spring trends from tara

I’m so excited to see the trend for ‘Newstalgia’ keeps going this Spring and as we all crave time at home relaxing, being surrounded by the familiar is a trend that sits well with me.

Comfortable, older styles of furniture and nostalgic accessories are being reinvented with a modern twist.  Designers are taking styles from the past and using fresh new colours and materials to recreate them. 

With this in mind, keep an eye out this season for romance - certainly as far as furniture shapes go, and particularly note the attention to detail and hand finished touches.  These include fringing, buttons, patches and mix and match fabrics in playful combinations. 

fabrics

To add personality to the dullest room, new season fabrics and accessories are bright and full of colour.  Expect to see lots of pattern this year as well as fun ‘fifties’ polka dots.  Stripes are still big, and speaking of big, oversized florals are a huge this season!  Fashion house Missoni continues to be a real style leader with it’s fabulous use of colour – I am loving their motif this year, which is the ‘Dahlia’.  

wallpaper

Don’t miss the trend for quality ‘designer’ wallpapers which are still popular overseas but a little slower to take off here in Australia.  Wall paper is easy to apply and not as difficult to remove as you might think and for the incredible style value they can add to a room, well worth the effort.   I would always recommend wallpaper for a feature wall or to highlight areas like niches or a plain chimney breast.  Otherwise definitely use it to line a special cupboard for a fabulous look. 

treasure online

Buying if you’re into op-shopping or finding treasures on-line for your kitchen, look out for retro acrylic and melamine accessories in bright colours or geometric patterns.  Vintage plates, canisters, cups and bowls as well as cutlery can be mixed in with your everyday modern stuff to give a look that is super hot right now.  Keep this in mind to add ‘designer’ edge to your place. 

sofa style

For your sofa this season you can’t go past bright hand beaded and detailed cushions for instant lift.  Believe it or not, needlepoint cushions with 60’s and 70’s inspired themes and colours are all the rage so hunt them down or make some of your own!  And yes, knitting is back, as well as crochet, even lace for cushions, throws, edging and panels.  But if you’re thinking this all sounds way too old fashioned, think again, because this is the kind of stuff, even the movie stars just can’t get enough of!

colour

This season my favourite colours are clean, soft and fresh.  Look out for pure through to chalky white, soft coral pink, apple green, milky iced coffee shades, soft lavender grey as well as watery through to duck-egg blues.  These will all create a calm, relaxed room and work especially well with crisp, white painted wood work and polished timber floor boards. For texture, add a few natural fibred accessories like a sisal rug, wicker chair, as well as baskets for storage.  And because Spring evenings can still be cool, cosy up your sofa with a knitted throw rug as well as a few cushions in natural colours and soft fabrics like cotton, silk and linen.

outdoor style

Quality outdoor furniture and fabrics are key this season; forget outdoor ranges that don’t stand up to the elements – pay a little more and go for things that last.  One of the hottest looks this Spring for furniture is nautically inspired cool white.  Pair this with crisp navy or red and white striped cushioning and you’ll have a look straight from the South of France.  For tableware, colourful plastics such as the Sebastian Conran range for Guzzini are hotter than hot for BBQ and picnic accessories - making outdoor dining easy, fun and incredibly stylish.