The Ideal Home Show 2018 showcased well known interior designers in the UK as well as the trends. In this blog, I’m going to recap what I saw and what design trends I picked up.

GARDEN POD BY 2LG

We start with the eco-friendly sustainable Garden Pod designed by Jordan and Russell from 2LG Studio. On entering the pod you can really feel the calming effect of the surroundings. From the Graham and Brown wallpaper to the cool tones of the grey bar stools and blush pink armchair.

Everything in the pod has been well thought out using recycled plastics or other sustainable materials such as vegan leather. It’s great to see ethical products being used in interior design. We too can introduce these ideas as into our own home.

And of course, no Garden pod would be complete without having lots of greenery inside! The pops of green really stand out on this neutral-toned palette.

INNOVATION HOUSE BY SOPHIE ROBINSON

Next up, I headed to Sophie Robinson‘s Innovation House, another stunning design home. Sophie is an interior designer, stylist, TV presenter and known for her colourful interiors. So I was really looking forward to seeing the colourful designs.

Each room had individuality and yet maintained flow throughout the house. Sophie’s bold use of colour really got me thinking about using bold colours in my designs.

One of Sophie’s motto is ‘ban the beige’ and I’m totally on board with this. I believe having a colourful yet tasteful interior design can really make a difference in any room.

Sophie’s use of colour has really made me think harder about using brighter and bolder colours. I am an avid believer in colourful interior design and so this show house has been a really good eye-opener.

Another design feature which I noticed was her usage of brass and gold. From the stunning gold splash back in the kitchen to the brass coffee tables, cutlery and lighting. Metallics look stunning on their own but when paired with a dark colour both compliment each other.

GARDEN POD BY BLACK PARROT STUDIOS

Next stop is another Garden Pod by designers Sarah Mitchell and Alexa de Castilho from Black Parrots Studio.

An unusual shape, however, the dark moody side of the triangular-shaped pod really drew me in. I felt like I just wanted to jump over the rope and jump into that bed!

Loved the fact that the colour palette was restricted it showed me that I don’t have to fuss over a million colours in one room.

My favourite element was the burnt orange against the earthy dark colours.

THE TRENDS

So what are the key trends we can take from the Ideal Home Show 2018? More importantly, how can you incorporate them at home? Here are my top 5 trends I picked up and how to use them at home…

BOLD & DARK INTERIORS

Dark interiors were everywhere whether it was dark walls on room sets, flooring or dark sofas.

Interior tip: When using dark colours, use metallic furniture or objects to reflect light and make the object stand out. Use bright pops of colour like the bright orange used in Black Parrot Studios.

METALLICS

Whether it was gold, brass or rose gold, metallics have been going strong for quite a few years now and they ain’t going anywhere!

Interior tip: Try to stick to the same metal in any one room, they will work better together. Why not jazz up your dinner table with some brass cutlery?

PINK

This is by far my favourite trend, a dash of blush pink can really soften up a room especially with Spring upon us, well when it does eventually arrive! I saw both 2LG Studios and Sophie Robinson use a fair bit of pink in their designer homes.

Tip: A good combination to with pinks are black, grey, dark blue and gold – just look at the ombre effect tiles in the bathroom from the Innovation House and how well they all work together.

INDUSTRIAL MINIMALISTIC LIGHTING

BHS lighting pulled out all the stops as they provided all the lighting for the show grounds. Their stall had the most modern lighting stunning and atheistically pleasing to see something so simple yet so beautiful. Not to mention, the atmosphere and the mood they create beats any lampshade!

Tip: layer up the lighting rather than having one blinding massive lightbulb from the ceiling

VELVET

Ahhh the feeling of the soft velvet, yet another massive trend set to remain quite a bit longer too. It looks super luxe and you can’t stop stroking it cos it feels so nice!

Tip: You can get almost anything in velvet these days, curtains, bed, sofa and more affordable. Adding some velvet cushions will definitely give you the luxe look for less.

Hope you enjoyed reading about the Ideal Home Show 2018 design report. Which trend do you like the most trends? I’d love to hear from you, leave me a comment down below!

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