I pore over room-set and product images to compile this column, so I tend to tire of trends quicker than most people. Apologies if I’m about to veto something you were just coming to love, or haven’t even got around to buying yet. Interior design is now as fast-changing as the rag trade. New things come along for us to try on even before last season’s “must-haves” have got their coat.
First to go next year is copper. The metallic of choice since mid 2015, I knew it was a goner when faux-copper appeared, casting the real stuff in a poorer light. Brass isn’t far behind. Metallics aren’t going away, but 2017 will see a return to rose gold. Gold-edged art nouveau and art deco pieces are making a return, as are 1970s-inspired sunburst mirrors.
Next, step forward concrete and get your marching orders. If I see one more concrete-dipped accessory, poured floor or mock-industrial wall, I’ll be banging my head on it. Instead, welcome back terracotta. Terracotta tiles are a beautiful, warm alternative for floors, walls and, done right, countertops. Fired Earth is among the retailers stocking bona fide TC (having named the company after the stuff), but expect all tile suppliers to carry iterations of it by spring, for every budget.
More of the simple things in life will take centre stage for 2017. Object pattern has become unfussy, florals simpler and more naive, and colours are changing. Grey won’t be abdicating as king of neutrals, but there is a little wiggle room for all-white schemes to have their say.
Irish textiles don’t come cheap, but most are well made and simple enough in colour and pattern, to hand down over generations. Make 2017 the year you invest in a few decent Irish woollen blankets.
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In furniture, textural contrast is going mainstream. Expect to find fabric attached where you normally wouldn’t. Industrial interiors, which I aimed to banish from these page 12 months ago, are still hanging around like a decommissioned power plant: a reclaimed factory pendant lamp here, an Edison bulb there. Banish beyond a 50m cordon around your living room.
Interior designer Avril Murphy Allen has a “must-ditch” trend of her own. “I’d like to see the back of granny florals,” she says. “I didn’t like them in the 1970s and I don’t like them now. It’s too easy for people to get it wrong.”
Colourwise, she still finds grey irresistible: “It’s so elegant and timeless, but I’d love to see more interesting and different use of colour with grey.” Meanwhile, could the stripe stage yet another triumphant comeback? “I’d love to see more stripes in interiors next year,” says Murphy Allen. “Just as they spread across the fashion world, they should spill over in to interiors, too.” Just don’t be shocked to find yourself blending into your walls in 2017 and beyond.
Finally, one of the surprise returns for next year is a material we thought we’d seen the back of in the 1970s. Wicker furniture will be “a thing” again, just with better finishes. If you don’t believe me I’ll remind you, later in 2017, from my hand-painted wicker pedestal.
SHOW YOUR METAL
Banish copper and give other metallics, such as gold and aluminium, a spin. These Orgue vases from Roche Bobois are a no-nonsense embodiment of the metal look (with a heavy-duty price tag). €600, roche-bobois.com
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GO FOR GOLD
M&S has pinned down art nouveau as one of its key looks for 2017. Pieces include the glass gilt-edged Barclay drinks trolley. €299, marksandspencer.ie
LIGHT AND SHADE
Send the faux industrial lamps back to the skip at once. Your replacement is these beautiful, simple glass pendants, just one design among several on the theme that will be huge for 2017. These are by Danish maker Normann Copenhagen. From €95, houseology.com
DOWN TO EARTH
Welcome home, terracotta: there’s much more to you than well worn floors. These Olla terracotta lamps are handmade in Italy and come in a few shapes and sizes. From €350, ilide.it
KNIT WIT
Some of Ikea’s furniture is going hi tech. On this chair, 3D knitting has been used to make the mesh back and sides, stretched across a powder-coated steel frame. It’s part of the brand’s 2017 PS collection. €165, ikea.ie
PETAL GURU
Simple, almost childlike design is the shape of florals to come. This Penzance vase is €25. houseoffraser.com
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BLUE PERIOD
This is the friendly, relaxed Denim Drift colour palette, Dulux’s Colour of the Year for 2017, and one Murphy Allen hopes to make good use of in 2017. €64.99 for 5L, dulux.ie
FELT SENSE
Fabric and hard furniture combos are coming in 2017. The sides of these Corum tables are made of felted wool and come in two sizes and shapes. €1,260 for the medium size, roche-bobois.com
EARN YOUR STRIPES
This multi-stripe alpaca and lambswool blanket is by indigenous maker McNutts of Donegal. It’s 145cm by 180cm. €140, donegalwoollenmill.com