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SHOULD YOU FOLLOW TRENDS OR WILL THEY LEAVE YOU WITH A FADDY ROOM THAT IN NO TIME AT ALL WILL LOOK FADED
Should you stand-alone and adopt an individual style, or opt for exactly what you like regardless of trends or forecasts?We asked Public Award winning designer Matthew McCartan from Ashley Interiors for their advice on trends for 2001...and floors. If you are thinking about redesigning a room or your whole home, the important point at which you should start your quest is with yourself. What styles and traditions excite and attract you? What colours will give you a feeling of being somewhere comfortable and homely? Trends can be useful in stimulating your mind with ideas, but just as with clothing, what you wear can represent who you are, and therefore your home should do the same. Integration of ideas, styles, periods and concepts we feel are increasingly going to be the trends for 2001 and beyond, as have been evident throughout the last millennium.
In the overall designing of your home, it is important not to underestimate the crucial role appropriate flooring has on the finished product. Therefore we have provided you with a few of our ideas on flooring and future trends. The first point is to consider the wear and tear the flooring is likely to sustain over a long period of time. The greater the expectation of traffic, the more important to find a flooring which has a durability against impregnable soiling. The issue of durability is often interlinked with the texture of flooring chosen. It is important to balance the durability of your floor with the texture chosen, as with most furnishings it is tactility which is ultimately important to you. The choice of colour is important both in terms of the holistic approach to your overall design, and the assessment you make on the needed durability and texture required. Therefore, the higher the traffic anticipated in an area and the lighter the colour required, the more durable the texture of the flooring should be. We acknowledge that in the UK the preferred choice for most households is predominantly carpets and laminate flooring. If carpets are used to their full potential, using a contrasting inlay in the design, it can be very effective in giving a feeling of quality and luxury. However, there are many other diverse forms of floor covering that you may wish to consider for your homes. Natural fibres other than carpets are Sisal, Seagrass, Coir and Jute, which can give the same overall effect, being available in a variety of colours and have a greater durability than most carpets. We have found that natural stone ceramic tiles are ideal materials for halls, kitchens and bathrooms, as they are compatible with the necessary need for constancy and hygiene. Please ensure you consider the safety issue in the choosing of a highly polished ceramic tile finish where there is a likelihood of water being present. These materials when used more advantageously, i.e. with mosaic inlays or a diagonal design within a tiled floor, can offer an opportunity to create a unique and stylish finish. Natural stone i.e. marble, granite and limestone, are increasingly more popular, being used as a design feature throughout the ground floors of properties. This can give a visually striking appearance to your home. When deciding on your floor, it is useful to shop around for the right materials at the right price. We would recommend that you seek the advice of an expert in the field of your chosen flooring, or seek the help of a designer as an intermediary on you behalf. By Matthew McCartan (Ashley Interiors)