By Darren Morgan: Time travelling kitchen design

May 17th, 2012

Time is a strange thing, our lives are dictated by it and we seem to be locked into a constant battle with the clock. Time has the ability to change things, our priorities, our appearance, our sense of style and even our social position. Time also has the ability to change the one element that accompanies us through life’s ups and downs, the one constant variable that has provided us with a reassuring sense of place and has enabled us to provide daily sustenance for our family and friends. The Kitchen!

Kitchen design has evolved over time finding influence and purpose from humanity itself. There is an insatiable flow of inspired ideas and inventions driven by the desire to make things better than they have ever been before, more efficient, more technologically advanced and even more aesthetically pleasing. Humans design kitchens for human life-spaces so it makes sense that we have an innate desire to improve on what we already have.

Even the humble kitchen door handle has not escaped the march towards perfection becoming revolutionised into all sorts of ergonomically efficient and aesthetically pleasing shapes and sizes. The handle has even been designed right out of the kitchen equation providing a “Handle-less Kitchen” option and it seems ironic that the very thing that is no longer there is actually used to describe the finished product!

So is it safe to assume that this essential and sometimes underestimated component has the ability to define a design and even its designer. Can it also be assumed that the simple kitchen door handle is returning to the main stage and just as in Mark Wilkinson’s “Cooks Kitchen” design, is now making its presence felt and is turning back time in the process?

Carré from Ernestomeda celebrates the humble handle in a way not seen before. The integrated “handleless Kitchen” has become more design progressive by using an obvious recess that can be orientated in various asymmetrical formats in contrasting colours, adding functional artistic interest for the viewer. This is a fantastic development and is the latest stage along the evolutionary path of kitchen design. The handle itself can be created in no less than 230,000 shapes, sizes and colours, giving the end user and their chosen designer some room for self expression.

The level of choice here is amazing and you can easily create something that is personal to you that projects strongly into the surrounding space. Browns and latte colours present a safe combination reminiscent of 80’s style. Greens and blues offer a more striking arrangement bringing the kitchen back to the late 60’s and early 70’s…look at the patterned floor tiles in the image above…there is no polished porcelain to be seen as this type of recycled, fashionable style is on its way back!

The design is enhanced by considering that the modern kitchen is no longer an isolated space and the Carré range incorporates sociability along with some elements that would be more at home in the living room. There is great attention to detail here too when you consider how in image 3 the Blanco Cube tap profile matches that of the handle behind, and in the same image, the worktop cascades off the edge of the island flowing gently into a table.

Carré from Ernestomeda is time capsule kitchen concept that transcends generational fashion preferences and incorporates the best of modern kitchen technology. Looking at this range is like being given the power to see into the future by actually going back in time. Some of the ideas seen in these images will be finding their way into your home again soon!

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“Contemporary perspectives” @Mall Galleries 24-29 April 2012

April 25th, 2012

Contemporary perspectives exhibition
Private View Monday 23 April 2012, 6-9pm
ContemporaryPerspectiveEvent

Date: 24 – 29 April from 10am to 5pm
Place: Mall Galleries, The Mall, London, SW1Y

Contemporary perspectives is an ongoing programme of exhibitions presented by the Mall Galleries in the new Threadneedle Space. The series will examine a range of familiar themes that continue to inspire both artists and audiences. Recognising the Mall Galleries as the established home of figurative art, Contemporary perspectives will examine work by emerging and established artists who continue to explore traditional themes by provoking and playing with our preconceptions.

This inaugural exhibition will present works from each theme, introducing their current relevance and creating a contemporary context for these familiar subjects. Contemporary perspectives will be the first series of exhibitions presented by the Mall Galleries their new Threadneedle Space, introducing the gallery as an important platform for contemporary figurative art.

The conversion of the east gallery into The Threadneedle Space involved stripping back both the ceiling and walls to expose the original carriage building, and opening up the arched windows that look on to the Mall.

