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Trend alert: What’s hot for the year ahead?

What trends can we expect to see for the coming year design-wise, you ask? The next 12 months promise to be exciting ones of clever contrasts and sustainable choices. The focus is on useful, long-lasting and upcycled. Old juxtaposed with new. And while the pragmatic rules – things are never, ever boring.

Bemz cover for Jennylund armchair in Aubergine and cushion cover in Dusty Rose Gustavian Flowers by Katarina Wiklund from the Bemz Designer Collection

Cosy cocooning
Coming home should feel like one big lovely hug, with comfort and warmth surrounding you on all sides. Indeed, creating a harmonious haven to snuggle up into is an innate human need and one we should embrace.

Henriksdal chair and Nils armchair in Loose Fit Urban style covers in Medium Grey Rosendal Pure Washed Linen

Sincere and sustainable
Designers today are ditching costly materials that deplete natural resources or pollute in favour of more honest and affordable alternatives. Think sustainable wood with a raw hewn finish and clever utilisation of recyclables like cork, paper and cardboard. Today eco-design means good design.

Tomelilla sofa in a Bemz Basiq cover in Unbleached Basiq cotton

Back of Bemz Basiq cover with ties

Faceted forms
The modern minimalist’s dream. Folded, faceted forms are all the rage. Pleated covers attached with Velcro or ties, not stitching, so you can change it whenever you want.

Karlanda bench in Black Classic Ruta

Revamping old icons
This trend isn’t about finding reissues of old favourites. It’s about searching out and revamping neglected pieces.

Cushion covers in Cloud Grey Woven Whimsy and Mocha Chenille

Graceful greys
Without a doubt, this is the must-have colour for the year ahead. Graphite Grey, A Paler Shade of Grey, Zinc Grey and Silver Grey – the palette is endless. Calm and cosy, mix grey fabrics in various tones and textures on snug upholstered sofas, chairs and beds. A pop of Dijon Yellow or Cinnabar Red adds interest.

Ekeskog sofa in Black/White Salamander by Bantie and cushion covers in Teal Blue Tegnér Melange and Graphite Grey Chenille

Monochrome magic
Whether on their own or together, these two contrasting colours make a bold statement. Black and white geometric prints are a major theme in collections for the coming year.

Barkarby armchair in Strong Pink Josephine by Göta Trägårdh

Contemporary romance
Feminine no longer has to mean sickly sweet. This trend is about using soft shades of Grass Green, Dusty Rose and Caffe Latte and adding layers of interest with romantic floral fabrics. Imagine old-fashioned rose-print cushions on a modern sofa or a vintage burgundy vase with a Moss Green sofa.

Right: Klippan sofa in Woven Whimsey Graphite Grey and cushion covers in Mandarin Orange and Cinnabar Red Chenille. Left: Henriksdal chair in Burnt Orange Tegnér Melange

Offbeat orange
We’ve seen orange come and go over the past few years. But we’ve never seen it like this. Yes it’s that 1970s burnt orange and old-school terracotta. Mix things up with a cool grey or brighter tangerine for a cheerful yet classy combination.

Daybed cover in Black/White Salamander by Bantie and cushion covers in Cloud Brera Quadretto by Designers Guild, Straw Yellow, Silver Grey Gotland Stripe, Mandarin Orange Gotland Stripe, and Skruvsta swivel Chair in Mandarin Orange

Compact living conundrum
This trend is a must for the space-challenged. Designs that make your interior puzzle come together. Interlocking furniture, storage-savvy units, modern furniture that slots together to serve different purposes.

Kivik sofa in Loose fit Urban style, cover in Medium Grey Rosendal Pure Washed Linen

Mixing it up
Not sure on what material to go with? Wicker or wood? Metal or marble? Overall looks or individual pieces combining more than one material are on-trend. Seek out the most unusual contrasts you can find. Translucent and opaque, vintage and modern, soft and hard, industrial and romantic.

Credit: Elle Decoration, September 2011

Top tips: Putting pastel power to work in your home

As the weather gets warmer delicious ice-cream inspired pastels are being served up everywhere – this time in richly intense shades on the cooler side of sweet. Pastels look great in any room. Use them to reinvent and personalise your home.

