10 Best in Interior Design 2015 -- Part II

Before I forecast what's hot for 2016, I'll wrap up the ten best in interior design for 2015.

6. 3D Printing

Remember the Kohler televisions spots where a client would present his or her designer/architect with a faucet and require that the space be designed around the faucet rather than the conventional vice-versa? 

More than ever that is the case, because in June 2015, American Standard introduced a revolutionary faucet created with additive manufacturing better known as 3D printing.  While 3D printing has been used in the past to create plastic faucet models, the faucets now produced by American Standard's luxury division, DXV, are the first working faucets to be printed in metal.  In addition to the revolutionary manufacturing process, the 3D printing methodology enabled DXV engineers to transform the way water is delivered through the faucet, totally upgrading the user experience.  How much does a 3D-printed DXV faucet cost?  For now, about $12,000-20,000.  But like VCRs in the 1980s and flat screen TVs now, maybe some day these faucets will be affordable for all. 

         

                                                            Photos courtesy of American Standard 

7. Boutique Vendors available through E-Commerce

One of the delights of my job is discovering new trade resources.  I've discovered many through Instagram and many find me.  We're lucky now because many small producers of bespoke fabrics and wallcoverings have online shops where folks outside the trade can buy their wares.  For example, in 2015, one of my favorites, Zak+Fox, began selling pillows made from their fabrics online.

                                  

                                                           Photo courtesy of Zak+Fox

This is one of my favorite Zak+Fox fabric patterns, Khaden, in color Himalaya.

Another favorite with an online shop is textile designer Rebecca Atwood.  I adore her Shibori pillows.

                                   

                                                        Photo courtesy of Rebecca Atwood

A great addition to the online marketplace for bespoke textile furnishings is Guildery.  Begun in 2013 as an e-commerce marketplace for suites of coordinating textile furnishings, Guildery began to offer custom coloring of their textiles in 2015.  Digital printing makes the turnaround super fast.  As a direct-to-consumer offering of bespoke textiles, Guildery is changing the home furnishings landscape.

   

                                                                  Photo courtesy of Guildery

8. Return to Opulence

In the fall of 2014, I wrote about the trend to more opulent interiors.  In 2015, this trend materialized in abundant offerings of velvets, tufting, mixed metals and more.

     

                                                         Photo courtesy of J. Robert Scott blog

In this photo taken in the J. Robert Scott Showroom at Los Angeles' Pacific Design Center during Westweek, the Center's Spring Market week, evidence of a resurgence in luxury materials and forms is evident.  Notice the overstuffed tufted ottoman, the velvet sofa, and the sinuous metal of the coffee table.

Another way that opulence materialized in 2015 was in the introduction of rose gold as a new metal finish.  Rohl introduced a stainless copper finish that has a rose gold hue in its Country Kitchen Cinquanta line.

                                                 

 9.  Design through the Decades

What came first, the chicken or the egg?  In home decor, we often wonder, does fashion influence home decor trends or vice-versa?  A fashion trend for autumn 2015 was fashion through the decades.  I started seeing this in home decor as well, and I predict this will be more true in 2016.

We've seen the mid-century modern look of the late 1950s-1960s for a while now.  One need only look as far as retailers West Elm and Design Within Reach to see how ubiquitousness this look is.

      

                                           Photos courtesy of West Elm (left) and Design Within Reach (right)

The 1970s have returned to 2015 interiors with lacquer and metallic finishes, graphic patterns reminiscent of pop art, the colors of the rainbow and pops of orange, and yes . . . macrame.

     

                                                             Photo courtesy of Anthony Baratta, LLC

                 

                                                               Photo courtesy of House Beautiful

     

                                                           Photo courtesy of Ace Hotel, Palm Springs

What's back from the 1980s?  Remember chintz?  Pastels?  All back.  Just look at Pantone's 2016 Color(s) of the Year, Rose Quartz and Serenity.

                      

                                                              Photo courtesy of Pantone

One need only look at Pantone's color pairings for Rose Quartz & Serenity to see the 1980s back in full force.  Note the prevalence of taupe, gold and southwestern colors. 

10.  Wallpaper

Faux finishes eclipsed wallpaper as the preferred wall treatment for several decades.  I find that homeowners are wary of committing to wallpaper because of its permanence.  But with so many stunning options, including removable wallpaper, I don't find that excuse worthy anymore.  I advise reticent clients to start small: use wallpaper in a small space like a powder room or as a feature wall in a bedroom or hallway.

Here are just a few or my favorites:

            

I took this picture in the Phillip Jeffries, Ltd. showroom at the Boston Design Center.  The wallpaper is their amazing Bloom pattern.

           

                                                  Photos courtesy of Eskayel (left) and Tempaper (right)

Next, I try my predictions of what's hot and what's not for 2016.