Interior design…straight off the catwalk

Thu, Feb 8th 2007, 11:00

Home owners who follow up-to-the-minute trends will be fashioning their own home style will a little help from the catwalk in 2007.

Inspiration from London Fashion Week is the catalyst behind four keys looks which are set to inspire home buyers and home improvers across the UK.

One house builder who is using the latest styles in its show homes around the UK is Redrow. The national company is working with interior design specialists, Connections in Design, to translate the latest fashions into show home looks, which aim to convey the ultimate lifestyle.

Dawn Kitchener, managing director for Connections in Design, comments: “There are four directional themes for spring 2007 – which can appeal to people who have just bought a new home who need inspiration for their blank canvas; or to those who are thinking of selling up and need to refresh their home to appeal to particular home buyers. All four will create truly stunning interiors.”

Dawn says the four key themes for spring 2007 are:

Beyond Mirage – focusing on the fantasy of the Orient without the ‘East meets West’ metaphor.  This look is all about conveying an exotic feel with soft organic shapes and a variety of fabrics such as washed out linen, floaty sheers like silk/satin, and iridescent polished fabrics that shimmer to create an optical illusion. Tones of milky grey, plum and muted pinks offset by deep rusts and mixed with Morroccan patterns and craft work completes the look.

Elegant Exotic – think pure indulgence and sophisticated luxury for this look, which takes inspiration from French decadence and historical imagery. It’s all in the detail from indulgent plush patterned velvets in deep shades of burnt orange, red, rust, chocolate and gold with crystal and beaded trims to patterned textured silks, raised jacquards and exotic furs. To create further grandeur, why not consider crystal chandeliers with black droplet features and tinted bulbs.

The Interactive Wall – a modern eclectic highly graphic style where the main wall is the focus. Shelving is used decoratively rather than for functionality. Graphics are quirky. Laser cut motifs, multi print transparencies and wall stickers provide detail while wallpapers are offered in textured or printed formats.

The Call of the Wild – where the dark and gritty side of nature’s organic shapes and oversized tropical leaves are captured. Think entwined wines, gnarled wood as seen in the jungle, punctuated with bright tropical flowers. Furniture such as sofas make a style statement with their shape, while wallpapers and fabrics incorporate a reworking of large tropical leaves. There’s no restriction in the colours to select from – green in any shade works well, as do earthy browns, glam black, dramatic plums, red, orange and bright tropical pinks.

Simon Bennett, Redrow’s group marketing director, comments: “Show homes are the ideal way to demonstrate to our customers how they can furnish their own property to suit their lifestyle. That’s why we invest so heavily in them as a selling tool. By keeping up to date with the latest design styles, we aim to maintain a fresh look that inspires our customers in so many ways that a ‘blank canvas’ never could.”

Redrow Homes is currently building new homes across the UK. To find out more about properties available, call 0845 676 0500.