Trends: 7 Great Ideas to Borrow From May Design Series 2015
Interiors shows are brilliantly inspiring places to pick up tips and get a preview of design trends before they hit the shops
Kate Burt
27 May 2015
Houzz UK. I'm a journalist and editor, previously for the Independent, Guardian and various magazines. I'm now excited to part of the editorial team at Houzz UK & Ireland, bringing the best of British and Irish design, interiors and architecture to Houzz.com.
Houzz UK. I'm a journalist and editor, previously for the Independent, Guardian and... More
We got an exclusive peek into May Design Series (MDS), a trade-only interiors event that gives a tantalising glimpse of some of the newest furniture and accessories coming soon to our favourite shops. Pieces and ideas from more than 20 countries were on show – everything from the latest styles of kitchen tap to emerging bathroom trends and freshly launched lighting and textiles, alongside an area for some of the design world’s hottest new talent. (And, of course, the Houzz team were in full force, too.) Here are some of the standout ideas from this year’s show, along with tips for using them in your own home.
Where May Design Series, London
When Spring 2015
Where May Design Series, London
When Spring 2015
Interesting taps
Fellow design nerds will understand that it’s possible to develop a crush on something like a bathroom tap. And there were some real beauties at the show.
Matt black taps are increasingly popping up in bathrooms on Houzz, and there were some particularly good-looking freestanding models to admire at MDS, along with a matt red version – a surprisingly workable newcomer to the trend – both by Astro. These fuss-free taps work especially well against a minimal backdrop and, at the show, both red and black looked fantastic paired with small square white tiles and dark grouting. Très moderne.
Taking the metallics trend in a pleasingly practical direction, Sedn’s brushed-gold kitchen tap was also rather alluring – and a variation on still-popular copper and brass. Plus, non-shiny finishes are so much better for disguising fingermarks.
Fellow design nerds will understand that it’s possible to develop a crush on something like a bathroom tap. And there were some real beauties at the show.
Matt black taps are increasingly popping up in bathrooms on Houzz, and there were some particularly good-looking freestanding models to admire at MDS, along with a matt red version – a surprisingly workable newcomer to the trend – both by Astro. These fuss-free taps work especially well against a minimal backdrop and, at the show, both red and black looked fantastic paired with small square white tiles and dark grouting. Très moderne.
Taking the metallics trend in a pleasingly practical direction, Sedn’s brushed-gold kitchen tap was also rather alluring – and a variation on still-popular copper and brass. Plus, non-shiny finishes are so much better for disguising fingermarks.
Textured walls
Walls with 3D surfaces haven’t been this popular since the 1970s trend for textured paint finishes. Trompe l’oeil wallpapers depicting anything from library walls to stacked logs kick-started the idea, but a few years on, we seem keen to try the tactile real thing.
The fresh take on this trend is coming through in everything from wooden wall panels – spied at the show featuring small timber strips of different thicknesses, battered, mismatched planks and square blocks of endgrain – to stone cladding (more Swedish chalet than Del Boy’s flat, these days), and wallpaper with pattern you can feel. It’s a stylish twist on a rendered garden wall, too, as seen here – and, indoors or out, spotlighting is the way to max the effect.
Lending yet more kudos to this trend was the winner of the MDS New Design Britain Alumni Choice Award and recent Leeds College of Art graduate, Amy Bartlett, who’s a surface designer with a fondness for 3D. One to watch.
Walls with 3D surfaces haven’t been this popular since the 1970s trend for textured paint finishes. Trompe l’oeil wallpapers depicting anything from library walls to stacked logs kick-started the idea, but a few years on, we seem keen to try the tactile real thing.
The fresh take on this trend is coming through in everything from wooden wall panels – spied at the show featuring small timber strips of different thicknesses, battered, mismatched planks and square blocks of endgrain – to stone cladding (more Swedish chalet than Del Boy’s flat, these days), and wallpaper with pattern you can feel. It’s a stylish twist on a rendered garden wall, too, as seen here – and, indoors or out, spotlighting is the way to max the effect.
Lending yet more kudos to this trend was the winner of the MDS New Design Britain Alumni Choice Award and recent Leeds College of Art graduate, Amy Bartlett, who’s a surface designer with a fondness for 3D. One to watch.
Sculptural lighting
There were plenty of lamps and shades on show that were striking enough to be sculptural works of art in their own right. Vita’s showstopping feathered ceiling lampshades, Clifton Lighting’s angular wire pendants and Objekto’s Eclipse table lamp (pictured) were all good examples. Buying statement lighting may involve initial outlay, but designs that add a focal point to a room, as well as being functional, are a slick design trick, and there are plenty of budget-friendly options, too. A free-standing low lamp with a lovely shape like the one in this room can even lift an almost empty space when placed on bare floorboards in a corner. Or try it as a non-traditional desk or bedside light where it can be opened up for maximum power when needed.
With mains lighting, always consider fitting a dimmer switch to get even more flexibility from your investment.
Discover how to use feature lights to amp up a neutral space
There were plenty of lamps and shades on show that were striking enough to be sculptural works of art in their own right. Vita’s showstopping feathered ceiling lampshades, Clifton Lighting’s angular wire pendants and Objekto’s Eclipse table lamp (pictured) were all good examples. Buying statement lighting may involve initial outlay, but designs that add a focal point to a room, as well as being functional, are a slick design trick, and there are plenty of budget-friendly options, too. A free-standing low lamp with a lovely shape like the one in this room can even lift an almost empty space when placed on bare floorboards in a corner. Or try it as a non-traditional desk or bedside light where it can be opened up for maximum power when needed.
