more recently.
“People are looking for new ways to use floorboards. I have a client at the moment who wants to swap her narrow boards for wide boards but herringbone, chevron and Marseilles patterns are all stylish options.”
Q. What should we avoid?
A. Common sense can be a better guide to material choices than you might realise. Materials or fittings that will be time consuming to use or clean probably won’t stay in fashion for long.
“Do you remember corner spas and baths? It would take a week to fill those things up,” says Richard. “Right now, people are interested in tiles with a handmade quality and slightly rough edges. That’s going to become tiresome. It’s very hard to keep clean and most of us want things that are easy to wipe down.”
While some trend watchers have suggested that white subway tiles have had their time, Richard says they will always be in style.
“A white subway tile has beautiful proportions, especially if it’s laid in a beautiful, calming grid – that’s very reassuring,” he says. “If you partner that with a calm, dark timber veneer in the kitchen, you can’t go wrong.”
Q. Won’t it all be a bit boring?
A. Even if you keep the palette quite restrained, that doesn’t mean it will lack life.
“Those simple, tonal palettes are safer. Some people might interpret that as boring but it’s a bit like the interior equivalent of a little black dress – it will never go out of style, even if the jewellery you wear with it changes,” says Richard.
Painting the walls, swapping cushions and even changing the floor rugs are all much easier options than replacing the kitchen benchtops or the living room floor.
And there’s nothing to say that you have to follow trends. If you’ve opted for a benchtop in a colour you’ve always loved, chances are you’ll be happy to live with it for the next few years to come.
“If you think it’s something you can live with for a long time, have the confidence to go with it – it’s all about balance, harmony and design,” says Richard.
Robyn Willis is The Fixer. here to answer all your home improvement, renovation and repair questions. Email us at athome@news.com.au
‘Perfect’: $1500 item found at Kmart for $27
A popular product that is 57 times cheaper than the most expensive version has landed once again at a budget department store.
Aussie kitchen item banned from January 1
Australians will no longer be able to import this everyday kitchen item into the country from January 1, 2025 after the government announced it was banned.