The only guide you will need this year to know what is hot, cool and happening in interior design. Colours, textures, scale and techniques are all being covered in this comprehensive book by blogger Germarie Bruwer of Homeology.co.za. A must-have for any designer, decorator and design student.

2. f
A guide to the
hot, cool and awesome things to watch out for
in 2014.
A Publication of
www.playinghouse.co.za f t p

3. Zesty Lemon, Sunshine, Chartreuse, Canary and
Butter – anything goes this year as long as it’s
yellow. There is a growing need for something
inspiring and uplifting, especially at the beginning
of a year where there is optimism about what lies
ahead. Enter pops of Yellow in fashion, interiors
and product design alike. And of course the
favourite Yellow of the year is that of the Cape
Town Design Capital logo – Go Cape Town!

5. This trend has been around for a while and it
looks set to stay. Craft markets are bursting with
beautiful handmade quilts, clothing and objects
and online craft marketplaces like Etsy are getting
bigger by the day. For a few years now we have
seen artists like Patricia Urquiola with her giant
knits inspire bolder use of yarn and crochet- and
knitting techniques and that paved the way for a
variety of other techniques to be re-invented:
macramé, weaving, paper-craft and tie-dying are
all making a come-back in a big and exciting way.

7. This one is here to stay for the foreseeable future
– the future that we’re creating by being eco-
friendly. Wood from sustainable forests,
newspaper insulation, bamboo, hemp, coir, sisal,
and cork are all good choices for doing your bit.
Switching to green household cleaning products
is another great thing to do since it not only helps
the environment, but also the skins of all those
you live with! Most paint manufacturers also now
have eco-ranges: this basically means that while
lead is now long gone, they also have almost no
VOC ‘s, no added solvents and have to comply
with strict manufacturing protocols. It doesn’t
help if you wash old paint down the drain
though! Take it back to the manufacturer to
dispose of properly.

9. Use what you have and make it better by looking
at it creatively. I don’t believe that this trend is
based on economics; it comes from a growing
need to tread lightly on the earth and not waste
materials and resources. Paint it, re-upholster it,
change its intended function – but don’t throw it
away. You can always find another use for it!

11. Whether it’s French painting techniques or bright
solid colours, unexpectedly painted pieces are
popping up everywhere. While we can still
appreciate the craftsmanship and style of a ball-
and-claw table or a parquet floor, there seems to
be a need to lighten things up a bit. Some people
believe it is sacrilege to paint beautiful wood, and
to those people I say: It’s wood. You can sand it
down it again when the world starts moving back
to darker colours. But for now, go for it.

13. Something that is becoming a very strong trend
in especially fashion, is combining things in an
unexpected and contrasting way: bold pattern
with an even bolder pattern, pink with red,
modern fabric on a vintage piece - pushing the
boundaries and creating new combinations. Gone
are the days of a matchy-matchy home: if you like
it and it makes you happy, put the green floral
wing-back next to the pink plastic Ghost chair. It’s
your house, after all. To quote Morrison: “Have
nothing in your houses that you do not know to
be useful or believe to be beautiful”. And if you
realize that you don’t find it beautiful or useful,
go back to Trend #4 or give it away.

15. Vinyl has made a come-back in a big way: the
grand-daughter of Lanolin and Novilon, vinyl floor
tiles are easy to install, maintain and comes in a
variety of styles unparalleled by other floor
finishes. And as if that is not enough, it is
inexpensive too.
Vinyl is also the way to go for wall decoration:
wallpaper, decals and tiled applications can
transform a room very quickly. Even simple vinyl
duct-tape can be used creatively and effectively
to liven up a space.

17. Chevrons and strong geometric patterns have
made a huge splash over the last couple of years,
and it’s not going to end soon. The colours have
been updated to the hottest of the season and
where it was very prominent on soft accessories
and rugs, it is now also appearing much more
prominently on furniture pieces and wall
coverings of the coolest design houses.

19. A very prominent fabric on the catwalk for Spring
/ Summer 2014, this golden oldie is going to
astound this year. And it’s not only in accessories
either: prepare to see lace on sofas, wallpapers
and floor coverings. The delicate patterns are
being deconstructed and brought to life as bigger
versions of itself in traditional materials as well as
plastic, steel and PVC.

21. This ethnic resist-dying technique is still
dominating the textile industry this year. While
the pattern seems to be moving away from the
very traditional, it is still being used as inspiration
in many fabric ranges. Also expect to see some
interesting applications aside from fabric –
modular furniture based on Ikat patterns are
coming your way!

23. Gone are the days of having something for 1
purpose only: now you want your kitchen to also
serve as the kids’ study and the coffee table is
also a storage space. There is a growing need to
simplify our lives and get rid of all the clutter so
looking at things in a different light and seeing
how their functions can adapt to your family’s
changing needs is essential.