Artists exhibiting include the renowned Australian artist Tony Clark (Murray White Room, Melbourne), Gemma Anderson (2011 Residency,Imperial College London), Louise Balaam (New English Art Club), David Cass (Contemporary Watercolour Exhibition winner 2012), Jessie Campbell (currently studying MA Printmaking, Camberwell), Bella Easton (Celeste Prize finalist 2010), Laurence Edwards (Messum’s), Katie Elder (2009 Ambassador at Truman Brewery)… and many others.

To read the press release, click here.

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Slow Design in three steps

April 6th, 2012

Guest blog by Susanna Cots Estudi de disseny – www.suinterioristes.com


Big Bang of creativity

Brainstorming, shower of ideas, storm of ideas… it seems that all the meteorological phenomena come together in the mind of creatives, also known as artists, when working on a professional project. Come rain, snow or wind, the aim is to create in order to satisfy emotions.

As designers we experiment this phase in different ways: many times external factors such as short deadlines, trends and the tastes we have to satisfy condition our work.

What should we bear in mind to be slow designers?

We have to think about the future. It depends on us to create a product that will last as long as possible and will make us proud, in order to enjoy it through the years, having the choice of reusing and recycling it. Or of living in our house that will always be our home.

We must think where we live and with whom we live: our environment and our people will help us to decide the best way to design houses, businesses and products. It is not the same to design a house in the north than in the south, up in the mountains or by the sea…

Creation: developing the project

To develop our creation we need hands, tools and materials. Our land is rich in all three. We have qualified professionals, quality tools and materials. By staying close to our people we will become slow designers because our work relations will be more human, we will get to know how our team works, they will let us be part of the process and we will all together add quality to the end product.

Designs without danger of extinction

After the Big Bang of the 90’s many dinosaurs were born in the design industry: giants who accelerated the normal rhythms that we were used to, made us have more needs than necessary because that was what fashion imposed, and in the end, this saturation led to a loss of diversity and values.

Slow Design means returning to our roots, thinking of the people who will be using your designs, and of the connection of our products to our place and time. In short, as Nike says, going back to when we had the courage of having values.

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Government consultation on Copyright and Anti Competition, March 2012

March 29th, 2012

sbid OFT

The Government’s consultation on copyright, addressed the regulatory impact and costs to business of the proposals to impose statutory codes on collective licensing societies, and to introduce new exceptions.

The initial assessments will be reviewed in the light of evidence collected during the consultation process. SBID participated in this process and is pro-active in the Government’s continuing research programme. The consultation published in December 2011 was accompanied by a set of initial impact assessments; the public outcome to date is available from the Intellectual Property Office website.

Great British companies such as British Airways, Shell, Unilever, the Co-op, Tesco, and Balfour Beatty have been investigated over several years for alleged price fixing, fined nearly a quarter of a billion pounds by the OFT, only for each case to collapse because there was no basis in fact, law or economics to support them. The net result is a huge bill for the taxpayer to pay the legal fees. There are 600 employees at the OFT costing us £60 million per annum, let alone compensation to the companies that have been improperly charged so a review is very much needed.

Last year, the Government consulted on proposals to reform the competition regime including merging the Office of Fair Trading and the Competition Commission to create a single Competition and Markets Authority. Among other things, the consultation sought views on proposals to improve the enforcement of the anti-trust prohibitions. The Government will announce their conclusions following the consultation shortly.

One reason why the review looked at merging the Office of Fair Trading and the Competition Commission is to make sure that they are right and fit for purpose for our times and that there are the right resources needed for the world that we live in today. There is no doubt about it that the Office of Fair Trading has had a wonderful reputation in the past, and we would like to think that the new merger, if it goes forward, will take forward the very best of the OFT and the very best of the Competition Commission.

