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?

Explore Zoffany Furniture with Living Interiors

As the Christmas season draws closer, many of us are already casting our minds to the comforts of home, family and celebration. Preparing for guests over winter can be rather daunting, especially if your home is in desperate need of a little interior rejuvenation. Sure, your kitchen may be perfectly equipped to accommodate the colossal task of Christmas dinner, but what about your living room?

After indulging in the riches of a yuletide feast, it’s not uncommon for family and friends to retire to the lounge for restful leisure. If there was ever a better time to invest in that additional armchair or sofa suite, it’s now. Living Interiors are proud to stock luxury Zoffany furniture – one of the worlds’ most widely revered leading fabric and wallpaper designers.

With Armchairs, Footstools and Sofas to choose from; it’s easy to bring the elegance and refined artistry of Zoffany into your home. With over 30 years of experience in specialist design, we have absolute faith in the Zoffany brand as well as the elegance, sophistication and consistency of their design team’s output.

Take a look at some choice picks from our online catalogue...

Tavistock Footstool

Tavistock - 2 Seat Sofa

Albany Armchair

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

A Brief History of the Microsoft Wallpaper!

Think back to your first personal computer – what year was it and who made it?

Back in the early 1990s, the idea of owning a home computer was still considered a great luxury as people struggled to both afford a system and find a reason to bother using one. Sure, there was plenty of software on the market in the form of business programmes, games and such but the average home owner needn't worry. Then the internet happened and overnight, people were equally confused and excited by this baffling new form of networking.

One of the first Microsoft systems to beckon in the domestic web era was the Windows 3.1 but it was Windows 95 that helped the PC become almost as commonplace in the home as a Hi-Fi or VCR. One of the most resonant memories people hold of their own computers actually tends to be their desktop wallpaper – much how people remember childhood bedrooms and homes based on the interior decoration. For a little nostalgic fun, we’ve compiled a little historical tread through the last twenty or so years of Microsoft default desktop wallpapers and boot screens!

Windows 3.1 (1992)

One of the fancier pre-installed themes...

Windows 95

Very inspired...

Windows 98

What a boot screen!

Windows ME

The infamous Windows ME or ‘Mistake Edition’ as many call it...

Windows XP

Ah, Bliss!

Windows Vista

Welcome to the future! It’s very wavey.

Windows 7

Back to basics!

Windows 8

Dreamy, no?

What’s your favourite desktop? Let LivingInteriors know on Facebook and Twitter.

Top Five Bizarre Furniture Designs

While the furniture we supply at LivingInteriors definitely leans toward the more conventional side of taste, we are not averse to admiring the eccentric designs of others. A quick look on the internet reveals a ton of weird and wonderful furniture designs made for everything from serving wine glasses to... driving.

Check our top five oddball furniture designs!

• Human Furniture

Not literal human flesh - that would be ghastly. Instead we have a finely carved pair of stiletto heels holding up a circular table top with indentations to hold your wine glasses. It’s an ace design and one which could easily be carried around at a whacky dinner party!

• Edd China Breezy Sofa Car

Remember this? Clever chap that Edd.

• Slither Into Your Seat

If you happen to have a strange adoration of snakes and scorpions then you’ll be in good company with these intriguing chairs.

•   Tiger Sofa

No thanks.

•  The Infamous Cheeseburger Bed

This cheeseburger bed has made quite the name for itself over the years and despite being home made it ended up changing hands online several times.

Got a personal favourite you'd like to share with us on Facebook and Twitter? Let Living Interiors know!

Weird and Wonderful Wallpaper

Wallpaper is an essential part of contemporary interior design but it wasn’t always considered as such. In fact, the BBC ran a rather informative three part series titled ‘The Story ofWallpaper’ back in 2013 as part of its ‘Fabric of Britain’ feature on BBC4. Unfortunately it seems to be currently unavailable on iPlayer but if you happen to come by it, Living Interiors recommend taking a look.

Today, wallpaper often makes up a core focus of our homes, leading us to consistently chop and change design to keep up with the changing tides of style. With individualism at the fore, many people have let loose on their walls with a bold sense of the weird and wonderful. We’ve scoured the net for some of the strangest wallpaper designs set to stone... check them out below...

·         Set Nature Free

Astonishingly, a green wall is actually a thing and can really help purify the oxygen levels in your home. Your wallpaper will literally be a vertical garden in itself but as you can imagine, maintenance would be key. Here’s an image taken from a shop designed by Korean architectural auteurs Mass Studies.

Source: http://www.massstudies.com/

·         Bananas!

Potassium junkies, Andy Warhol and scratch and sniff fans rejoice! For only a few hundred dollars you can live in a domestic banana smelling jungle!

Source: http://www.flavorpaper.com/wallpaper/detail_in_cat/52/88/B-A-N-A-N-A-S

·         What Sharpie’s Were Made For

This might be the single most economically striking work of wallpaper art we’ve seen yet. For $10, Charlie Kratzer from South Lexington, Kentucky illustrated a plethora of vivid images across his basement walls to create a truly singular interior atmosphere. Check out this news story here and marvel at his work!

·         Piero Fornasetti Montage

This marvellous montage of Fornasetti images makes for a wonderful testament to the late Italian painter, sculptor and decorator. Visually appeasing for casual onlookers and art aficionados alike.  

Source: https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/471189179734513890/

·         Can You Feel the Force?

... of this surprisingly tasteful Star Wars wallpaper?

Source: https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/471189179734195483/

What’s your favourite oddball wallpaper? Let Living Interiors know on Facebook and Twitter.