Inspire Your Inner Designer This Summer!

Like all aesthetic choices which pertain to domestic life, interior design is very much a subjective preference. 2016 has already seen plenty of trends come and go, but with the arrival of summer, a new wave of designs grace us for consideration. Sunshine, holidays, and rejuvenation – summer is the perfect time to reconsider the way your home represents you. At Living Interiors we believe strongly in the importance of bespoke; an ethos we feel is well represented by our diverse catalogue of wallpapers, fabrics, furniture and lamps.

If you’ve found inspiration eluding you this summer, fear not, we’ve compiled some intuitive YouTube clips to help refuel your creative motor!

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·         Feeling visually refreshed? Explore the Living Interiors Online website and make your own summer vision a reality. You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter so drop on by and say hi!

The Zoffany Palette

Did you know that Living Interiors have a monthly mailing list? Yes!  Every month, we’ll share the latest news, updates and sales with you directly via your e-mail inbox. It’s an old method, we know that, but hey – it works! If you’d like to receive the latest nattering from Living Interiors, simply leave your first name and e-mail address with us via the online form on our home page (just to the right!).

In other news, we’ve been thinking about our stock of Zoffanypaint stock a lot lately. It seems the people you lovely London folk have been using this fine weather as a means to freshen up your domestic paint jobs. If you’d like to take a look at our Zoffany paint available online, you can do so here:

• ·         Acrylic Eggshell
• ·         Colour Swatch Chart
• ·         Elite Emulsion
• ·         Flat Emulsion
• ·         Oil Eggshell
• ·         Sample Pots

Expect a diverse range of colours available across all paint styles – if there’s something you’re looking for but can’t spot it online, be sure to get in touch via livinginteriors@btconnect.com.

For further updates from Living Interiors please like and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Incoming Springtime Trends That'll Be Huge

With spring upon us, take a look at some of the trends that will take over for this season.

Black and White

Minimalism is great. You can use it in many ways to show off your home, leading into spring there has been a rise with more muted colour palettes. Within Pinterest, black and white decor has increased by 40 percent.

Matte Finishes

Last year there was a focus on everything metallic. Now this year designers are going for the exact opposite texture. Oxidized metals, matte glazes and chalk-finish paints - they all look great with metallic objects!

Macramé

Got to love Pinterest, it helps you find the best kind of style and any new trend popping up. Macramé textiles have become way more popular than they were last year! Give it a shot incorporating this 70s trend into your home!

Marble Accents

Before you get a chance to freak out about adding a ton of marble into your home, we’re here to focus on the small touches of luxury that marble can bring. Try adding a hint of marble with candle-holders, coasters, planters and some really nice looking clocks.

Grey Hardwood Floors

People are trading their wooden wall art and monograms for a much more sophisticated grey hardwood floor, more and more are going along with the less-is-more idea these bring with them.

What do you make of these predicted trends? Let the Living Interiors team know on Facebook and Twitter.

Wonderful Wallpaper Facts

It’s Friday at last!

Of course you already know this and are likely counting down the minutes until the weekend is yours, but hey – we’re still working. For a little afternoon fun, the Living Interiors team has compiled some interesting interior design trivia that you may, or may not know. Rather than state the obvious, we’ve had a wee fish around online facts that’ll knock your socks off...

• The first documented use of wallpaper is approximately dated 200 B.C in China. The Chinese subsequently passed on much of their creative knowledge to international cultures which allowed the art of wallpaper craft to flourish in subsequent centuries.

• As for the West, the oldest preserved wallpaper in Europe dates back to 1509. These tattered relics were discovered in the Lodge of Christ’ College in Cambridge from external beams.

• Most consumables have a so called ‘golden age’ and wallpaper is no different. This came in the 1920s when a staggering 400 million rolls were believed to have been produced and sold.

• Way back in 1778, the King of France Louis XVI decided that the length of a wallpaper roll must be approximately 34 feet – he subsequently decreed it!

• America was arguably rather late to jump on the wallpaper bandwagon; it is believed the US widely adopted its use in 1739 after the Philadelphia printer ‘Plunket Fleeson’ began distribution.

• Did you know that there is a suspected link between Schelle’s Green wallpaper and Napoleons’ death? Seriously!

If you have any trivial facts you’d like to share with the Living Interiors team, please do jot them down on our Facebook and Twitter.

What’s in store for home trends in 2016?

Well according to some of the biggest names in homes design this year we will see changes once more to how we furnish and style our homes.

Kitchens

It’s all about the black stainless steel and cabinets that don’t match. Now for some people cabinets that don’t match will be a step too far. Imagine having a mixture of cupboard doors. Will this really be something that catches on? For many of us that like the clean matching look we are not sure just how popular this will become. It’s enough that we are saying goodbye to polished chrome in favour of black stainless steel. Another kitchen trend tipped to be big this year is unfinished, unvarnished plywood. Yep the kitchen drawers and doors made of plywood. It would certainly save a lot of money but not sure it would impress the guests?

Bathrooms

How bathrooms have changed over the years. We have gone from green and beige with flower power shower curtains to all white matching suites and tiles and now it seems we are mixing it up in the bathroom with stylish contemporary taps, rainfall showers and square basins/toilets. The bathroom has never looked so good and what better way to top it off than a statement mirror? A beautiful LED mirror can make a huge difference to not only the light available but also how the bathroom looks overall. Tiles are also bigger! Gone are the small tiles that took forever to apply. Now they are big and can be used portrait or landscape to tile the entire bathroom. Great for keeping the bathroom clean but what about when you fancy a change?

Décor

Hold on to your hats apparently we are about to liven up our living rooms with jungle prints and bold statement colours with over the top 70’s inspired accessories. The good news, if you aren’t a fan of bold and brash, is that we should be keeping it neutral in the kitchen.

Let’s be honest though we aren't all trend followers and whilst we may see these examples in glossy magazines and at exhibitions are we going to take them into our hearts and our homes?