Summer Trends: The Best Interior Trends for Spring Summer 2018

Summer provides a chance to go out into nature and experience first-hand the vibrant pigments of nature, from the blooming flowers to the songbirds in flight. This season, many homeowners are bringing that natural lustre indoors with bright colours.

Psychologically, bright colours have the power to brighten your days in more ways than one. According to the Very Well blog, cheerful hues of yellow can make occupants feel more energetic and happy. But you have to be careful when using yellow to decorate your home because it can easily become the main focal point of the room. Surrounding a bright yellow with more subdued tones can make the room feel more energetic without becoming too fatiguing on the eyes.

Kitchen and bath fixtures have gone through a number of trends in recent years. Homes with a modern theme have utilised painted and brushed metal to great effect, but that trend has begun to decline recently.

We’ve noted that brass fixtures are on their way out as homeowners revert to classic chrome fixtures. Shiny accessories, when paired with muted greys and off-whites, can create a look of cleanliness and efficiency. When you use chrome fixtures, pay close attention to shape. A tall, elegant faucet in chrome adds more luxury to a room, compared to a stubby stainless steel spout.

The colour experts at Pantone named Ultra Violet (18-3838) as their colour. According to that organization, Ultra Violet is a complex, enigmatic purple that calls to mind the excitement and mystery of deep space.

“We are living in a time that requires inventiveness and imagination. It is this kind of creative inspiration that is indigenous to Pantone 18-3838 Ultra Violet, a blue-based purple that takes our awareness and potential to a higher level,” said Leatrice Eisenman, Executive Director of the Pantone Colour Institute.

Many interior designers have used Ultra Violet to great effect as an accent for rooms that feature crisp blues and airy Earth tones. Likewise, the colour can be a great wall colour for rooms with grey and taupe furniture pieces.

Utilising several kinds of texture in a single room is an excellent way to add depth of character. A room that features all smooth textures can feel modern, yes, but also risks looking too much like a sterilized space station. Adding rough and soft textures strategically can make the room feel more comfortable.

A simple way to increase the number of textures in your rooms is to combine canvas wall hangings with tiled walls. The hanging pieces break up the monotonous pattern of the wall without seeming too intrusive. Another option is to add a light rug to a room with wood or laminate floorboards.

You could say that floral patterns are a perennial summer trend. When the real flowers are blooming outdoors, it evokes an all but irresistible urge to bring some of that natural beauty indoors. Flower patterns are also highly modifiable – they can be used to accent solid colours or used liberally to cover a wall or large furniture piece.

Consider looking for floral patterns that resemble the natural flora outside your home. Doing so will create a natural visual progression as visitors approach your home and enter into a space that feels as natural as its surroundings.

Although we did see geometrics in 2017, it was mainly cushions and rugs. This year, it’s all about prints, wallpaper and art. Seen here is a bold design being used to striking effect, a specially designed decorative rug that is so bold and playful. It can also be used within any room of the home including the living room and bedroom for full effect.

Punchy brights teamed with gold are the key to this happy trend. It will work both inside and out. To recreate this look layer different coloured linen tablecloths and use darker shades for the tableware. Choose tropical leaf print cushions to add a decorative touch.

Palm motifs are always popular, and we’ve seen some really striking abstract prints. Pick out vibrant pinks and blues and you’ve created a tropical paradise in your back garden.

Here to stay after their popularity last year, 2018’s tropical prints are a bit moodier. Last year’s tropical prints were bright, with vivid shocks of colour through floral and typically tropical, sunny backgrounds. This year, we will see a focus on prints with dark, jungle-esque backgrounds, and leaf prints in their true, deep green colours.

Gelato colours are going to be a huge trend in both interiors and fashion this year, but there’s no reason to wait anymore to start investing in key pieces now and get ahead of the crowd. Choosing your favourite flavour of ice cream can be a bit like choosing your favourite paint colour.

So, why only choose one when you can have them all, in a perfect palette of ice cream colours. You can even mix up paint colours to suit your tastes and match accessories by using our in-store colour matching technology. Introduce these pretty colours on a single wall or multiple if you feel brave, and accessorise with pastel-hued vases, dining chairs and tableware.

Mix and match pastels to create a look which is both soft and bold at the same time. Pistachio greens, bubble gum blues and strawberry pinks all contrast nicely and create a vibrant colour palette without overwhelming the senses.

The key to this trend is keeping a neutral backdrop; whether you opt for vanilla cream, white, or even black, these pastels work best as the sole source of colour through various accents.