With mains lighting, always consider fitting a dimmer switch to get even more flexibility from your investment.
Discover how to use feature lights to amp up a neutral space
Lookalike surfaces
We were wowed by what appeared to be two giant bookmatched slabs of marble adorning the walls of one stand, only to take a closer look and discover they were, in fact, marble-effect porcelain tiles – just like the ones in the kitchen in this image. There was also some looky-likey action going on with several laminate worktops and splashbacks at the show – we did a double take at the photo-realistic replicas of various finishes at the Laminates stand.
New techniques in the production of wood-effect surfaces also mean that not only can timber alternatives look the part, but they also feel the part – and several pieces of strokeable furniture were in evidence at the show. It’s also a great new development for wood-look flooring.
Copycat materials can be cheaper, lighter and easier to care for than the originals they’re replicating. Mix and match replica surfaces with natural materials in your home to lend them even more authenticity.
We were wowed by what appeared to be two giant bookmatched slabs of marble adorning the walls of one stand, only to take a closer look and discover they were, in fact, marble-effect porcelain tiles – just like the ones in the kitchen in this image. There was also some looky-likey action going on with several laminate worktops and splashbacks at the show – we did a double take at the photo-realistic replicas of various finishes at the Laminates stand.
New techniques in the production of wood-effect surfaces also mean that not only can timber alternatives look the part, but they also feel the part – and several pieces of strokeable furniture were in evidence at the show. It’s also a great new development for wood-look flooring.
Copycat materials can be cheaper, lighter and easier to care for than the originals they’re replicating. Mix and match replica surfaces with natural materials in your home to lend them even more authenticity.
Geometric shapes
The New Design Britain area of the show was all about fresh UK design talent, and there was an accompanying award for some of the most promising names taking part. We were interested to see how the enduring trend for geometric patterns was very much visible among the winning designers’ work. It was there in Catherine MacGruer’s Tiles textiles, Samuel Bellamy’s angular Moroccan lamps and Daniel Lau’s Kai chevron-structured chairs (pictured), which won him an award in the furniture category.
The New Design Britain area of the show was all about fresh UK design talent, and there was an accompanying award for some of the most promising names taking part. We were interested to see how the enduring trend for geometric patterns was very much visible among the winning designers’ work. It was there in Catherine MacGruer’s Tiles textiles, Samuel Bellamy’s angular Moroccan lamps and Daniel Lau’s Kai chevron-structured chairs (pictured), which won him an award in the furniture category.
Fake foliage
The trend for living walls is only getting stronger but if the idea of all that upkeep is too much for you, this will bring you joy. Spotted at the show was this very realistic faux foliage by Urban Flora. It’s UV resistant, so it won’t fade in the sun, and tough enough to stand up to wind and rain.
Designers including Abigail Ahern have helped to make non-living plants a real trend, and this just goes to show how far you can go with the idea. You can also trick the eye by adding smaller flashes of the real thing to any faux displays.
Discover more ways to add a living wall to your outdoor space
The trend for living walls is only getting stronger but if the idea of all that upkeep is too much for you, this will bring you joy. Spotted at the show was this very realistic faux foliage by Urban Flora. It’s UV resistant, so it won’t fade in the sun, and tough enough to stand up to wind and rain.
Designers including Abigail Ahern have helped to make non-living plants a real trend, and this just goes to show how far you can go with the idea. You can also trick the eye by adding smaller flashes of the real thing to any faux displays.
Discover more ways to add a living wall to your outdoor space
Multi-tasking furniture
As living space for many of us continues to shrink, the need for furniture that works hard at more than one job remains popular.
Headboards with built-in storage are popular on Houzz, and there’s always a lot of love for secret desks that pull out of other pieces of furniture. A new idea, seen at the show and designed by up-and-coming talent, Heena Patel, was a child’s toy storage cart that magically turns into a small-person-sized desk (see below). So simple but so useful!
As living space for many of us continues to shrink, the need for furniture that works hard at more than one job remains popular.
Headboards with built-in storage are popular on Houzz, and there’s always a lot of love for secret desks that pull out of other pieces of furniture. A new idea, seen at the show and designed by up-and-coming talent, Heena Patel, was a child’s toy storage cart that magically turns into a small-person-sized desk (see below). So simple but so useful!
TELL US…
Which is your favourite idea here – and how would you incorporate it into your home? Share your thoughts or photos in the Comments below.
Which is your favourite idea here – and how would you incorporate it into your home? Share your thoughts or photos in the Comments below.
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VITA Feather ceiling light. At first glance, yes, it looks stunning, but take a closer look and see how many feathers it contains. The light is made in China, and the feathers are also from China. As China has absolutely no animal protection laws and has the most awful history of animal abuse, I can even begin to imagine the suffering the animal went through, just to produce a lampshade! I asked Vita how the feathers were sourced and if they checked that source, their reply "no, we just give it to the manufacturer to sort". This is simply not good enough. I for one would never consider buying anything that treats animals inhumanely. I should like to think that other designers would think the same.
Love the 3D wall multi tasking furniture and the childs storage cart is a brilliant idea any ideas on space are useful