Little Big Bell

17 Jan

Top 10 Interior trends 2019 from imm Cologne.

Top 10 Interior trends 2019 from imm Cologne.

If you have been following me on Instagram, you may have noticed that I was in Cologne earlier this week.

I was attending imm Cologne, one of Europe’s largest interiors and furniture fair.

Whilst there, I decided to explore the the fair using the concept of #zuhausesein, looking for the pieces that would make being at home meaningful for me.

Here are some of my favourite finds and interior trends for the upcoming seasons.

1. PASTEL HUES

Since Spring and Summer are now round the corner, we will be thinking of brightening up our homes with candy coloured hues, such as dusky pinks, light blues and lots of sunshine yellow.

Don’t you love that lemon yellow wall? In fact, yellow is a trend of its own this year.

This is one of the ‘Trend atmosphere’ spaces called New Nordic, designed by Floor Knaapen and Dick Spierenburg.

For those of you who know my aesthetic well, will surely agree that everything in this New Nordic room would fit perfectly in my home.

Here is a list of where everything is from.

Seam 1 table light designed by Mark Holmes for E15.

Grace trolley designed by Sebastian Herkner for Schonbuch.

Ceramic dolls on trolley by Normann Copenhagen.

Line coat hanger from Schonbuch.

Cabinet by Kettnaker.

Chair 562 by Rolf Benz.

Blue FortyForty side table by E15.

Pastel porcelain by 1616 Arita Japan.

Textiles Tonga and Romano by Jab Anstoetz

Font table in mint by Sebastian Herkner for Pulpo

Dita and Olivia mirrors by Davide Monopoli for Pulpo

2. BRIGHT CONTRASTING COLOURS From pastel hues to bolder solid colours. This is Schoenbuch’s booth at the fair.

This is giving me that 1980s Memphis vibe.

I love the interplay of colours, with boldly contrasting hues accentuating furniture pieces or similar tones camouflaging them into the walls.

Have you noticed yellow playing a huge role here?

3. PINK FURNITURE

I know I keep going on about yellow being big, but I would never abandon my favourite colour pink.

For the new season, I have noticed that pink has moved from soft furnishings to solid pieces of furniture.

This Bureau and Mala bench by Earnest studio for Schoenbuch definitely caught my eye.

In fact, I would love to have this as a small dining table in my kitchen, part of my aim of bringing pops of colour into that very white space. Here’s another beauty, the AHM chair from PLEASE WAIT to be SEATED.

Did you notice the YELLOW floor? Everywhere I look seem to exude this happy hue.

4. WOVEN CANE IN FURNITURE I think woven cane is going to be big in the upcoming seasons.

Thonet has been using it for years, and I absolutely adore their special edition Two tone Coffee House Chair 214 here. Showing you the AHM chair again to illustrate CANE’s popularity.

I don’t think cane will be confined to just chair, I think we will start to see it used on larger pieces of furniture too. So I would like the Thonet and AHM chairs for my dining room. Maybe I should go eclectic with one of each and maybe add a Zanotta Noli chair as seen above too ?

5. CURVES – ARCHES, CIRCLES, OVALS and PLEATS / RIDGES. Curved or three dimensional shapes on furniture and decor were prominent at the show.

Arched shapes, ovals, circles and pleats / ridges are big news this season.

The Arc tray by De Intuitiefabriek and Olifant the elephant by Andreas Kowalewski are by Caussa.

The deep blue pleated wooden sideboard is by RSW These Palais Royal series tables designed by Anya Sebton and Eva Lilja Löwenhielm for Asplund feature lacquered oak panels and oak veneered tops.

Again we see ovals, circles and pleats. These coffee tables are called Echino. Their cylindrical legs are made of hand blown glass and the table tops are mirror or steel.

They were designed by Sebastian Herkner for Zanotta. Again, as you can see, circles and pleat like patterns feature here. This adorable Podia table is by Ferm Living. No surprise! Oval and ridges again. This Poise oval mirror is also by Ferm Living.

Last year, there was an explosion of round mirrors on Instagram. Everyone seem to have one.

Although, circular ones will still popular, I think oval mirrors will be overtaking them in the upcoming seasons. I’m certainly on the look out for some oval mirrors for my bathroom refurbishment. These are Pli side tables by Victoria Wilmotte for ClassiCon. Aren’t they so pretty?

The kinks and folds on its stainless steel foot makes it look like a gemstone.

6. MODULAR SOFAS. There were modular sofas everywhere I turned. I love this set at Rolf Benz, styled with circular elements. Here’s another modular sofa at Rolf Benz, styled with oval shapes.

7. SPICED HONEY and 8. LIVING CORAL. Pantone and Dulux are particularly influential when it comes to their Colour of The Year, which often influence interior trends.

Here String have gone for shelving with a tone between those two popular colours, and I’m loving it. Here’s how some of those pinky brown colours can be used in a space, as spotted in the interior trends display at imm Cologne.

