Two extremes of colour, or lack thereof, popular trend in wood floor finishes
By Debra Wells-Hopey
Tue. Feb 9 - 4:54 AM
Wall covering is a great way to bring colour, pattern or texture into your home. Contributed
The dawn of a new year — and new decade — brings about thoughts of the future, even if that future only involves a redesign of your living space. What better time to examine some of the trends we are seeing recently in home décor and design than now?
"Two extremes of colour, or lack thereof, is a very popular trend in wood floor finishes," notices Sara MacKeeman, a designer at Halifax’s Doucet - Watts & Davis Interiors. "People are either using very dark espresso stains or very light blonde woods."
The light colours are most commonly seen in natural birch or maple, and even bleached oak.
"Also, across the board, wider planks are certainly the way to go, usually from three and a half to five inches wide, with a gloss finish," she says. "A hot new stain we are seeing right now is a taupe-like grey."
Armstrong has a very good quality laminate in this shade called Coastal Living, Oyster Bay Pine. This, paired with high-gloss black cabinetry in a kitchen or living room, would make for an extremely sexy modern look.
As for lighting, oversized is where it’s at.
"This look may take you a bit out of your comfort zone when selecting the fixture but in the proper space it can create a phenomenal, modern focal point," explains MacKeeman.
And for shades, round linen drum shades are very popular right now, in white, cream or black. They can be used in several different rooms but MacKeeman especially likes using them in bedrooms as they are much softer and warmer in appearance then a glass shade.
"Crystals and chrome certainly do have their place though. They can add great sparkle and atmosphere to a dining room, foyer, bathroom or kitchen. Hanging fixtures are nothing new, but the trend right now is to use them everywhere, especially places you wouldn’t normally think, such as bathrooms, bedrooms, nooks and living rooms. The only catch you may have to watch out for if following this trend is that you have the ceiling to pull it off — higher is better."
When it comes to the most commonly followed design elements, nothing beats colour. With so many ways to incorporate colour into your home (wall colour, drapery, upholstery, wall covering, tile, accessories, etc.) it is an economical and relatively easy way to stay on trend.
"Right now, we are seeing a lot of grey. Lighter or more taupey greys are being used as neutrals while charcoals are great accents that can add drama and depth to a colour scheme.
"The combination of charcoal and cream in wall covering and fabric motifs is great take on the forever classic, black and white. Strong purples and oranges are also very much in vogue right now, and no weak colors allowed; deep, true tones are definitely the way to go for these two colours particularly."
Another trend is wall covering — its back in a big way.
"Wall covering is a great way to bring colour, pattern or texture into your home," suggests MacKeeman. "Textured or tone-on-tone papers are great to use in a super modern or contemporary space as it will add interest and slightly soften the look without taking over.
"When using a pattern, large scale prints are hands down the way to go — either tone-on-tone or in contrasting colours. If doing an accent wall, wall covering is a nice alternative to simply adding a dramatic paint colour."