After a cold, rain-soaked summer, brightened only by the gleam of Olympic gold, one might be forgiven for groaning at autumn chills and winter gloom.
But stifle that grumbling. It turns out that we’ve merely had to wait for things to brighten up. Interiors this autumn and winter are not the cocoons of previous years; dark places in which to hibernate until spring arrives. Instead the look is bright, even dazzling. The textures popular in previous seasons are all there: velvets to stroke, woollen or linen/silk throws to snuggle into, cushions to laze back on, but the colours are very different.
Take the bright, virtually neon colours so popular in the past few months in fashion and furnishing, mute them slightly, and you’re in the right direction. There’s also a sense of the dramatic: jewel-like splashes – or more if you want – of rich blues, purples, jade and reddish pinks. Everyone is in on it: from B & Q to high-end designer Nina Campbell.
“It is very summery,” Campbell says of her eponymous range of wall coverings, fabrics and trims. “Wherever I go, people want light.”
The sensational looks range from stunning florals to the glamour of Middle-East inspired exotics. What is behind all this – and where are the minimalist taupes of yesteryear?