Ängby sofa cover and cushion covers from Bemz in Vanilla Yellow, Dusty Rose, Tea Green, Paler Shade of Grey and Lavender

Create a relaxed and soothing living space using the paler end of the pastel palette such as Eggshell Blue, Soft White, Dusty Rose, Unbleached, and Tea Green, colours that are key ingredients in the Scandinavian Country Lifestyle that we love so much. Layer textures of natural fabrics such as luxurious linen and crisp cotton for interest and movement.

Tea green sofa cover from Bemz adds pastel power to a Backa sofa

Country table in a pastel-inspired room. The daybed in the background has a cover from Bemz

Keep to muted tones on furnishings, adding edgy attitude with industrial textures and geometric shapes. Ice-cream parlour shades and mid-century style furniture bring a cool retro to the room.

Karlanda sofa cover in Tegnér Melange Mineral Blue from Bemz

Lavender Rosendal Pure Washed Linen slipcover from Bemz 

Dip into all the delicious colours of sherbet to zone a bedroom or living area. Link adjoining rooms together by adding accessories in the same shade. Indulge in fun colour combinations, with pops of stronger shades for a modern take. Be creative using clever combinations to draw attention.

Henriksdal chairs in Sagrada Blossom from Designers Guild from the Bemz Designer Collection

Neutral tones paired with natural material such as metal, light wood and glass provide a good backdrop for showcasing graphic art. Bright hits of yellow provide a touch of light therapy in an otherwise subdued colour scheme.

Vanilla Yellow Belgian Linen cover from Bemz for Henriksdal chair with armrests

Kivik sofa and one-seater in Lavender Belgian Linen and  Dusty Rose Panama Cotton covers from Bemz

Use stronger pastels in the bedroom softened with translucent fabrics without being overly sweet.

Bemz Bed skirt with frills in Lavender Rosendal Pure Washed Linen

Cushions in Eggshell Blue and Black Gustavian Flowers by Katarina Wiklund from the Bemz Designer Collection, Dusty Rose, New Baroque Chocolate Brown, and Tea Green in Belgian Linen Blend and Lavender Belgian Linen Blend

Whether you're a country romantic or an ubercool urbanite, love rustic or retro, there’s a pastel for you. See the wide-range of fabrics from Bemz in a candy-store selection of different fabrics and textiles and put pastel power to work in your home.

Credit: Livingetc., June 2012 and Elle Decoration, June 2012 issues. All photos from Bemz.

Design spotlight: AGA

We started this design spotlight series in the beginning of the year, with the hopes of featuring some real dandies. As a starting point, I ask Bemzies to tell me what designer item would top their wishlist. First up was Production Manager, Lisbeth with her Royal Copenhagen dinnerware then Project Manager, Sara's cabinet from Svenskt Tenn. So far, so good! Now it's Customer Service Rep, Emma's turn and her choice: the iconic AGA oven.

Photo via AGA: Classic two oven AGA in cream

I'm really glad this feature made it to our list, as the AGA is a stunning piece of furniture for the kitchen that suits many different styles, despite first being launched in 1929.

Photo via Ideal Home: Updated Shaker style kitchen with modern handles and pure white AGA

Photo via Homes & Gardens: Country style kitchen with a splash of colour

Photo via Sylvarna Kitchen Designs: Classic black AGA completes a modern kitchen design

Plus, we at Bemz have more in common with it than we perhaps first suspected: it was invented by a Swede! Nobel Prize winning physicist Dr Gustaf Dalén, who was house bound after losing his sight due to a failed experiment, created a cast-iron cooker capable of every kind of cooking simultaneously through its two large hotplates and two ovens, otherwise known as the AGA.

Photo via AGA: Cream coloured conventional AGA

Photo via Beautiful Homes: Earthy tones and rustic touches give this fisherman's cottage kitchen a coastal feel

Photo via Livingetc: A country kitchen with a modern edge

More importantly however, an AGA sets the standard for kitchen design and gives this heart of the home a stunning focal point. Like any clever company, AGA has made changes to meet customers' more modern demands over the years without ever losing sight of the all important look of this iconic appliance.

