Artistic Home Interior: Trends

When Camilia posted this room from domino last week over at High-Heeled Foot in the Door, I was struck by how very current it felt. Sure, design trends turn over at a slower pace than fashion trends (and, if I recall correctly, this room is circa 2008), but whomever designed this room must have been reading her tea leaves correctly as it's got Spring 2010 all over it. This season is all about shades of turquoise, painted floors and ceilings and feminine florals and butterflies (think Liberty prints) and, between the robin's egg blue floors and ceiling, Schumacher's Birds & Butterflies wallpaper, this room hits all the right notes. The graphic black and whites brought in through accessories (the Madeline Weinrib zig zag rug, the greek key pillow and the silhouette pillow) bring in a nice graphic touch that helps tone down the sweetness of the butterflies and aqua.

In memory of domino's much-beloved "Turn this Outfit into a Room" feature, I thought I'd try my hand at turning this room into an outfit:

I wasn't familiar with Ted Baker until I saw his latest collection at Nordstrom and I'm absolutely in love with all of his pieces for spring, but most especially this gorgeous butterfly print dress. My sister actually purchased it to wear to some of her bridal showers this spring and it's incredibly stylish on. [My one complaint about Ted Baker though is his sizing: he stops at a 10, alas.] In any case, the colors and print are a dead-ringer for the Schumacher wallpaper (sans the little birds) and the easy, flattering cut makes this a versatile, wear anywhere dress. To make it work-appropriate, I'd throw on a tailored leather blazer in a gorgeous grayish brown. The 3/4-length sleeves make it the perfect transitional piece for spring and the leather toughens up the sweetness of the dress while the tailoring keeps it office-appropriate. I'd then layer on some tough, but sweet, pearl earrings and necklace. The necklace has just the palest hint of lilac in it, which will nicely pick up on the lilac in the print. For shoes, I'd go with Botkier's conical-heeled sandals in a nude-ish brown. I love a sturdier-looking sandal with a sweet dress; so much more current than a delicate sandal or heel. For an extra shot of color, I'd throw on this aqua satchel. The style is simple, yet still special and it's a great price for a quality leather bag.

I have to admit , I am not really big on following too many trends. I think I have always been a bit of an "anti-trend" person....yes, that made me the "weird kid" when I was growing up. Despite that, a trend that has caught my eye, is the use of striped rugs. The graphic nature of these rugs serves as an anchor for many design schemes. Below, is a beautiful handwoven rug from Ebelladesigns.

A sparse room can benefit greatly from the dramatic lines and movement a striped rug offers. I found the picture below from Domino's site. The colors and lines remind me of a painting, maybe Matisse.

Nate Berkus designed his bedroom (and my new dream room) using very bold colors set in an all white room. Although, the room is relatively sparse, the bold lines add a lot of visual interest, and keep your eye moving around the room. Love, love, love!