There was so much exciting design to see at the 2012 Interior Design Show (IDS) in Toronto! It’s often hard to imagine how to interpret these fabulous designs into everyday living. Here are some tips from the designer Lori Harding, on how to integrate some of the design trends from the IDS into your current residential projects.
Pantone’s colour of the year “Tangerine Tango” literally burst into the show, adding a playful touch to kitchen cabinetry, outdoor accessories and luxurious rugs. To splash some citrus into your home, pair it with washed or deep grays, and try it first on pillows, a collection of vases or a painted accent wall.
Multi-lights, oversized lights, round lights and visible, industrial bulbs….lighting played a fundamental role in this year’s show with many glamorous installations. To achieve it at home, repetition is key. Install a cluster of pendant lights over your island, in your hall or over your dining table. A grouping – of anything – gives simple items big impact.
With new materials we get colour options where we haven’t had them before – and this year there were funky new faucets in red, orange, black and white, and sinks, in bronze, taupe and black. Remember to subtly repeat your feature colour in art, towels or fabrics… when a colour appears twice, it means that it was done by design and not by accident.
Dining tables honed from single slabs of wood, with live (natural) edges and sleek modern bases were awe-inspiring… with prices to match. Branch into this ongoing trend towards natural woods with tree stump end tables (lit from within), rough wood shelves on chrome bases and in accessories such as twig mirrors and vases. To do it like the pros, be sure to enhance rough-hewn materials by pairing them with their opposites, sparkly lighting, luxurious throws and polished stone surfaces.
In this techno era the much desired stand-alone bathtub symbolizes downtime (and much bigger bathrooms). In luxurious stone, glossy whites and a new silky matte finish, sculptural and carved tub shapes were everywhere at the show. If you can, do it light by mixing with grayed and washed wood cabinets, and do it right by making sure you can see the tub from the bathroom entrance… to at least give the illusion that there is plenty of time for reading in the bath!
Question from our readers by RONAMAG on Saturday, May 25, 2013
The Event by RONAMAG on Monday, April 29, 2013
The Event by RONAMAG on Sunday, April 28, 2013
