New year, new home

With February 2008 now in full swing, the January blues should be slowly beginning to pass leaving you with more enthusiasm to give your home that much needed ‘new year, new you’ revamp.

Dawn Llewellyn Jones, Interior Design Sales and Operations Manager for Leekes, reveals her top tips on what hot and what’s not in interior schemes for 2008.

“A new year inevitably brings new trends and 2008 is set to be the year for colour. While the dominant focus in 2007 was black with a stark contrast of white and metallic, this season is more about injecting colour into your interiors to create a brighter more energetic feel for those approaching lighter evenings and mornings.

However, if you went full steam ahead with last year’s must haves, black is still popular and will feature throughout the year. Simply team it with warmer tones of red in accessories and soft furnishings to create one of this years ‘in’ looks.

The trends for the coming year will be heavily infused with colours more commonly found in your fruit bowl, so when you think colour, think oranges, lemons and limes and even a touch of kiwi. Revive your monochrome themed interior by using citrus colours such as, fresh lime greens, yellows and tangerines to brighten up our classic black and white décor. Last year’s chocolate and cream craze can also be injected with brighter colour to create a whole new look, giving your interior a whole new lease of life. Use them as the main focus for a room in furniture, or more subtly in vases, candles and ornaments, either way you will feel instantly invigorated by the transformation.

If bright and bold isn’t your thing you can still have the latest looks by toning it down slightly. Add a touch of warmth to your home by opting for soft red tones, such as watermelons and paler yellows. It won’t require a complete overhaul of your interior schemes but will make all the difference.

The plums and aubergines that made an appearance in last seasons designs will remain evident this year but in a much more exuberant, dramatic way. The Baroque era will evolve throughout the seasons to become one of autumn’s must haves. Rich velvet textures combined with damask prints popular in wallpapers and feature walls in 2007 will be essential in living rooms and bedrooms. To create the complete look add extravagant gilt framed mirrors and picture frames with complimenting chandeliers giving a real sense of sumptuousness and glamour to your home.

If you do one thing this season make sure you…accessorise!

Accessorising is not simply limited to matching your shoes to your handbags ladies! 2008 will give you free reign to go all out with the finishing touches to your home. From large elaborate lamps and dramatic wall covering mirrors to layering using throws and cushions, anything goes, and the more and bigger the better.

All colour schemes and products shown and mentioned can be found at Leekes with many items available to buy online at leekes.co.uk.