The Government’s aims is to build on the best of the OFT and the best of the Competition Commission in the creation of a world-leading Competition and Markets Authority. The Government recognise that the system for the enforcement of the anti-trust prohibitions is not working as well as it should. Cases take too long and a strong challenge to decisions is often mounted on appeal. It is worth remembering that Britain has a reputation in the world as being one of the best places in which markets work. They are open and fair. We have to make sure that we have timely and effective enforcement. That is what the consultation has been about.

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The government Ministry for Fair Trade agrees that whatever reorganisation of the competition authorities is to take place in the future, adequate resources must be made available to ensure that there is effective combating of price-fixing cartels and other anti-competitive practices. The record shows that, on the matter of liability as distinct from the precise amount of penalty, the OFT has been upset on appeal to the Competition Appeal Tribunal only relatively rarely. It has admittedly been told by the Competition Appeal Tribunal that the amount of penalty is sometimes too large and has been reduced. Last year, and I think the year before, the OFT brought in some £60 million to the Exchequer from fines. Fines that had been upheld by the Competition Appeal Tribunal! SBID has been actively involved in the programme to review and reform faults in the current system of interior design and propose methods for improvement over the past three years. The SBID report has been submitted.

The Office of Fair Trading is of course an independent body and is best placed to balance the work that it does; it is not the Government’s place to tell it what to do. However, it is almost impossible for the ordinary consumer trying to deal with the combination of the OFT, Consumer Focus, Consumer Direct, the CBA and the Competition Commission to know where to go when there is an issue and this requires further clarity.

With the restructuring coming, the department must decide where change will take place. It will shortly put some real clarity on its website to direct people under the current structure and with some clear indication where restructuring is going to take us.

The Government will reveal their conclusion in the next few weeks after the finalisation of the consultation…… watch here!

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SBID’s policy on fair trading in interior design

March 27th, 2012

Vanessa Brady comments on SBID’s latest campaign, the Fair Trading Policy in Interior Design. © Copyright SBID 2012

Trade discount is for trade, not retail, and mixing the two is unfair to all parties. The SBID Fair Trading Policy does not recommend, support or promote passing on trade discounts to the public.

Historically some interior decorators and designers passed on their trade price to potential clients to obtain work. That is desperation, not a design commission. Such designers and decorators cause mass damage to the overall industry: they undermine the retailers’ position and they betray the supplier’s price structuring integrity. In doing so, they create grey billing procedures where the customer is unable to breakdown an invoice costs and assumes inflated pricing, leading to disputes. In addition, a lack of transparency on fees, discounts and project fee structuring has often prevented potential clients from seeking professional design advice at all.

The common practice of designers passing trade discounts to their customers, i.e. the public, shrinks the development of interior design as a profession and ultimately costs each market sector profit and reputation. It is not surprising that those who trade in this practice are the largest sector in administration and bankruptcy. They are also the most boisterous when policies such as the SBID Fair Trading Policy are introduced. SBID’s aim in implementing the Fair Trading Policy is specifically to further separate hobbyists from professionals and, in doing so, raise the standards of the entire profession.

Plan ids

Practitioners who provide a design service free of charge undermine the overall design industry. It is neither appropriate nor financially sustainable for professionals to provide their key performance, their design knowledge and advice, free of charge. It is by charging a fee for the trained services of a professional designer, that a designer generates income.

Retail prices include the cost of stock and customer service. Trade prices are products supplied on business to business (B2B) terms by manufacturers, or professional industry partners (PIPs). Interior design has until now rarely respected the difference. Currently, two common unprofessional billing methods adopted by designers are:
1. Sharing trade prices as leverage to obtain projects;
2. Providing a free design service, creating income from ‘supplying goods’ only.

All too often a designer’s unrealistic recognition of project costs and random product supply between trade and retail-pricing generates customer complaints. This common practice is therefore a threat to the overall reputation and growth of the profession of design.

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Other grey areas of passing on trade prices to one-time-purchasers make it impossible for retailers to compete fairly. Supplying goods has additional costs attached for different performances: retailers absorb costs such as showroom space, staffing, after-sales service and product training etc. which designers do not provide.

