Looking Beyond the Trends at Focus 26 on Design
Exploring the showrooms at Focus 26 on Design at Design Centre Chelsea Harbour was a joy, being introduced to new collections and so many ideas for the season ahead.
It is an explosion of texturally and colourfully beautiful fabrics, small and large patterns and designs, elegant and handsome furniture, sculptural lighting, ethnic wallcoverings, luxurious rugs and a blend of unique accessories, alongside the people and makers behind them. It is an impact on your senses wandering through the Design Centre.
What I find most interesting is not necessarily what is new. It is the ideas that make me stop, look twice and think about how they could translate into a real home. For me, good design has never been about following the newest trend simply because it is current and the latest. It is about finding inspiration and then deciding what has longevity, what feels relevant and what could work beautifully for an individual client.
Texture that invites you in
A wonderful variety of tactile fabrics, woven materials, embroidery, velvet and natural finishes, creating depth without relying on strong colour or pattern highlighting the importance of texture.
Texture has such a specific role in an interior. It can make a neutral room feel warm and layered or bring softness to a more contemporary space. I do love the way different textures can be combined without everything feeling too carefully matched.
A linen curtain beside a softly woven upholstery fabric, a natural rug with aged wood. A tactile wallcovering or wall hanging alongside something smooth and simple. These are the details that create a room you want to reach out and touch.
Texture was also a recurring theme within the Focus programme itself, including a discussion exploring how texture can elevate interior design and it just does!
Images Left to Right : Schumaker, Romo Fabrics Lowen Decorative Weaves
Colour with feeling
Colour is vast, a subject that is so expansive, finding inspiration for how we wear colour in the clothes we select says so much, as well as surrounding ourselves with colour in our homes.
Rather than one particular colour dominating, I noticed a more thoughtful approach to colour and tone. Soft neutrals continue to provide a beautiful foundation, but they are being accompanied by deeper and more expressive shades. Earth tones, deep burgundies, greens, new shades are being introduced all playing their part.
We have that understanding that colour is about much more than interior design and careful selection changes how that room will feel.
A soft green can bring a sense of calm and connection to nature, a deeper blue can create depth and intimacy and a warmer neutral can make a room feel enveloping and comfortable.
I consider very carefully in my own projects, the right colour is not simply the one that looks beautiful on a sample, it needs to work with the natural light, the architecture, the furnishings and, most importantly, the people who live there.
Focus 26 reflected on the emotional side of colour, with discussions exploring colour and wellbeing. I attended a most interesting forum with Stephen Westland Professor of Colour Science and Technology at Harlequin Showrooms. Fascinating the effects and impact not only of colour but light has on human biology, psychology and behaviour.
Colour Forum
Contemporary, but with character
Contemporary design is becoming softer. Clean lines are still very much present, but now being balanced with natural materials, beautiful craftsmanship, traditional details and pieces with a sense of history.
It feels less about creating a perfectly modern interior and more about creating something with character and depth.
That is a direction I naturally gravitate towards.
I love the combination of old and new. A contemporary sofa with an antique table, modern lighting alongside original architectural details or a beautiful new fabric used on a vintage chair. Clients like to blend their personal treasures and it is so important to bring this into the overall design.
These combinations make a home feel collected rather than decorated.
There was a strong focus on this idea throughout Focus, from craftsmanship and crafted details to conversations around architectural salvage and antiques.
Images left to right : Romo Fabrics Lowen Decorative Weaves, Romo Decorative Fabrics
The beauty of craftsmanship
It was lovely to see such an appreciation for things that have been made with care.
Beautiful joinery, hand finished details, tactile surfaces and thoughtfully made pieces all have a presence that is difficult to replicate.
When we visit design showrooms it is essential to fully experience it, to see and touch materials, the weight of a fabric, the quality of a finish, the subtle variations in a handmade piece how light reflects in a space.
There is something very human about that and AI will never be able to replace that. This of course is another subject!
A recent Focus collaboration between Paolo Moschino Ltd and the San Patrignano community is a wonderful example. Their Park Avenue wallcovering collection combines design with highly skilled decorative finishing by artisans, giving each piece its own depth and character.
These stories behind the objects that can make a home feel so much more meaningful.
Images left to right : Porta Romana, Porta Romana Outdoor Collection
Lighting as part of the design
Lighting is a huge subject and commands the attention it deserves. I adore Porta Romana and their sculptural pieces, their textural shades and individually designed lighting. Vaughan and Soho Lighting have fabulous presence with their designs.
We know how a room is transformed with lighting, being both functional and beautiful.
At Focus, there was a real emphasis on decorative lighting, atmosphere and the way materials themselves can contribute to the feeling of a space and character. Corston, for example, was highlighting new rechargeable lighting and patterned lampshades, while its Focus programme explored how materials such as porcelain, hand blown glass and fabric shades can influence mood.
A sculptural pendant, a softly shaded lamp or a well placed wall light can become part of the character of a room rather than simply something we need to illuminate it.
Images left to right : Porta Romana Traces collection Terrazza console Table, Porta Romana
Looking beyond the newest trends
Perhaps my biggest takeaway from Focus 26 was not a particular colour, fabric or piece of furniture.
It was the reminder that the most interesting interiors are not necessarily the ones that follow every new direction.
Design evolves, of course, and it is important to keep looking, learning and discovering but inspiration is different from imitation.
I might see a particular colour combination, an unusual fabric, a beautiful piece of furniture or a clever use of an antique and take that idea away with me. I can then consider how it might work within a client’s home, rather than simply reproducing what I have seen.
That is where the design process becomes personal.
Images left to right : Susie Founder of Creighton Designs at Focus 26, Artfully Sorted
Bringing inspiration home
Perhaps that is what I love most about visiting design events, the opportunity to look, discover and be inspired, before returning to my own projects and considering how those ideas can become something personal, considered and beautiful for each client.
Would this fabric work in a sitting room where we need softness and not too much pattern?
Would this colour bring warmth to a north facing room?
Would this style of lighting add atmosphere to a period property?
Would an antique piece bring character to an otherwise contemporary interior?
These are the questions that matter to me.
Because ultimately, a beautiful interior should not look as though it has come straight from a showroom.
It should feel as though it belongs to the people who live there.
The most successful ideas are often the ones that quietly influence a space rather than announce themselves. A beautiful texture, a carefully chosen colour, an old piece alongside something contemporary, or lighting that changes the feeling of a room as the evening draws in.
Not a list of trends to follow, but a collection of ideas to consider.
The most beautiful homes are not necessarily the ones that follow the latest trends, yet the ones where every detail feels as though it belongs.
If you are looking to create a home that feels personal, considered and beautifully you, I would love to help bring your ideas together.
Susie
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Based in Tunbridge Wells and working across Kent, Surrey, Sussex and London.
Email us at susie@creightondesigns.com