I think Emma put it perfectly when she informed me that the AGA cooker topped her designer wishlist: Something I would love to have but do not actually need is this iconic appliance, although I would prefer it in Duck Egg Blue.

Photo via AGA: 3-oven in duck egg blue

Photo via Henry Gorden Jones: Duck egg blue AGA

Read more about the history of AGA and their range of cookers. And thank you Emma for your brilliant choice providing us with another intriguing Designer Spotlight!

PS FYI: Dalén contributed more to this world than this iconic piece - he was awarded the Nobel prize for his work in developing automated lighthouses, an invention which saved countless lives.

Top tips: How to dive into the blue

Blue never completely goes out of fashion. This is because it fits into many styles, is multi-functional, practical and beautiful. And it's back at the top of the popularity charts! 

From the coolest pale, powder blue to the deeply warming and intense sapphire, blue reaches from one end of the colour and emotional spectrum to the other. It is the colour of the sea and sky. It is happy thoughts. It is electric and invigorating. It is escapism. It is holidays. It is coolness. It is sadness. It is calming and relaxation. It is distance. It is abstract. And it is this very myriad of shades and the emotions they evoke, that makes blue so powerful.

Having read that, it may now feel like using blue is not easy - but it is, and here's how:

- Step one: think about the purpose of the space you are decorating. What kind of feel do you want to create? Do you want it relaxed or invigorating? Do you want to glam it up or keep it simple and rustic? To help you with this we have a few styles and idea palette choices listed after step three.

- Step two: pick the right shade of blue to achieve the purpose you defined in step one and introduce tones of that shade. In descending order, it goes colour, shade, tone. To further clarify - a tone is the varying degrees of a colour that make up a shade. So, if sky blue is a shade of the colour blue, then just as the sky is never composed of a single flat colour but rather a myriad of tones, so is the shade of colour you've chosen made up of a myriad of tones. And it is with these tones you want to work. 

- Step three: layer with the appropriate tones using patterns and texture. The key to success with blue is working with a mix of patterns and tones. This will keep it interesting without ever overdoing it.

Are you ready to dive in? 

Ultramarine and turquoise shades are vivid, versatile and trendy. They are the ones we are seeing most on catwalks and are great tones to use if you want to inject a feeling of spring/summer into your home. Layered tones will provide texture and interest.

If you are looking for a calm, coastal feel, pale aquamarines, denims paired with sandy beiges are the way to go. They are restful and soothing - well suited to rooms made for relaxing, like the living room or bedroom.

At the other end of the spectrum, an invigorating cobalt or electric blue paired with brilliant white is another take on the traditional monochromatic look. This is a great combination for a space that requires you to be productive, like a home office or kitchen. 

If you love glam, opt for teals, paired with turquoise and petrol blues for sophisticated bling. 

If pretty is more your thing, sky blues should be your palette of choice. They can have the effect of increasing a sense of spaciousness.

Whether you're an urban angel or a country romantic, love rustic or retro, there's a blue for you. Check out our collection of 35 blues by filtering colour choice in our webshop.

Photos: all from Bemz

Design Spotlight: Svenskt Tenn

It's time for the second installment of our new Design Spotlight series where we look at all those classic, iconic as well as up-and-coming design pieces we covet, and the creative minds behind them.

The first installment came from our very own Lisbeth's wishlist. Officially called the Product & Production Manager, Lisbeth is the Bemz in-house design specialist so suffice it say, she knows design. And what a great start it was with a look at some stunningly beautiful and timeless, retro inspired Royal Copenhagen dinnerware.

Svenskt Tenn shop today

But let's move onto our next feature which comes from the wishlist of the person I work most closely with - our fabulous marketing extraordinaire, Sara. Project Manager Sara has also chosen a piece from an iconically Scandinavian design house, Svenskt Tenn. More iconic still, Sara has chosen a piece by the superlative of designers, Josef Frank and his Cabinet 2192, pictured below. 