There is a clear additional cost in every sale a retailer makes when compared to the service provided by a designer. Designers may need to install, take delivery, organise returns of products, and so on, and this clearly has time (and cost) attached. Therefore the fee a designer earns in a trade price reflects some of the services the designer performs.

Under the SBID Fair Trading Policy, a clear charging system sets out procedures for other services such as sourcing and supplying products. SBID design professionals are encouraged to be transparent about rates for hourly, daily and project billing fees in their terms of engagement.

The policy supports SBID Designers and PIPs* and provides a fair, equitable industry plan for growth. Registered SBID international industry body members are supported by the policy to promote qualified services, however the policy does not advise, direct or propose what a fee rate should be.
*PIPs – Professional Industry Partner

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About SBID

- SBID was formed in March 2009 meeting the European Councils entry criteria for Interior Designers and Architects and was inducted into the European Council of Interior Architects (ECIA) in September 2009.

- Until 2009, Britain remained unqualified to meet the eighteen year old EU standards in interior design

- The sixteen page Intellectual Property owned document* formed the basis of the registration of SBID under British Law and part of the terms of membership of the European Council of Interior Architects (ECIA)

- Andrew Rolfe is one of Britain’s leading (top 100) contract lawyers, a member of the SBID Advisory Board and partner of Clifford Chance law firm.
*The sixteen page business prospectus is the intellectual property and copyright of Vanessa         Brady and Andrew Rolfe; its joint creators. It may not be reproduced without written authority from its joint creators.

- The SBID Fair Trading Policy is part of a joined up business plan that creates the bases of a design professional through education, practice and control with the aim of protecting the consumer and improving the professional image and performance of design professionals.- SBID is a Professional body raising, promoting and setting standards to create opportunities for design professionals to trade pan-industry providing design advice products and support services. The SBID Fair Trading Policy supports and builds on the relationship between these market sectors to create a clear route to market for the professional sector of design. The outcome will be a joined-up industry.

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Paramour, here’s one for the calendar

March 21st, 2012
Halcyon Gallery presents the first solo exhibition of works by contemporary artist David Wightman. Showing over 15 new works painted between 2011 and 2012, Wightman
bridges the genres of landscape and abstraction. With his artistic roots in traditional painting, Wightman’s work holds a graphic preciseness that has earned him extensive international
recognition. In 2003 he was awarded the Hunting Art Prize from The Royal College of Art, London and has recently finished a residency as part of English Heritage’s Berwick Gymnasium Arts
Fellowship, Berwick-Upon-Tweed.
“You must spend time with Wightman’s paintings; on the surface they are beautiful and intricate, but like the layers they are made from, there is so much depth to these works – they contemplate not
only artifice, but also the natural versus the manmade. His combination of craft and skill redefines genres and blurs meaning. As an emerging artist, this show at Halcyon is his first major foray into the
international art world, but it’s only a matter of time until David Wightman justifiably gains wider recognition.” Cherie Federico, Editor, Aesthetica Magazine
Inspired by Caspar David Friedrich and Ad Reinhardt, Wightman creates his landscape and abstract paintings using a systematic process that relies on craft and discipline. Every work is made from
individual pieces of wallpaper, painstakingly cut with a surgical scalpel and placed side by side, never overlapping. After stretching a canvas, he applies the wallpaper, then sands and primes the work,
ready for painting. Wightman describes the process as: “far more labour intensive than the end product suggests”.
Wightman’s new work is interested in the contradictory connotations of mountain landscapes: their beauty and terror; their isolation and wholesomeness. It is this sense of the age-old mountain,
isolated and cold, that makes a subtle yet ingenious reference to the predicament of the landscape genre. Prescribed as ‘dead’ on more than one occasion by critics, the “perfect landscape” genre is
now considered crass and kitsch. The connotation of kitsch is a theme Wightman embraces by using textures of wallpaper, similar to the wallpaper he remembers from his youth, to create his own
landscapes. Although the paintings are disguised in uplifting colours, there is a quiet, nostalgic sadness in Wightman’s work, a hint of class struggles, and with it an integrity and critical eye that
appears to be missing from much of contemporary art today.
Though Wightman’s landscapes are clearly representative, they also serve a similar purpose to abstract paintings: found images act as vehicles in which to experiment with space and form. Held
within this minimalist approach is a definite sensitivity and nostalgia expressed in the paper that makes up the surfaces of the luminous lakes and greyscale mountains.
Image credits:
1. Paramour, David Wightman, 2012. Acrylic and collaged wallpaper on canvas 150 x 300 cms.
2. Teton, David Wightman, 2011. Acrylic and collaged wallpaper on canvas 107 x 160 cms.
3. Mea Bella, David Wightman, 2012. Acrylic and collaged wallpaper, 120 cm Ø.