9. CAN’T FORGET YELLOW As if I haven’t emphasised the power of yellow enough, it is a huge trend contender to the Spiced Honey and Living Coral camps.

This yellow kitchen space is part of a simulated house ‘Das Haus’ by Studio Truly Truly. Check out Walter Knoll’s yellow Onsa chair. Even Fritz Hansen has gone for yellow as one of their new colours for their Drop chair in 2019. This yellow sofa is by and tradition

10. BAUHAUS imm Cologne was celebrating 100 years of Bauhaus at the fair this year. I don’t think Bauhaus, such a design and style icon would ever grow out of fashion, hence I’ve added it as one of my interior trends.

Here you can see some of the classic pieces revived by Tecta, the German manufacturer of authentic Bauhaus furniture. I totally adore this Marcel Brauer Wassily chair using Japanese patchwork technique and recycled material. Here’s more Bauhaus elegance. I wouldn’t mind having this dining set. I’m currently on the look out for a new dining set, and this is pretty similar to the one I’m currently considering for my home.

Hope you have enjoyed my interior trends from the fair. I would certainly be happy to be at home( #zuhausesein) with my selections.

Wishing you a wonderful week.

( All photography are by Geraldine Tan, editor of Little Big Bell. I was a guest of imm Cologne, but all words and opinions are my own).

10 Jan

How to get a colourful retro 1980s Memphis trend look in your living room.

What do you think of, if I say a colourful retro interior?

It seems like the 1980s was definitely a colourful era, but which trend do you think looked best?

First of all, there was the neon pop and then the pastel pink and blue look, however most noteworthy and one that is currently having a revival, is the Memphis trend. The Memphis group was an Italian design and architecture group founded by Ettore Sottsass in 1980. They designed Postmodern furniture, fabrics, ceramics, glass, and metal objects. You can read more about it in my blog post here.

The trend embodied bright colours and bold geometric patterns.

Such vibrant colours and patterns are definitely gaining momentum, because at recent press events, I’ve noticed that many interior brands have started to incorporate the elements of the Memphis style into their new collections. I was super excited when Marsh and Parsons, one of London’s leading estate agents asked me to style up a colourful retro living space, one of their matching people to property looks.

I’ve gone for bright shades of blues, yellows, pinks and greens.

I’m sure some of you may be curious where everything is from, therefore I’ve compiled a list for you below:

Central art print and green cushion – Habitat

Prints on either side – Particular people

Sofa – Designer’s Guild

Block Table trolley – Normann Copenhagen

Vase on trolley – Vintage Holmegaard via eBay

Bag – Eleanor Bowmer

Bright Ellsworth cushions – WA Green

Pink wooden figure – Vitra

Colourful RAAWII Strom vases ( yellow/ orange) – W.A Green

White candle – Keith Haring Pink and red cushion – Cath Kidston

Coffee table books – Hardie Grant and Kate Spade NY

Blue tray with lips – Jonathan Adler via W.A Green

Red mug – Marrimekko via Skandium.

Rug- Lorena Canals You’ll get a better sense of how the colours and patterns go together if you stand back frequently to view while you style,

Then all you need to do is to adjust and fine tune the decor as needed.

For more of my tips on how to create this colourful retro look, do hop over and check out Marsh and Parsons blog. Finally, hope you’ve enjoyed the post. I’ll be back soon with another styling for Marsh and Parsons. This time it’ll be a modern and neutral nursery. Can’t wait to show you.

(All the photography and styling are by Geraldine Tan, editor of little Big Bell. This is a paid partnership post with Marsh and Parsons but all opinions are my own.)

21 Dec

The perfect carafe to serve wine or water – Beak carafe by Nude.

The perfect carafe to serve wine or water – the Beak carafe by Nude.

Just popping in to wish you all a wonderful Christmas.

In case you are having a last minute panic of what to buy, I thought I’d show you a wonderful universal gift.

Introducing you to the elegant Beak carafe and glass by Nude, as seen on my coffee table.

It is called Beak because of its avian silhouette, a long neck and a spout that resembles a bird’s beak.

The carafe set, in lead free crystal was designed by Tomas Kral for Nude. Tomas is an award winning designer based in Lausanne, Switzerland.

He takes inspiration from everyday ordinary situations, and translates them with a touch of poetry and humour to create innovative solutions for everyday products. Since it’s nearly Christmas, I picked a Wintery hue of purple. They also come in clear glass and a smoky grey colour.

The carafe is perfect for serving wine at the Christmas table, or perhaps just water to help us get over any post festive hangovers. I’ve decided to use my Beak carafe for water. I’ve decided to style it on my coffee table against my new yellow sofa.

Don’t you love how that purple pops against the yellow? The carafe will be a great reminder for me to drink more water. I think the carafe set would be a stylish finishing touch to any bedside table too, especially in your guest room, if you want to impress. I absolutely adore its jewel tone and love how it has added a bit of wow factor to my white coffee table.