THE INSIDE STORY
1 Rise of wabi-sabi
The biggest trend in design this year was imported straight from Japan. It is all about celebrating warmth, cosiness and infusing your space with a soul – aka the Japanese philosophy of ‘wabi-sabi’ which transforms old, raw and imperfect things to perfection. What made wabi-sabi click was that it celebrated imperfections. The year saw a rise of wooden furniture with rough textures, wobbly-shaped pottery and linen textiles that were not smooth. The focus was on beauty of repair.
2 Romance bright colours
People embraced dark tones and look-at-me colours. The walls were offset by large-scale floral prints, especially in wallpapers.
3 All green thumbs
Gardening was not just for people with backyards and budgets. Indoor plants, terrariums and miniature creepers were the rage. Windowsill herb gardens, DIY pots and creative plant arrangements nicely rounded up the green year.
4 Open-plan spaces
Interiors celebrated open spaces – and the trend is going to stay strong in 2019. Building a home? Have a no-wall scheme where the kitchen looks in to the living room and the bedrooms into balconies.
Forget picture windows, it’s about seethrough walls.
5 Scented candles
Not just for the festive season, candles became a year-around thing. To keep your home looking and smelling trendy, candles were lit up. This year, beeswax candles became popular as they are said to be non-polluting.
6 Quirky picks
From food furniture to custom prints and ‘look-at-me’ lighting solutions – interesting accents made a home. If you want something to perk up your indoor spaces, quirky is the way to go.
1 Rise of wabi-sabi
The biggest trend in design this year was imported straight from Japan. It is all about celebrating warmth, cosiness and infusing your space with a soul – aka the Japanese philosophy of ‘wabi-sabi’ which transforms old, raw and imperfect things to perfection. What made wabi-sabi click was that it celebrated imperfections. The year saw a rise of wooden furniture with rough textures, wobbly-shaped pottery and linen textiles that were not smooth. The focus was on beauty of repair.
2 Romance bright colours
People embraced dark tones and look-at-me colours. The walls were offset by large-scale floral prints, especially in wallpapers.
3 All green thumbs
Gardening was not just for people with backyards and budgets. Indoor plants, terrariums and miniature creepers were the rage. Windowsill herb gardens, DIY pots and creative plant arrangements nicely rounded up the green year.
4 Open-plan spaces
Interiors celebrated open spaces – and the trend is going to stay strong in 2019. Building a home? Have a no-wall scheme where the kitchen looks in to the living room and the bedrooms into balconies.
Forget picture windows, it’s about seethrough walls.
5 Scented candles
Not just for the festive season, candles became a year-around thing. To keep your home looking and smelling trendy, candles were lit up. This year, beeswax candles became popular as they are said to be non-polluting.
6 Quirky picks
From food furniture to custom prints and ‘look-at-me’ lighting solutions – interesting accents made a home. If you want something to perk up your indoor spaces, quirky is the way to go.