Halcyon Gallery presents the first solo exhibition of works by contemporary artist David Wightman. Showing over 15 new works painted between 2011 and 2012, Wightman bridges the genres of landscape and abstraction. With his artistic roots in traditional painting, Wightman’s work holds a graphic preciseness that has earned him extensive international recognition. In 2003 he was awarded the Hunting Art Prize from The Royal College of Art, London and has recently finished a residency as part of English Heritage’s Berwick Gymnasium Arts Fellowship, Berwick-Upon-Tweed.

paramour halcyon gallery 1

“You must spend time with Wightman’s paintings; on the surface they are beautiful and intricate, but like the layers they are made from, there is so much depth to these works – they contemplate not only artifice, but also the natural versus the manmade. His combination of craft and skill redefines genres and blurs meaning. As an emerging artist, this show at Halcyon is his first major foray into the international art world, but it’s only a matter of time until David Wightman justifiably gains wider recognition.” Cherie Federico, Editor, Aesthetica Magazine

Inspired by Caspar David Friedrich and Ad Reinhardt, Wightman creates his landscape and abstract paintings using a systematic process that relies on craft and discipline. Every work is made from individual pieces of wallpaper, painstakingly cut with a surgical scalpel and placed side by side, never overlapping. After stretching a canvas, he applies the wallpaper, then sands and primes the work, ready for painting. Wightman describes the process as: “far more labour intensive than the end product suggests”.

paramour halcyon gallery 2

Wightman’s new work is interested in the contradictory connotations of mountain landscapes: their beauty and terror; their isolation and wholesomeness. It is this sense of the age-old mountain, isolated and cold, that makes a subtle yet ingenious reference to the predicament of the landscape genre. Prescribed as ‘dead’ on more than one occasion by critics, the “perfect landscape” genre is now considered crass and kitsch. The connotation of kitsch is a theme Wightman embraces by using textures of wallpaper, similar to the wallpaper he remembers from his youth, to create his own landscapes. Although the paintings are disguised in uplifting colours, there is a quiet, nostalgic sadness in Wightman’s work, a hint of class struggles, and with it an integrity and critical eye that appears to be missing from much of contemporary art today.

Though Wightman’s landscapes are clearly representative, they also serve a similar purpose to abstract paintings: found images act as vehicles in which to experiment with space and form. Held within this minimalist approach is a definite sensitivity and nostalgia expressed in the paper that makes up the surfaces of the luminous lakes and greyscale mountains.

David Wightman Paramour opened on 19 April and runs until 20 May 2012, at Halcyon Gallery (SBID Professional Industry Partner), 24 Bruton Street, London, W1J 6QQ. Opening Hours are Monday – Saturday, 10am – 6pm.

Image credits:
1. Paramour, David Wightman, 2012. Acrylic and collaged wallpaper on canvas 150 x 300 cms.
2. Teton, David Wightman, 2011. Acrylic and collaged wallpaper on canvas 107 x 160 cms.
3. Mea Bella, David Wightman, 2012. Acrylic and collaged wallpaper, 120 cm Ø.

