OK, I’ve got my crystal ball out, and I’m gazing into the future. Here is what I see about to happen in Interior Design in 2010 and beyond.  

Trends in design are kick started within the fashion industry. Fashion moves much faster than the Interior Design industry, so only some of the trends filter through to my industry and even then, they tend to stay a little longer and evolve more gradually. Fashion designers themselves are often inspired by even faster moving trends in music and the fine arts. I feel a strong connection with fashion and other forms of design. All designers essentially work with the same elements and principles of design - tone, texture, line, colour, repetition, shape, proportion, to name but a few.  Design trends interpret broader social and economic trends, tapping into the heart beat of our societies, and expressing them in visual and functional terms. 

To look forward, one needs to be aware of where we have come from and, in preparing this forecast, I spent some time reflecting about the interior design style trajectory we are on, observing both backward in time and then forward in time. I also thought about our current economic climate and other key issues for us all such as the environment, global connectivity, technology and social sustainability. And of course, I studied the latest trends in fashion. 

So here I go, completely out on a limb, to boldly suggest the following directions for Interior Design as we move into 2010 - a year I hope will be full of hope for a brighter economic outlook, and as always, more love, peace, harmony and beauty in this wonderful world of ours. 

In general terms, I predict a return to sentimentality and individuality.  This means that interiors will ‘show case’ special ornaments and pieces that are meaningful to the owners or inhabitants of that space. They will be pieces from across time and geography. For example, it could be the family crest of the founder of a hotel group or a special vase purchased from a foreign country by the home owner. It gets more personal and more meaningful - individualization by means of unexpected, personal, unique visual surprise elements that become discussion points for visitors. This trend is a move away from five star mass appeal ‘Luxe’ that has dominated in recent years. Luxe will still exist, but it will be personalized and tempered by natural textures and colours. Everything is more ethical. No real zebra hides.  

Style trends are evolving.  There will be several new styles to emerge, and I have identified, labeled and described three that I think will be big. Remember, you read it here first! These have not been identified anywhere else in the world before, so consider this their debut. 

• Harvest. Natural - Innocent - Conservative. Think white linens with attention to detail, restrained but textural, sentimental. Wholesome and innocent, this style will have a slightly sophisticated edge through the use of neutral colours such as beige, ivory, black, taupes and caramels. Wherever there is structure and defined geometry, it is tempered by softness or muted, pastel colour. Dusty pink and corn flower blue accents [not together!] play a part. The plainer the colour palette, the more attention to detail there will be. Small things matter again, playfulness, ‘groundedness’, fun, authentic and non-judgmental. Formality is mixed with informality. This style is all about family and acknowledges where our food comes from. Think rural, wheat fields in the sunshine, farm houses - abundance of an earthy kind. The current ‘Classic Contemporary’ interior style will evolve into this.  

Inspiration from farm house exteriors / Linen cushions, photo courtesy of www.100percentdesign.co.uk / The Harvest style is inspired by natural refinement. 

Chair Image courtesy of www.urbanoutfitters.com / Ming vase courtesy of www2.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2006-05/31/xin_4005033016596782021326.jpg, [Sold for US$10.13 million in 2006] / Silk Kashan rug image courtesy of: www.spongobongo.com/Oriental_Rugs/Persian_Rugs/images/Small_Silk_Kashan_ex_Rothschild2.jpg