Laminex Design Director, Neil Sookee outlines four trends that will inspire living spaces in 2013.
Influenced by Neil’s extensive knowledge and travels to renowned international exhibitions and fairs, the 2013 trends forecast will shed light on how materials and spaces will be used in different and interesting ways over the next 12 months and beyond.
Trend 1: Super Natural
Super Natural takes cues from nature to add depth and dimension to interior spaces. Decorative surfaces are textured, pared back and raw to mimic the natural look and feel of woodgrain and stone.
The brand new Laminex Impressions textured surfaces range brings Super Natural to life by evoking the tactile experience of natural materials. Laminex Impressions textured surfaces comprise of a collection of decors and finishes where the texture enhances the grain and beauty of timber, transforms solid colours and evokes the sparkle of quartz. Super Natural authentically imitates nature and blurs the boundaries of real and unreal surfaces.
Trend 2: Colour Splash
Inspired by the concept of colour blocking, where large areas of contrasting chromatic colour are used side by side, Colour Splash uses a small area of contrasting colour set against a neutral expanse. Strongly chromatic and vivid colours are often used as the Colour Splash highlight.
Laminex introduces a series of new neutral solid colours and optical solids reflecting the importance of neutrals in any colour palette and in particular, the rising importance of grey. New, richly chromatic colours such as Infinity, Jalapeno, Posie and Purely Purple can be combined with neutrals and other colours in the Laminex Colour Palette to give a confident splash of colour to interiors.
Trend 3: Alfresco Living
Australians are increasingly embracing ‘Alfresco Living’, where the comforts of interiors are enhancing outdoor spaces. With the line between interiors and exteriors blurring, Alfresco Living extends beyond a simple outdoor table and chairs to a complete trend that creates an integrated space between indoors and outdoors.
The Laminex Alfresco Compact Laminate range makes it possible to create custom furniture such as outdoor lounge areas or bespoke outdoor screens to create an outdoor space that combines comfort and tranquillity. The durable Laminex Metaline splashbacks and panels popular in kitchen spaces can also be used for splashbacks behind barbeques under a covered area.
Trend 4: Warming Grey
Long-lasting and sophisticated grey is a resurgent trend in modern interiors as observed at major northern hemisphere furniture fairs over the last year, especially in combination with colours and materials.
Grey teams well with colours in the world of fashion as well as interiors. Grey can be used on its own to create a purely monochromatic theme or combined with natural woods or organic based colours such as yellow-greens, oranges and reds for more vibrant effect. When used as a woodgrain colour, grey invokes a sense of graceful aging of a material exposed to the elements and the passage of time.
But grey can also be warming with the potential coldness of purely neutral grey taking second place to warm, brown-based greys.
Sookee also sees the following trends making an impact on interiors in 2013:
- For kitchens, combining different worktop thicknesses and varying the height of landing places represent the very latest in European style treatments
- Continued integration of living spaces to create functional interiors
- Continuation of interest in butler’s pantries in kitchens
- Rounded, organic lines will sit comfortably alongside square geometric forms as a style alternative
- Skin tones and natural earthy browns are growing in importance
