> Interior decorationoutlook for 2014
Over
the past fivemonths, we have
published various incisive articles and
analysis on different aspects of property.
Largely concentrating on the external,
financial facets and critical problems.
Following readers' requests, we are
publishing this article on the interior facets
of property, particularly focusing on the
colours and shades that will influence the
moods in our homes and our lives.
The year of the horse is associatedwith
the intelligent use of high energy and
uncompromising efforts to improve
ourselves. This principle can be expanded
to include the living room, dining room,
bedroom, kitchen, patio and all other areas
of the home which play ameaningful part
of our lives.
Colours of the season
While we are forced to spendmultiple
hours at the workplace, it is in the living
roomwhere most of the stories of our
lives unfold. The easiest way to rejuvenate
these chapters of our lives is with color,
says an industry leader in the field of
colour trends.
According to colour experts at
BenjaminMoore &Co of the US, this
year’s colour trends steer towards lighter
shades that hint andwhisper a tint of
colour. Gone are days where beiges, whites
and grays were the usual favourites. Now,
pastels in blues, greens, lavenders and
pinks are the newneutrals.
Regarded the authority on colour,
Pantone recently announced the colours
for this season. Looking vibrant and
gaining top spot as colour of the year,
is ‘Radiant Orchid”, a rather cheery
purple shadewith fuschia, pink and
purple undertones
.
using lighter tonedwoods with dramatic
countertops
are also in favour this year. In
an online article, industrial designer Stephen
Burks of Readymade Projects said:
“
Designers are starting to operate in a
way that is more important to society as
awhole
.” Artek founder and furniture
designer Aalto was also reported saying that
designers aremoving away from
creating stuff, to creating “solutions”
.
Solution based designs
Design director at Environmental
Design Practice Sdn Bhd (or EDP), LP Yap,
feels that the future is moving with this trend,
especially in first-world countries.
Towards
environmentally conscious and
sustainable designs, from the creative
process, up to the final selection of
materials
. “InMalaysia, the so-called
‘minimalist’ approach is no longer
contemporary. It has come and gone. It’s just
passé. After a while, one finds that this
so-called ‘minimalist’ concept is banal and
lacks character. It doesn’t withstand the test
of time because it lacks meaning and
reasoning. It is muted to the extent that it no
longer speaks much about the people that it
is designed to serve,” he figures.
Yap expects to see a conscious move
in the design fraternity, where interior
architecture harnesses natural lighting and
ventilation into buildings. This includes the
interior layout, the use of materials and
devices to filter and direct natural lighting
and ventilation into the heart of the building.
This serves human comfort as well as
reduces reliance onmechanical devices.
“Recognition of this building science goes
a long way inmaking the environment
user-friendly.
A good piece of design
should not only be aesthetically pleasing
but designed to functionwith interior
spaces. Being the organs of the building,
they channel natural energy and uplift
the experience and spirit, in stimulating
our inner senses
,” Yap adds.
His teamhas since moved from a purist
approach favouring the Zen concept of
simplicity of rectangular and linear forms.
Now, the focus is on combining the purist
simplicity approach withmore complex and
organic geometries. “We
believe it can attain an
additional aspect of
sophistication, besides
being elegant per se in
simplicity. Our intention is
to use modern tools and
scientific knowledge to
create an internal space
that speaks of elegance,
sophistication
andmodernity.”
Furnishing trends
We analysed the IKEA
offering in 2014, in the
context of the
ambitions, freedom
and adventure
associatedwith the
year of the horse.
Some of the trends
noted in its 2014
catalogue include a
mirrored or identical
composition, when
decorating both sides of a
room. Some might call it canny,
others say it is cute. Mix andmatch
as well as combinations where bedroom
becomes reading room, and the living room
literally accommodates a place to live and
play at, are the in-thing. Shades of greens
and bright yellows are also seen as
fashionable, to liven up softer toned
backdrops. Daring bold patterns make a
comeback, giving interiors a modern and
sophisticated feel, similarly emulating the
spirited horse.
International home décor trends talk of
“beautiful furniture” –
“designs that are
smaller, modern, classy,
contemporary, andwith unique
features like storage space inside
them”. Featurewalls, ceiling
designs, unusual lighting
fixtures, and kitchen spaces
ON
friday
Jan 3, 2014
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Please email your
feedback and queries
to: propertyqs@
thesundaily.com
Creatingstylish
solutions
Pantone Fashion Colour
Report - Spring 2014
Radiant Orchid
Violet Tulip
Placid Blue
Dazzling Blue
Paloma
Hemlock
Sand
Freesia
Cayenne
Celosia Orange
INSIGHTS
CUT AND KEEP
