Adding the finishing touches this spring

We are all familiar with the dramatic patterns of accent walls and chandelier lighting that have been so popular in the autumn and winter. Dramatic does makes a statement, but most of our Cumbrian homes can only cope with so much and there is a time limit on how long we want to live with it!

At this time of year the sun is so low in the sky that it highlights wear and tear very well – it is no wonder then, that spring is traditionally a great time to refurbish rooms with a fresh cheery glow that uplifts the spirits.

We have just returned from several home and interior shows and were surprised to note that there were no really new trends appearing. What was evident was the move to more mainstream interior fabrics and wallpapers – the kind that most of us would have in our own homes.

The colours were certainly more useable; sage greens, duck egg blue and most popular were the pinks. The floral theme is also very strong – but with emphasis on true representation of flowers rather than the stylised versions in the large designs we saw last winter. The designers have put in a lot of effort to make them look more modern and interesting – and keen to avoid the dated stylised look of the 80’s which featured many more blue and yellow flowers!

Our homes are much less cluttered than in the 80’s and we still love our neutral walls. Last winter we wanted the added personality that accent papers and patterned cushions bring. Things have moved on again for the spring and florals are creeping in to larger pieces like a chair or a sofa. The beauty of using floral fabric for curtains or furnishings is that they work well with your existing colours schemes because they are a mixture of colour.