25. Original hounds-tooth patterns bring back images
of big perms and even bigger shoulder pads. But
of course the moment you translate that into
furnishings and give it a twist, it becomes a
wonderful new wave of amazing. Anything goes:
birds, dogs, rabbits, flowers – as long as it’s
repetitive and at an angle.

27. This is something we haven’t seen in main-
stream interior design in a while. Pleated lamps
were very much en vogue in the 70’s and 80’s and
since then the folding of fabric has disappeared
off the scene for a while. Designers have now
started to relook this and come up with some
amazing new ways to fold and twist fabric to
create the most inspiring pieces. It might not yet
translate into everyday chairs, but wait for it: it’s
coming!

29. Throw scale to the wind and go big. If something
is old and boring, oversize it to bring it into 2014.
Patterns, flowers, prints on carpets and walls –
the bigger the better. And don’t be concerned if
the whole pattern doesn’t fit: having it “fall off” is
half the quirkiness!

31. Another spin-off from the catwalks this year is
the grid pattern: cheesecloth weaves, schoolgirl
checks and gingham, all in bright and vibrant
colours.
Metal mesh furniture with the same cross-hatch
theme as first popularized by Charles and Ray
Eames in the 1950’s are also making a come-back
in a huge way.
TIP: Go look around for old garden furniture and
renovate it!

33. This is a classic that never fails to make the
Trends list and with all the new patterns
available, it is as strong as ever. Opt to use it for
background palettes and then add splashes of
the season’s colours for accents. The beauty of it
is that you can just update the accents next
season. Perfect!

35. Another 70’s flashback is the fringe. We all grew
up with fringed sofas and arm chairs, but the
latest twist is something unexpected. Large,
looped fringes on pendant lights and extra long
fringes on sofas and chairs just look beautiful.
And the update version of the fringed sofa by
Annika Goransson is something to look out for – I
can’t wait to see what it will evolve into.

37. While gold, silver and more recently yellow brass
have been seen in residential and commercial
design alike, Copper is now taking center stage.
The rich red tones will be seen more and more in
fixtures and fittings and bespoke copper furniture
pieces are not far behind. The bling of the
season’s rich colouring also translates beautifully
into fabrics, tiles and wall coverings.

39. {lekker (Afrikaans): adj. describing something
that is fun, appealing, delicious}
This is my personal favourite. For many years,
South Africans have been deprived of
international goods so there still is this general
misconception that we can’t really keep up with
what’s happening “out there”. Here’s the news
flash: what’s happening in Southern Africa is the
most exciting of it all. There are incredible textile
designers, artists, product designers and
furniture manufacturers on African soil – use
them, support them and help them grow. Cape
Town Design Capital 2014 aims to further
establish this with it’s African Innovation, Global
Conversation theme, to show off what the drum
beat of the land has inspired in its people: unique
solutions from a unique continent.

41. Yes, you! Following trends is a very personal thing.
Some of them will resonate and some just really
won’t. Whether you decide to follow them to the
letter or to take home some {or none!}, always
remember that have to live in your space.
So do what works for you and keep visiting Playing
House for inspiring ideas and projects. Because that
is ultimately what it’s all about:
keep playing house!

43. Click the link below and you’ll receive
T h e M I Y * D i v a ’ s T o p T i p s F o r
* M a k i n g I t Y o u r s e l f
directly in your inbox in April 2014
www.playinghouse.co.za ff t p

44. Anthropologie.com Imanhome.com
Apartmenttherapy.com Inhabitat.com
Artnectar.com Kellyhoppeninteractive.com
Atticmag.com Kylebunting.com
Behance.net Melodyhome.com
Blog.2modern.com Mespy.com
Casasugar.com Moooi.com
Chrishardydesign.com Nateberkus.com
Customcoolrugs.com Nendo.jp
Davidreport.com Noctomic.com
Decodir.com Paintedfurniture.net
Decoholic.com Palmbeachantique.com
Decor4all.com philippemalouin.com
Designboom.com Pinterest.com
Designbuzz.com Polyvore.com
Designrulz.com Projectnursery.com
Designspongeonline.com protectwithnano.com
Dumoffice.com Rexohome.com
Etsy.com Sadecor.co.za
Finnishdesignshopus.com stefanhengst.com
Furnitursite.com Stevenshein.net
Handmadehome.com Thehouseofsmiths.com
Haskellathome.com Tipjunkie.com
Hgtv.com Tordboontje.com
Houzz.com Walyou.com
Idyllhome.co.uk Whatisblik.com
Writeontrend.com