Cabinet 2192 by Josef Frank

What makes this cabinet design so unusual and fresh is the shadow effect formed from the corrugated cardboard-like doors. Josef Frank designed this in 1954, yet it still looks contemporary and fresh. That's talent.  

Svenskt Tenn is an interior design shop located on Strandvägen in Stockholm, Sweden, but a shop with a great history. It was founded in 1924 by Estrid Ericson, who recruited Austrian architect and designer, Josef Frank to the company 10 years later. The pairing of Viennese elegance and Swedish functionalism, brightly coloured patterns, unabashed borrowing from high and low cultures and eras defined Svenskt Tenn’s design philosophy and completely went against the ideals of the day. This creative duo designed the elegant and boldly patterned style that continues to pervade the collection today.

In 1958, Josef Frank wrote in the magazine Form: “There’s nothing wrong with mixing old and new, with combining different furniture styles, colours and patterns. Anything that is in your taste will automatically fuse to form an entire relaxing environment. A home does not need to be planned down to the smallest detail or contrived; it should be an amalgamation of the things that the owner loves and feels at home with.” A sentiment that is as current today as his creations.

Josef Frank is still held in great repute and continues to be a source of inspiration for many young designers today. In fact, textile designer Stig Lindberg, whose creations are included in the Bemz Designer Collections (pictured above), quoted Josef Frank as one of his sources of inspiration. 

Estrid Ericson and Josef Frank have succeeded in creating that timelessness which so many strive for but few manage to achieve.

Thank you Sara for your wonderful choice and providing such a fascinating Design Spotlight!

Read more about the history of Svenskt Tenn, about shop founder Estrid Ericson, and Josef Frank.

Trend alert: What's hot for 2012

What January would be complete without the requisite what's hot list? Here's ours for 2012. We see this year in interiors celebrating your personality. This is of course not entirely new but perhaps taking it up a notch: attention to details, unique pieces, pleasant, comfortable interiors.

Get those paintbrushes out! Strong, bold colours are back. We've already seen this with Pantone's Colour of the Year Tangerine Tango, but it's also apparent with the use of more and more what I like to call confident colours. Those bright, vibrant, determined colours that say 'I like this colour and I'm not afraid to use it.' Bam!

Not too shabby: that rustic, worn and romantic shabby chic style remains hot but is being paired with industrial to give the look a bit of an edge. Looks like we are launching our Loose Fit Urban covers just in time!

Handmade and bespoke furnishings are still in high demand. It is after all these items that make one's home so very personal. 

Wallpaper is still holding it's ground - perhaps due to the great versatility of style and designs available to us. From retro, to glamorous to trompe d'oeuil and everything in between, you are sure to find the right paper to finish the look you want in your home.

Exotic eastern influences are spicing up interiors around the globe. Choose from Moroccan style patterns, or an Asian accessory to turn your home a little more bohemian.

Life in high definition, like über real art is making head ways, like the oil painting above. It's hard to believe it's a painting and not a photo. And that's the point...

You could of course kill two birds with one stone by combining this trend with the wallpaper trend.

Plants are hot, as accessories as well as decor-wise. If you're not much of a green thumb then stick with tropical plants that are used to harsher conditions!

Oversized lighting is one to watch this year. No need to break the bank to achieve this - even our blue and yellow Swedish friend has some nice options.

Sculpted mirrors: with personalisation being so popular, we look to have any and every piece somewhat unique, which is why these sculpted mirrors are so big now. They can be used interchangeably with art.

I love the fact that glass is a popular trend for 2012. They bounce the light around the room, add air and a feeling of space. Plus, today there are so many wonderful glass accessories to choose from, in a plethora of shapes, sizes and colours that it can be easily introduced into any interior. Look for lamp bases, vases and decorations. 

Cover yourself! Window dressings, like wallpaper, once felt like a thing of the past but it is back in a big way. Anything from curtains to simple blinds will tick the box.

