The A to Z of Design

Say hello to our guide to the interior trends of 2016, from studded upholstery to Picasso plates.

A

Affordable Interior Design

The world’s first online interior design platform, Decology, means you no longer need megabucks to hire an interior designer. With over 60 on its books, from experienced stylists like Lucy Gough, who works with Living Etc, Sunday Time Style and Heal’s, to designers just starting out, there are options to suit all budgets. From £250 per room. decology.co.uk

B

Blue Bar

Once Madonna and Guy Ritchie’s hangout, The Berkeley’s Blue Bar has played host to all sorts of celebs since it was first created by the late David Collins in 2004. His protégé, Robert Angell, has given it a fresh lick of paint, maintaining the original Lutyens panelling and extending the glass pavilion designed by Richard Rogers. Soak in the design with a Smoke and Mirror cocktail designed by mixology expert Rashid Ghuloom. the-berkeley.co.uk

C

Colour of the Season

If last year was all about burnt orange, this season’s statement shade is mustard. Neptune’s Shoreditch sofa in velvet will lift any neutral interior, but the Emma fabric in mustard is a great way to introduce the colour if you’re not quite ready to commit to the trend. £1,640. neptune.com

D

Dress your Furniture 

Agnona has produced fine wool textiles for the catwalks since 1953. Today, the Italian fashion house has teamed up with Giorgetti to create the Hug armchair, designed to wrap around the body like a cashmere scarf. It’s on show in the luxury room at Harrods, alongside Agnona’s new loungeware collection. harrods.com

E

Ethical Homeware

Interior designer Gary Elton believes that happiness begins at home. He set up new homeware brand Happy & Co with his goddaughter Penny, pumping ten per cent of profits back into their farm in Cambodia, which they established in 2014 with the aim of growing fruit and veg in a country that is heavily dependent on imported food. The furniture, tableware and bed linen collections are affordable, graphic and inspired by their travels. happyandco.co.uk

F

Floral Floor

Don’t play it safe with neutrals – Alternative Flooring has created the first Liberty Fabrics carpet collection, featuring four classic prints. Available in a total of ten colourways, the 1970s Flowers of Thorpe print is bang on trend this year, while William Morris’s original Strawberry Thief will brighten any arts and crafts home. £149 per sq/m. alternativeflooring.com

G

Goldfish

Just one of many things you’ll find at the bottom of a London Basin Company sink. Set up by a mother-and-daughter team, the dainty porcelain pieces are hand-finished and hand-decorated, taking their cue from decorative arts from the east, whether that be traditional Chinese scenes in white and blue or delicate Chinese floral motifs in gold. From £570. londonbasincompany.com

H

Haute Hob

We say, down with bland cookers. Balancing your pans on Smeg’s Dolce Stil Novo hob can’t fail to bring a smile to your face. While the interchangeable birds, bees, butterflies and trees pan stands are light-hearted, the technology is serious, featuring Smeg’s Blade flame, a continuous ring of fire that provides an even heat. Made from premium polished stainless steel, heat efficiency is increased by 20 per cent. £1,149. smeguk.com

I

In the Pink

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and you can do your bit by buying a pot of paint. Little Greene has teamed up with Breast Cancer Haven, a national charity that provides a wide range of therapies to deal with the physical and emotional sides of breast cancer, completely free of charge. For the whole month, Little Greene will donate 15p from every pot of paint. littlegreene.com

J

Jigsaw your walls

Barber and Osgerby have designed striking geometric glazed porcelain tiles for Mutina. Puzzle launches at Domus’ Clerkenwell showroom during the London Design Festival, and features both solid colours and graphic multi-coloured patterns, best used mixed and matched, with a colour palette taken from European islands. The combinations are endless, but we’d gradually blend a colour block into a repeated pattern. From £214 per sq/m. domusgroup.com

K

King Cavalli

He brought us printed leather, sand-blasted jeans and exotic leopard prints, now Roberto Cavalli presents an equally minxy furniture collection, in neutral, ‘winter forest’ shades and top-notch materials – poplar wood, supple nubuck leather and white onyx – available exclusively at Kings of Chelsea. kofc.co.uk

L

Long live the library

Is the at-home library redundant with the advent of Kindles? Absolutely not, says Everyman’s Library, which has partnered with Heal’s to produce a ‘How to’ guide with everything you need to know to become a modern bibliophile, from care and collecting to displaying books in a tiny flat. everymanslibrary.co.uk; heals.com

M

Marvellous Marble

Italian marble craftsmen Kreoo sculpt the stone into elegant baths and sinks with fluid curves and drapes that call to mind the sculpture of the ancient world – its name is in fact a direct reference to the Greek verb Kraino, meaning ‘to create’ or ‘to realise’. The brand is available to buy in the UK for the first time exclusively to West One Bathrooms. westonebathrooms.com

