Parrots in the Parlour

Sorry Ive been away from the blog for a while, but Im back with some of my fave style trends and passions that are still rocking the interiors world in 2018. If you have ever viewed my own home on my instagram account You will know my tastes are varied and many. From the palest and the prettiest of decors to the darkest and quirkiest of styles, but the one thing I cant resist is a new trend, yup tend to like um all, just cant resist a bandwagon! Ill be jumping right on it, and adding it somewhere in my home. Whether its a colour or a thing, l’m usually right at the front of the queue to try it. Heres some of my favourites right now:

1 Critter chic

Adding unusual and exotic birds and animalia to your decor has been around for a little while now, but the trend is growing, and new animals are becoming must haves all the time. Yes it has extended beyond the flamingo (still love them) to include any creature from an octopus to a leopard, and the high street brands are well and truly on board now, so Its easy to pick up yourself a piece of cute or quirky that will challenge the high end brands offerings for on-trend style .

So whether its a wall mounted beast, a divine swan,  or a table top mantis (yep I own one of those!) make like David Bellamy (if you are under 35, you will probably need to google this name!) and give the animal kingdom a whirl. Heres a few more of my favourites, reasonably priced pieces

2. The luxe look

And most especially all things gold and shiny and a little bit rock star! – Gold has taken a back seat to silvers and chromes since the 80s, when anyone who had a posh Nana , she would almost certainly have had gold taps, and it was practically compulsory to take all your friends to look at said taps to impress them. But no more, silver is being budged out, and gold is not just for the posh Nana’s! Im currently in the process of changing my silver kitchen door handles and taps to the gold side, and you don’t need to be midas to make this happen, handles from 3 quid on eBay, and full swan neck taps like this one from high street bathroom stores are priced the same as silver – amen to that I say.

And its not just the taps, even if you just want a piece of the gold stuff, try a pen pot or a mirror, or for all out luxe,  the must-have bar cart. And it sits well with so may colours, perfect with pink and white as an undertone, or great against a strong dark colour to shout ‘wow’ at all who pass. So make like an 80’s Nana and give gold a go, I defy you not to fall in love.

3. Whopping Wallpapers

Yet another revival from the past I hear you cry, yep think 60’s and 70’s here though, for the current trend of flamboyant designs, so think oversized palms, or roses bigger than your head for a true 2018 look. If you are brave enough, do the whole room, trust me it works. Or maybe start with the loo, or the bathroom, as small rooms carry large and blousey prints so well. I have a moulin rouge style oversized print in my downstairs loo and coupled with a matching theatrical pelmet and gold accents, it looks the biz.

If you don’t want to tackle the whole room, but would love to give it a go, try lining the back of a bookcase, or framing a piece like a big picture on your wall. Heres a few of my current faves, and ones I find most inspiring. Yep, its go large or go home with these beauties, which ones your fave?

oh, and before i go, my aforementioned  downstairs loo …..

I’m back next with part 2 of the top 2018 trends I love, as theres simply too many to cover in one go (eek!) so I hope to see you there!

Anna x