ForLook Interior Design

In one of our previous articles we wrote about the latest interior design trend, which is called “the new old” or “trad modern” or “new-stalgia” or FAB.

This new look is about glamorising vintage pieces  and designs.  Contemporary materials - such as lacquer, mirror, Perspex, Corian  etc - are used on traditional shapes. There is renaissance of Baroque and Art Deco styles, but with a modern twist..

This new trend is now prominent in decorating the living room and bedroom, although some retro influence can still be seen. This glamorised style is also entering the bathroom. Recently, two different directions have been dominating bathroom design - an almost clinical high-tech decor and an organic, natural style. The organic approach will continue, particularly the use of natural materials and forms to create a sensual, relaxing environment in the home, which is now called by many people their sanctuary. However, the high-tech, uber-modern finishes are now considered to be too harsh, bare and functional. The popularity of spas has made people want to indulge in warmth, luxury and glamour when they enter their own bathroom, the space to chill out and to pamper themselves.  This new attitude to bathing required a new direction in bathroom design.

Jaime Hayon’s new bathroom suite has responded to this new approach by modernising the good old basin. It is a basin that looks like an antique piece of furniture, an elegant piece of art - yet its lacquered finish is truly fresh and modern:-

The bath also looks elegant yet subtle - it will not dominate a bathroom. This means that we will see a u-turn in bathroom design. Classic basins and free-standing and/or roll-top baths will yet again be trendy in our homes, but expect them to be finished in contemporary materials. The feature-wall concept will also move into the bathroom. This means that (on at least one of the walls) tiles will have wallpaper-like traditional patterns, a mural or a digital image.  The colour scheme will be dark and moody or pearly and elegant. Metallic finishes (gold, bronze and silver) and mirrors will complement the new glamorous look.

Lighting will be more subdued and/or hidden, modern antique-looking wall-lamps and chandeliers will appear.  I certainly hope that there will be no turning back to the carpeted bathroom, particularly not to shag-pile carpets.

The question is, how long will this trend last?  Every century starts with an era that looks to the past for inspiration. It seems to take a couple of decades for designers to free themselves and work around contemporary ideas that might become future classics. Currently we are experiencing the revival of retro, which is a pure simulation of the past. At least the new-old direction is a modern take on the old that offers something fresh and contemporary. Until designers have the confidence to concentrate on the present and define our century with revolutionary designs & ideas, and until the world feels a more secure place - both designers and people will look to the past for comfort and reassurance. The irony is that, in a century where change happens faster than ever before, this nostalgic approach might take longer to wake up from than ever before.