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Vi-Spring becomes the first bed-maker to achieve the Woolmark

March 19th, 2012

British bespoke bed-maker and acclaimed SBID member, Vi-Spring, has become the first UK bed-maker to be awarded the Woolmark for its luxurious collection of all-wool beds.  Made using 100 per cent wool – from fillings to upholstery – Vi-Spring’s Shetland Collection is the first of its kind, with exclusive use of real Shetland wool; a naturally soft, warm and sustainable fibre.

Recognised around the world, the respected Woolmark is synonymous with quality and guaranteed wool content. Vi-Spring’s luxury all-wool range, The Shetland Collection, underwent rigorous independent testing to comply with the Woolmark’s quality and performance criteria.

vispring woolmark
Vi-Spring’s Shetland Superb with Wool Sovereign divan

Each and every bed is handcrafted in Vi-Spring’s Devon workshop using the finest mix of real Shetland wool and pure Platinum Certified British Fleece Wool and finished with hand-tied woollen tufts. A selection is available of the highest quality all-wool fabrics to cover divan base and headboard to create a stand out look in the bedroom.

A planet friendly fibre, wool is uniquely suited to bed-making thanks to its natural softness, warmth and durability. It is an effective insulator and works to keep you cool in the summer, warm in the winter, and to draw moisture away from the body before releasing it into the air, ensuring a clean, fresh and hypoallergenic sleeping surface. Wool is also naturally resistant to dust mites, making a perfect choice for allergy sufferers.

Vi-Spring is proud to promote the Woolmark with The Shetland Collection, which includes the Shetland and Shetland Superb (as well as the Gatcombe and Marrister bedstead mattress, which are exclusive to John Lewis). Vi-Spring is also a keen supporter of the Campaign for Wool, which is committed to preserving Britain’s precious wool industry.

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Intellectual Property (IP) and Product Knowledge-Transfer

March 14th, 2012

Predominantly, we all (engineers, architects, tradesmen, designers and product suppliers) work from the fabric of the building or enclosure through to the fit-out of the interior. Therefore SBID is keen to promote competence & education as core values of interior design from construction, planning and product knowledge-share through to fit-out and completion.

We have a long way to go, we do not intend to conquer the world,  but we are built on a strong foundation to become a leading authority for UK, Europe and leading countries in property construction and investment.  SBID turns three years old this month and we are on course to affect the policies we laid out in our business prospectus which we registered at Companies House when we were formed.

Under the Freedom of Information Act, an alternative design organisation requested and received our business plan and structure on three separate occasions. It doesn’t help to copy, even with the plan! I own an excellent recipe book, but I can not make an apple pie!

What do you gain with information data grab if you don’t fully understand its value?

We find in many far eastern countries, our products are duplicated to lesser standards and quality, but plagiarised they are! This led to many faults and complaints in quality default by end-users in fit-out and that led to an abundance of complaints which effects and impacts on our industry sector.

So through the last decade of greed and show-off wealth we learned that any growth industry built on sand….is unsustainable. If nothing lasts cheap is not cheap when looking at longevity, performance and brand value.

The only thing saved in that cheap ‘gimme, gimme, gimme’ era was reduced capitol cost. Labour costs of course eat into any savings and so we have learned at a massive cost not to begin or attempt any project without assembling the correct team and sufficient funding.

History belies the mess we can get into with insufficient funding and inadequate standards or regulations in place. We may not like regulation, but it is the key performance factor that brings a wealth of investment into Britain from international shores. Security in the knowledge that the investment is safe.

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KBF (Kitchen & Bathroom Forum)

In this regard, Andy Davis of KBB Review called a meeting a year ago and invited industry organisations to pool our resources and improve industry image and delivery.

Sixteen organisations agreed to create the KITCHEN & BATHROOM FORUM with the objective to improve the industry image through standards.  SBID is the organisation representing interior design and FIRA is the furniture organisation representing ‘fit for purpose’ knowledge.

