The Defining Interiors Trends from Focus/26
As one of the most exciting weeks in the London design calendar winds down, we take a look at the trends that have emerged from this year’s new launches
There are few better places to take the temperature of the interiors world than Focus at Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour. Every September, its showrooms, which span the design world from fabrics to hardware, unveil their autumn collections in this particular week, so that a wander through Focus is the best way to get a snapshot of emerging trends and where decorating is heading over the next year.
There is an almost overwhelming variety of new launches on show, but somehow it always happens that certain ideas recur from one showroom to the next. Here are five ideas from Focus/26 that caught our eye, and we’re excited to see more of them over the coming months.
1. Flamestitch is Back
One of decoration’s most distinctive patterns is having a serious moment. Flamestitch – the zig-zagging, often multicoloured motif that dates back to the seventeenth century – has been given a fresh new look in a few different collections. Colefax & Fowler’s Kemerton offered a refined, highly textured version of this classic pattern, while at Casamance, a new flamestitch that’s launching next spring gave the idea a particularly contemporary treatment. There was even a flamestitch backdrop to the lovely Neil Sherring stand with its array of playful lampshades. It’s a surprisingly versatile design, which can feel traditional, folkloric, or modern depending on the palette and scale.
2. Metallics are Getting Softer
Forget anything too shiny or glitzy: this season’s metallics had a distinctly softened, almost time-worn quality. At Dedar, the crocheted texture of their ‘Croquis’ fabric gives the impression of the most delicate elvish chainmail, while Zimmer + Rohde’s ‘Ardecora’ collection features glimmering moires and damasks that suggest a Venetian palazzo by night. The effect feels particularly right for winter: golds, silvers and bronzes that catch the light only as you move past them, bringing depth to a room without overwhelming it. It’s less disco ball, more candlelight – metallic thread and subtly reflective surfaces used as another layer of texture.
3. Lighting Is On the Move
Lighting is becoming increasingly untethered from its traditional indoor, plugged-in setting. Some of the most covetable lighting at Focus was designed to move, whether out into the garden or just from room to room.
Porta Romana has designed their first-ever outdoor collection, which includes both furniture and lighting, and we were especially struck by the ‘Etienne’ lantern, which brings one of the brand’s loveliest designs outdoors, and their charming ‘Rose’ portable lamp with its silhouette of cascading petals.
Original BTC showed off a portable extension to their ‘Blossom’ line, and Corston’s Cotswold lamp offers a moveable take on the traditional table lamp. They also reflect a broader blurring of boundaries between indoors and out: a handsome lamp that can migrate from bedside table to dining terrace suddenly feels far more appealing than something designed for one fixed spot.
4. Texture is Getting Wild
Tactility has been everywhere at Focus/26, and not in the usual way – this year has seen a slew of fabrics with irregular surfaces, bursting with bobbles and strands of all kinds. We’re thinking Muppets, but make it fashion. Schumacher’s ‘Groove’ was a standout, with lines of fuzzy fringe alternating with embroidered stripes, alongside a new launch by Casamance, with a cloud of bobbles amidst a bold folky motif. These fabrics will not only catch the eye, but also tempt people to get up close and have a feel. These fabrics are amazing in riotous schemes which make the most of their wildness, but in quieter, tonal schemes, a highly textured textile can supply contrast, warmth and interest all by itself.
5. Romantic, Playful Pattern is Here to Stay
There is a shift towards highly patterned collections that are whimsical and expressive, rooted in classical decorative traditions but refreshed for contemporary interiors with lively new colour palettes. Floral and botanical patterns, decorative stripes and checks abound in shades of pink, orange, yellow and green. From Romo’s Averly collection, with its lively fruit motif and charming feathered stripe, to George & Minnie – the new brand from the GP & J Baker studio, which takes archival designs and reworks them with zesty, modern colour and playful scale – what is noticeable throughout is that usability is at the core. The designs have been created to make pattern mixing effortless, creating joyous schemes that feel harmonious.
Overall, this year’s launches at Focus point towards richer, more tactile interiors. With an abundance of texture, pattern, and sheen, design is wholeheartedly embracing character, offering a thoughtful approach to maximalism that will be exciting to see unfold in upcoming projects.
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