Credit: For source of photos hold mouse over image

Trend alert: Pantone's colour of the Year

It was Honeysuckle in 2011. This year, colour experts Pantone have chosen a deeper, more robust colour as Colour of the Year. Their's is called Tangerine Tango and is described as a spirited reddish orange providing the well needed energy boost needed to recharge and move forward.

This orange is a deep one with plenty of hot reds in it. It maintains sophistication but adds a dash of drama and seduction.

It emanates heat and energy.

Spice up your interior with orange accents such as pillows, cushions, bedding and table accessories. 

Photo c/o Apartment Therapy

If you are looking for high impact, you can paint a feature wall or give a whole room a burst of energy.

Looking for more ideas? Apartment Therapy did a post on red-orange bathroom.

Trend alert: Christmas

I've held off as long as I could. The stores have been touting Christmas since September. I heard George Michael's Last Christmas on the radio in October. December is around the corner now and it's time to turn those Christmas plans into action. 

How can Christmas be a trend alert, you may ask. But why not? We decorate our homes to the hilt and turn our lives upside down at this time of year - now there's a trend if I ever saw one!

Karlanda sofa in Absolute White from Bemz

More specifically though, it is all things sparkly and white that are gaining notoriety for this year's festive tale. Think icicles and and glistening white snow.

Beauties Wood by Helen Musselwhite

I love this wood scene in a dome - so stunning and unique. That could hold centre stage!

Giant snowflake garland from DZD and Savoy pendant by Laura Ashley

Tout va bien cabinet by BD Barcelona 

This cabinet is incredibly impressive. It wold take months to get to know all its intricate detailing. Practical and beautiful. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the price tag.

What colour scheme do you have planned for this Christmas?

Credit: Livingetc, December 2011 issue

Top tips: It's okay to be blue

Have you ever heard of chromatherapy? Me neither! Apparently, it is the art of healing through colour. And why not? We react emotionally to lots of colours for a variety of reasons. If I say red, you say hot (or Christmas or love...). If I say green you say ecological (or money or jealousy...).

But let's talk about blue. It's associated with cold as well as with sadness but did you know that hues of blue can help soothe pain and promote relaxation?

It doesn't stop there! A blue room is even said to make people more thoughtful and productive!

All this and beauty too. The soothing shades of tropical waters like Oceanic Teal and Crystal Bay will help create a dramatic statement. 

And the fact that many of the names given to the various hues of this colour are derived from natural resources is evocative and telling.

And how timely: Bemz has just added a new colour to the Tegnér Melange texture fabrics collection. Mineral Blue (pictured above). It's a stunning dove-blue with a hint of sand and spot on trend for this ever-popular mellow yet intense colour palette. 

As with all nine shades included in the Tegnér Melange textiles, Mineral Blue is a yarn dyed fabric from Italy, made from a blend of cotton, viscose and linen. By mixing these natural fibres in different colours, a stunning weave with a unique structure and a soft, comfortable surface is created.

Credit: Elle Decoration, November 2011 issue; Photos, except Bemz: House to Home

Visit the Bemz Inspiration Store

With our total website revamp and our very exciting entry into a new room in the home - the bedroom - the Inspiration Store was transformed to reflect our recent changes. As Bemz is a global company and more importantly perhaps, an online company, we realise that many of you are not able to visit our Inspiration Store in person. For that reason we are bringing it to you here.

That's the street view into the store.

A Stockholm sofa in Tegner Melange Ink Blue with cushions in Designers Guild's Coconut Grove and Castellar Indigo.

Another designer fabric - Salamander by Bantie - adorns the sofa in the forefront here on the left, and another from their collection - Kokeshi - can just be seen at the back. The store has various sections displaying different colour palettes as we have found that that is generally the way our customers shop. Here we are looking at the reds.

More by Bantie. That is a stunning cushion in Flamingo Park Fuchsia by Designers Guild on the Henriskdal barstool in the back in the photo on the left.

There's a bedcover from our new bedroom collection. 

If you would like to see more there was an interview with Bemz founder and CEO Lesley from the Inspiration Store launch, or stop in for a quick tour here, or why not enjoy its various facelifts here, here and here.