N

Not Your Average Radiator

It’s not easy to get excited about radiators, but Bisque is looking to change all that. They believe that heating design should complement décor, not detract, so say hello to the new Lissett collection for its slim profile, eco credentials and subtle presence… that is unless you order it in bright yellow. From £436. bisque.co.uk

O

Oriental Influences

Fromental’s latest design, Garden of Hours, takes its heed from a traditional Chinese garden scene. Pine trees, pheasants and egrets are rendered in fine lines on silk or silver leaf, to calming effect. Every inch is painted by hand by some of the world’s best artists in Wuxi, the centre of China’s silk industry. From £465 per sq/m. fromental.co.uk

P

Picasso’s Plate

Alex Eagle met artist Luke Edward Hall by chance in Positano on their summer holidays, where they instantly bonded over their love of Picasso’s ceramics. Together they have designed a playful series of plates and platters featuring highly expressive sketched faces à la Pablo. From £125. alexeagle.co.uk

Q

Quoined Details

Smallbone has designed a desk inspired by Georgian architecture in London. Hand-crafted in walnut, this freestanding piece takes the characteristic quoined detail used to embellish the corners of buildings as the basis for its form, with a British leather inlaid top and plenty of concealed drawers for secret documents. From £60,000. smallbone.co.uk

R

Roll Up, Roll Up

Dutch designer Marcel Wanders brings his industrial aesthetic to the circus ring. The limited-edition Circus collection for Alessi features tounge-in-cheek tableware, like Strongman Marcello, who will crack your walnuts, Gilberto the jester, who jumps up and down with joy when you pop a cork, and Candyman Alberto, who collects sweeties in his hat to dispense from his mouth. Limited edition from £800. alessi.com

S

Silk Road

Connecting the East to the West since the Han dynasty, the Silk Road derived its name from the lucrative trade in Chinese silk, and played a unique role in cultural and economic trade for thousands of years. House of Hackney’s A/W florals are influenced by this exchange of ideas, weaving together the grasslands of Sri Lanka, motifs from Iranian rugs and paisleys from Uzbekistan. This paper is far too special to relegate to the downstairs loo, use in the living room to striking effect. Wallpaper from £145 per roll. houseofhackney.com

T

Tiles from the Med

In need of some vitamin sea? Inject some Mediterranean colour with Balineum’s Capri-inspired, hand-painted tiles. The Series S collection captures the spirit of the coastline in the bright blues, vivid greens and sunny yellows that you’ll find around every corner of the island. Don’t miss them at the Pentreath & Hall Pop Up on Rugby Street WC1. 27 September to 8 October. balineum.co.uk

U

Upholstery

Stud work, metallic inlays, three-dimensional weaved leather – you name it and Aiveen Daly has incorporated it into her upholstery work. Over ten years she has accumulated clients like Katharine Pooley, Candy and Candy and members of the royal family on her books. Think couture for your couch rather than a quick sofa re-cover. aiveendaly.com

V

Victorian Decoupage

Once the preserve of bored ladies, John Derian has transformed découpage into covetable plates, platters, paperweights and coasters. The master of collage has published 400 of his most delightful images in a coffee table picture book so chic that Anna Wintour has written the foreword. We’ll be tearing out our favourites to have them framed. £60. Published 4 October. workman.com

W

Wood Awards

Past winner’s of the Wood Awards include David Morley architects’ swimming pool at The Hurlingham and the restoration of Stoke Newington Town Hall. This year’s contenders include Sebastian Cox and deVOL for a kitchen made with English beech and Glenn Howells Architects’ service station in Brookthorpe, Gloucestershire, which is unlike any you’ve ever seen. woodawards.com

X

Atelier Swarovski Home X Selfridges

Ron Arad, Tord Boontje and Fredrikson Stallard have all had a hand in the new Atelier Swarovski Home inaugural collection, which mixes marble, metals and resins with crystal to dazzling effect, and will be available at a pop-up in Selfridges from November. We love Daniel Libeskind’s chess set combining crystal, silver, concrete, marble, resin and anodized. atelierswarovski.com

Y

Yorkshire-Made

Many of the natural materials used in Somnus’ mattresses are produced on Harrison Spinks’ farm in Yorkshire. They’ve been making beds since 1840, so they know a thing or two about a good night’s sleep. Its latest range, Supremacy, has the highest spring count in the industry as each coil is 40 per cent lighter than standard springs, so they can pack 30,000 in per mattress. Single mattress from £689. somnus.co.uk

Z

Zig Zag

Chevrons, triangles, zig zags – they come in all shapes and sizes. Bennison Fabrics takes its cue from Ethopian patterns, with hidden pyramid motifs in blue on oyster, and is named after the obelisk of Aksum – a towering 24m tall granite obelisk built 1,700 years ago. bennisonfabrics.com