Over 64% of Australians live in major cities and there is an increasing trend for fast paced, busy lifestyles. This has caused the need for more flexible, multi-purpose furniture pieces. One of the key design trends this season is versatility. Lounge and dining pieces have indoor luxury and outdoor comfort and style. They can be used for any setting including commercial, residential, indoor and outdoor. Also perfect for inner-city dwellers, adaptable furniture is now available. Sofas now act as a sofa, chaise and bed. Tables are adjustable to increase or decrease in size.
It’s all about storage. Designers are finding innovative, new places for storage for all rooms of the house. For the bedroom, wardrobes and beds are well designed to ensure every nook and cranny is put to use. Other rooms of the house are also being used for stow away space including trays, shelves and racks in the kitchen and ottomans in the lounge.
Brightly painted, wooden furniture has long been popular in European countries like France, Italy and Spain. Modern furniture is copying the French provincial style of hand carved, imperfect finishes by using crackling and artificial wear and tear. This gives the feel of scars of a bygone era with the charm and design of an antique piece of furniture.
Environmental change, stress and turmoil can influence our mood and it seems that society is compensating by wanting more fun. This is clearly seen in one of this years biggest trends – bright, bold colours. From fabrics similar to ‘60s Pucci prints with motifs and cheerful floral patterns to child-like shapes and line drawings. Colours such as fuchsia, electric green and orange are all the rage.
From one extreme to another, clean and simple colours also remain popular this season. Clean lines, white and stainless steel are still dominant in furniture. Natural materials and colours such as chocolate brown, khaki and grey also blend well to give the home a warm, natural, outdoorsy feel. And the best part about this trend is that it matches almost anything!