London's Interior Design Week takes place twice a year and is the equivalent to London's fashion week as the place to go to see it first. At the Chelsea Harbor Design Center over 70 showrooms displayed the latest trailblazing designs, fresh palettes, newly-interpreted patterns, and luxurious and natural materials. Here you will find a review of some of these products, trends and recent developments for the modern home.

Since color is key, let's go to the London Design Show at Chelsea Harbor for the latest trends in this area. First, we are seeing big changes in the tonal ranges of color. Here, purple is en rigour in tones ranging from deeper aubergine to soft lilac, and dark grape.  Coupled with either crushed orange, fuschia, canary yellow along with cooler neutrals is also prevalent, although the stronger colors tend to be used primarily as accents. Within this high impact color trend are what we noted are (6) main color grouping that hold together nicely. The range will suit the variety of tastes and preferences out there, so hopefully one of six will appeal to you as well, since they will be in the stores for some time to come.

1.  Powder pinks or stronger fuschia, raspberry/red, gold-tinted yellows, sage and ivory

2.   Aqua, ivory, lime, dark and light grays, with ivory

3.  Tangerines, muted mustard/gold, neutral beiges and ivory

4.  Black and white with one dramatic accent color (red, green, blues, pinks, purples for drama and lilac, lime, yellows, or pinks for subtle pop)

5.  Pewter, naturals, ivory, turquoise and powder blues, plus coffee colors, like mocha and cappuccino

6.  Apricot and aubergine with coffees and ivory.

7.  Standard neutrals (beiges, creams and ivory)

The show also revealed a carefully planned coordination of these new color families with fresh patterns. The effect is very convincing partly because of the variety of textures which rely on plush and natural materials to achieve a layered look, suitable for both subtle and dramatic tastes. Although there are many new trends in fabric patterns, the focus here is on the most prominent and the showrooms in London are all going in this same direction. The four most popular patterns and textures used for the new palettes are as follows:

1.  Large scale stripes in plush velvet for upholstery

2.  Large scale florals for windows and accent pieces

3.  Textured solids for upholstery

4.  Glazed linens for window treatments and accent pieces

When these fabric and pattern rules are applied with the current color schemes the impact is stunning, but it remains important to layer fabrics through use of different depths of color, accent color(s), patterns, and texture. The materials to look out for are natural linens, heavy cottons and silks.

The same rules apply to rugs, except there is a slight twist. Hardwood floors with light finishes remain extremely popular making the throw or border rug a necessity for sound-absorption, comfort, and aesthetics. One trend is the old reliable neutral base, but in plusher natural materials. The other trend is retro-'60s. These rugs are more dramatic with strong geometric patterns and colors. It is interesting to note that some rug manufacturers are finding this trend so popular that they are using original 1960's ads and duplicating the same era's color line. Although the designs are interesting and could have a high impact change on a room, the acid oranges and psychedelic greens are a matter of personal taste. The question to me would be why regurgitate what has already been done before? The real shazam is an ultra-thick, twisted pile, ivory-colored shag. Otherwise you can create the dramatic wow-factor with the retro geometric plush pile rug in the flavor of choice, like aubergine and cappuccino, a terrific combination.

The trends in furniture designs are moving more and more towards sleek lines and dark brown woods for a unique look and modern functionality. These pieces may not necessarily be contemporary and in fact some them have distinct references to traditional designs but the effect both is modern and smart. They also work beautifully with any palette and are especially well-suited with the neutral ones. The rule that less is more applies.

By Sharon Hess