As the weather improves and our winter hibernation ends, the urge to refresh and renew a room or two often follows. It may be as simple as adding a few new decorative items or changing a worn-out piece of furniture. Or maybe it’s something a little more ambitious, such as a new room layout or colour scheme.
What’s saying “fresh and modern” now? A few designers weigh in:
“It’s a major moment for wood,” says New York City interior decorator Elaine Griffin. “Layers of wood, in varied tones for a lively contrast — think wood-framed chairs with a walnut coffee table on a paler hardwood floor. Wood-panelled walls are modern again, too, this time in sleek, oversize panels or sculptural designs.”
Wood is meeting iron in combinations both elegant and industrial, in fir and iron shelving units that serve as both storage and room divider, and galvanized iron and mango wood round coffee tables.
And it’s not just iron. “Dark metals are modern now,” Griffin says. “Think bronze, wrought iron and almost-blackened brass. They’re super-fresh combined with other elements or used decoratively.”
For Knoll Furniture’s design director, Benjamin Pardo, what’s new is a fresh take on some iconic pieces of the Bauhaus period, which is marking its 100th anniversary. “I’m especially excited about new finishes for designs by Breuer, Mies van der Rohe, Harry Bertoia and Warren Platner,” Pardo says.
Platner’s iconic 1966 glass-topped dining table is offered now with a rose-gold wire base. Bertoia’s classic 1952 wire side chair has been re-imagined in gold, with a curly shearling cushion.
Other retailers are echoing the woolly trend with curl-up-and-chill chairs and sofas clad in shearling upholstery.
Another contemporary trend: cane and rattan.
These were traditionally outdoor furniture materials, but we’re seeing nearly everyone offering indoor seating and casegoods (furniture with storage space)in these weaves, from rattan-front credenzas to hutches with a caned front.
Think midcentury and island-inspired lounge chairs with woven backs, and a tailored, textured bedframe in honeyed or grey cane with brass leg caps.
To Meg Roberts of the New York-based Echo Design Group, what looks most exciting this spring is the explosion of dramatic tropical motifs.
“From large-scale palms and jungle murals to botanical and toile-type renderings of exotic birds and animals, these patterns celebrate a wide range of gorgeous greens,” she says. “They can be classic or modern, playful or organic, but they’re always hopeful and appealing.”
The real thing is just as hot. “Houseplants look modern now,” Griffin says. “They’re the most modern-feeling accessories: live elements that bring the outdoors in, and are unpretentiously stylish. I love green plants in white, handmade, ceramic cachepots.”
Floral designers are also creating simple and dramatic vignettes, such as a big monstera leaf in a striking vase, or delicate fronds in a textured basket.
And statement art is making an impact, with online and brick-and-mortar retailers across all price points offering large contemporary canvases. “Nothing looks better than a ginormous painting or print above a sofa or occupying a large, empty wall,” says Griffin.