Working together we aim to ensure that our design members are cognisant of the scientific, technical, compliant integrity of specified products to ensure that our members selling advice to their clients and recommending products, do in fact recommend the correct product for use and environment in which the product is being installed.

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Alison Yule Textiles receives prestigious environmental award

March 7th, 2012

Alison Daykin, SBID member and  award-winning textile designer from Derbyshire, has received the Environmental Quality Mark by the Peak District National Park Authority.

Alison impressed a selection panel of Peak District leaders last month with her commitment to good environmental practice.  The judges assessed the sustainable way that Alison’s business, Alison Yule Textiles, produces its unique hand-woven fabrics and creates bespoke interior decoration items for people’s homes and for public buildings.

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Alison had to meet very rigorous standards before being put before the panel of judges.  She was delighted to take the opportunity to present her business practices and demonstrate her commitment to the environment both locally and internationally.

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Hallmarks of Alison’s work are unusual colour combinations and original, tactile textiles, which are inspired by her surroundings in and around the Peak District. Recently, for example, Alison produced a series of wall panels, cushions and window hangings in wool and linen that were inspired by the Peak District’s famous Haddon Hall.  Each  piece that Alison produces, whether for interior decoration item or as a work of art, is hand woven using richly textured techniques with simple, effective designs without damage to the environment.

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Alison, who has been weaving, spinning and dyeing for over 30 years, said “I am extremely proud of my county which has inspired a great deal of my work. This Award marks the culmination of the hard work and dedication I’ve put in to creating a sustainable business.”
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alisonyuletextiles.co.uk

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The Mix Trend Wall

February 13th, 2012
This year the Mix Team presents The Mix Trend Wall, a creation from Global Color Research™ the colour consultancy company behind Mix
Magazine and Mix Trends colour forecast book. The Mix Trend Wall gives you a look into the colour trends for Spring Summer 2013.
This installation takes you on a journey through the key characteristics of the Reflect story, one of the four stories for Spring Summer
2013. At the same time it will show you how the trend can be best applied to various materials and surfaces.
The Mix Trend Wall mix’s inspirational imagery with samples of current products on the market and prototype products from new designers
which help you to understand how to use colour trends within the surface context.
‘When the Surface Design Show approached us to create an inspirational feature we thought we would keep colour and trends as the key
elements where you can view colours but also touch them, that is why a wall mixing tangible and visual elements has worked very well.’
Carolina Calzada, Marketing and Sales Manager, Global Color Research and Mix publications.
Reflect is a friendly trend, easy to apply into diverse environments from bathrooms to kitchens but always takes into consideration the focus of
how the new measure of luxury for the interior design sector is more related to happiness, health and privacy, and which of these is the most
precious commodity.
‘Reflect is a key trend for Spring Summer 2013. With more than one connotation the story celebrates an understated luxury, learning from
the past and looking forward with a quiet optimism. The simple pleasure of reflective surfaces is a must for the season evoking a sense of
calm and introspection as well as introducing another dimension to the colour palette. This story is perfect for interior spaces and creates a
sophisticated style mixing together industrial and organic materials.‘ Sally Davies, Colour Trend Creative, Global Color Research and Mix
publications.
This year we have collaborated with Vanessa Brady from SBID, who has designed some drawings based on the Reflect trend with her own
personal interior design approach.
‘As an inspiration for this project I have created a house which was built as a gentleman’s residence in the1930s but was converted for the 21st
century to suit a lifestyle of understated luxury.’ Vanessa Brady, President SBID.
Reflect Trend:
The season that we have chosen for this year is Spring Summer 2013 and the trend we have chosen is Reflect. This particular trend looks at
how the new measure of luxury for the Interior Design sector is more related to happiness, health and privacy, and which of these is the most
precious commodity.
Reflect has more than one connotation, it also evokes a sense of calm and introspection, symbolised by images of inland waterways, wildfowl
and the feathered heads of reeds, gently whispering in the spring sunshine and underscores our love of mirrored surfaces.
Reflect has subtle shimmering characteristics of sparkle as well as soft tinted greys and semi translucent qualities of rippling water to inspire
flooring and shimmering wall surfaces.A mirroring effect is a key element of this trend not simply for reflecting qualities but for the inspiration
from natural graphic repetition as when angled they create infinite reflections.
Other Trends featured in Mix Trends Spring Summer 2013:
We will also be covering the other three trends from Mix Trends Spring Summer 2013 in our seminar programme throughout the show. These
trends are Crowd, this trend reflects on the density and the diversity that come with any of the world’s major cities. Precious embraces our
love for semi precious stones, not just the bling but the also the different contexts in which crystals manifest themselves and Block takes its
inspiration from the Bauhaus, the 1980s Memphis design movement and traditional Art Deco motifs.

