Be quirky, bold and trust your instincts

Forget sober palates and Scandi simplicity, it’s time to make a statement and have some fun

WE’RE all in need of a sharpener at this time of year. The same goes for our homes. Liberated from decorations, it’s a chance to see what’s what and start planning big or small changes for the year ahead.

So, what should come down with the tinsel and what could tempt you to redecorate next year?

BOLDLY GO

BRACE yourself for a daring palette. Dark blue, fashionable for a while now, is giving way to deeper hues such as Squid Ink by Paint & Paper Library.

ruth Mottershead at P&P also recommends mustards and golds, like sandy rufus and exuberant yellow Gamboge. She suggests pairing them with dark greens such as Hunter or Stable Green, or knocking them back with a crisp white.

Feature walls? Go for two statement walls, paired with lighter tones. and what about those pretty pinks? ‘We’ve reached peak millennial pink,’ says interior designer anouska Tamony. But soft shades such as Little Greene’s china clay are good counterpoints to richer shades.

GET A LITTLE GLITZ

‘SCANDI is not quite dead, but is moving to a more luxe feel,’ says blogger and author Kate Watson-Smyth.

according to Visit Scotland, cosagach is the new hygge, or cosy in plain terms. The trends show we still want our homes to be as warming as a stiff whisky — but with more trimmings.

Our love for velvet and metallics is undimmed, though rose gold has, says Tamony, ‘had its 15 minutes of fame’. Same for copper. Instead, opt for brass, pewter or gold. Mylands has four metallic paints, first developed for the British film industry, in shades of gold, bronze and silver (£27, mylands.com).

Softer velvet shades will take you nicely into spring and contrast with all those moody walls. From February, the gorgeous Wallis bed by Pinch Design comes in an iced mint velvet (£1,899, heals.com).

If you’re not in the market for a bed, the elegant elgin armchair, in the same refreshing shade, is also available from February (£899).

PATTERN PLEASE

DESIGNER William Yeoward never holds back, using flamboyant wallpapers, furnishing fabrics and curtains — none matching — all in the same room. It’s a look that requires confidence and tall ceilings. ease yourself in with a vibrant carlotta rug in brick or clementine (£995, william yeoward.com).

Textile designer eva Sonaike, creates joyful africa-inspired fabric and accessories as brightening as a sunshine holiday. ‘I expect imaginative, globally inspired prints like hers to rise in popularity even more in 2018,’ says Tamony.

Sonaike’s aburi palm tree fabric in yellow (above right) would bring life to a chair in need of re-upholstering (£89 per metre,

evasonaike.com) and the Ijoba cushion (£69) is luscious enough to eat.

But if you’re more at ease with monochrome, try John Lewis’s collaboration with ‘cult pattern pioneers’, Patternity. The collection, out next month, includes the striking ritual reflect floor cushion (£70,

johnlewis.com) and rug (from £80). even flooring is becoming more patterned — with herringbone and terrazzo set to be all over the place next year.

QUIRKY CHARACTERS

OUR homes increasingly reflect our personalities. We love quirky features that say: we travel, we like a laugh, or simply — we know where to shop. Habitat has identified figurative art as a trend. That means, ‘ headshaped ceramic vases, the human eye used as a central design motif and textiles mirroring the form of the human face,’ says Polly Dickens, its creative director. The surreal eye rug or cushion ( left) will get guests talking (£350 and £ 60, respectively, from habitat.co.uk).

Liberty also offers lots of offbeat home accessories. Swedish designer FreddeLanka’s ceramics have a cartoonish wit about them. I like the mushroom face vase (£55, libertylondon.com).

PLASTER WALLS

UNPAINTED walls are back, but they’ve gone upmarket. chesney’s new showroom in Belsize Park, London, is a showstopper with its plaster walls in a coal-like shade.

Bellisimo, the firm responsible, has never been busier. It specialises in extraordinary polished plaster finishes that look like marble, stone, wallpaper — even mirror ( bellissimo-walls.co.uk).

If you’re putting art up on your expertly finished wall, then opt for one huge piece. The crowded gallery effect is looking tired. Search for work by dimensions on the affordable art Fair site, affordableartfair.com.

STATEMENT PIECE

ONLINE interior design and shopping service Homewings rates the side table as 2017’s most sought- after item, perhaps because it’s an easy way to add luxury — or we’re having more drinks parties.

Bethan Gray’s Band side table in marble and brushed brass (£ 2,450, bethangray. com) is gorgeous, but you may have to settle for West elm’s more affordable nesting tables (£349, westelm.co.uk) — the perfect place to rest your new Year drinks.