The Mix Team presented The Mix Trend Wall at the Surface Design Show this year - a creation stemming from the collaboration of Vanessa Brady, SBID President, and Global Color Research, the colour consultancy company behind Mix Magazine and Mix Trends colour forecast book. The Mix Trend Wall aimed to give a look into the colour trends for Spring Summer 2013.

Surface506

This installation really took you on a journey through the key characteristics of the Reflect story, one of the four stories for Spring Summer 2013. At the same time it showed you how the trend can be best applied to various materials and surfaces. The Trend Wall mixed inspirational imagery with samples of current products on the market and prototype products from new designers in order to understand how to use colour trends within the surface context.

Carolina Calzada, Marketing and Sales Manager of Global Color Research and Mix publications, said: ‘When the Surface Design Show approached us to create an inspirational feature we thought we would keep colour and trends as the key elements where you can view colours but also touch them, that is why a wall mixing tangible and visual elements has worked very well.’

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Reflect is a friendly trend, easy to apply into diverse environments from bathrooms to kitchens but always takes into consideration the focus of how the new measure of luxury for the interior design sector is more related to happiness, health and privacy, and which of these is the most precious commodity.

‘Reflect is a key trend for Spring Summer 2013,’ said Sally Davies, Colour Trend Creative at Global Color Research and Mix publications. ‘With more than one connotation the story celebrates an understated luxury, learning from the past and looking forward with a quiet optimism. The simple pleasure of reflective surfaces is a must for the season evoking a sense of calm and introspection as well as introducing another dimension to the colour palette. This story is perfect for interior spaces and creates a sophisticated style mixing together industrial and organic materials.’

Vanessa Brady designed some drawings based on the Reflect trend with her own personal interior design approach. ‘As an inspiration for this project I have created a house which was built as a gentleman’s residence in the1930s but was converted for the 21st century to suit a lifestyle of understated luxury,’ Vanessa said.

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Reflect Trend

The season that we have chosen for this year is Spring Summer 2013 and the trend we have chosen is Reflect. This particular trend looks at how the new measure of luxury for the Interior Design sector is more related to happiness, health and privacy, and which of these is the most precious commodity.

Reflect has more than one connotation, it also evokes a sense of calm and introspection, symbolised by images of inland waterways, wildfowl and the feathered heads of reeds, gently whispering in the spring sunshine and underscores our love of mirrored surfaces.

Reflect has subtle shimmering characteristics of sparkle as well as soft tinted greys and semi translucent qualities of rippling water to inspire flooring and shimmering wall surfaces.A mirroring effect is a key element of this trend not simply for reflecting qualities but for the inspiration from natural graphic repetition as when angled they create infinite reflections.

Other Trends featured in Mix Trends Spring Summer 2013

Mix also covered the other three trends from Mix Trends Spring Summer 2013 in their seminar programme throughout the show. Crowd is a trend that reflects on the density and the diversity that come with any of the world’s major cities. Precious embraces our love for semi precious stones, not just the bling but the also the different contexts in which crystals manifest themselves and Block takes its inspiration from the Bauhaus, the 1980s Memphis design movement and traditional Art Deco motifs.

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