9 fall design trends you need for your home right now
Regal is in this season, as are gilt, coffered ceilings and South American chic
When Oscar Niemeyer, the legendary architect and designer, died at the age of 104 in December, his passing from the Brazilian design scene was merely temporal, as both his work and legacy continue to infuse a sensuous, form-centric culture that the world is embracing with increasing interest and ardour. From Niemeyer and his contemporaries to younger innovators like the flamboyant Campana brothers, Brazil’s many design mavericks are no doubt getting a boost from the global attention the country is attracting as host of two upcoming global extravaganzas: the World Cup in 2014 and the Olympics in 2016. This past week, Canadians got the opportunity to have a rare close-up look at classic Brazilian designs when the upscale Toronto retailer Avenue Road launched 4 U From Brazil, a promotion of the work of four Brazilian giants: Niemeyer, Paulo Werneck, Jorge Zalszupin and Carlos Motta. Motta, who travelled north for the launch, is making his Canadian debut: His furniture designs are being shown for the first time in this country exclusively at Avenue Road. The retailer will also carry the manufacturer Etel’s reissue of select Niemeyer pieces, including his marvelous Rio chaise. Rio chaise by Oscar Niemeyer, $32,125, at Avenue Road (www.avenue-road.com).
What are the emblems of our digital age? There’s the Apple logo, of course. And Bill Gates’s bowl cut. Perhaps the single most symbolic, however, is the pixel, a computer-era icon that has appeared on fashion runways periodically, but hasn’t been adopted so enthusiastically by the world of interiors. Until now. This season, outfits as varied as high-end tile makers and big-box retailers have gone dotty for the motif. Why? At a time of political and social fragmentation, a distinct element that joins together with other distinct elements to create a vibrant yet cohesive whole has obvious emotional and aesthetic appeal. And least that’s how I see it – all this could only be a test. Lacquered Italian jewellery boxes, $199.99 to $299.99 at HomeSense (www.homesense.com).Margaret Mulligan/The Globe and Mail
Looked up lately? Recessed ceilings have been conspicuous design features of the suites and public areas in some of Toronto’s finest new hotels, including the Shangri-La and the Trump. And when Stumptown Coffee Roasters undertook its most ambitious coffee-bar project to date, the $1-million transformation of a rundown Greenwich Village storefront, it incorporated, The New York Times reported in May, some “unusually sumptuous details,” including a coffered ceiling. Long associated with baronial heaps, Loire Valley châteaux and the Pantheon in Rome, coffered or recessed ceilings have suddenly become more mainstream. And why not? They’re not expensive to install, add character and the illusion of height, conceal or enhance lighting sources and provide a sense of permanence even in newly built homes. Just make sure, when installing such a ceiling, that the look is seamless, keeping the framework the same colour or material as the walls. If a little colour is desired, do as Behr Paints did in the staged setting pictured here, filling in only the ceiling’s recesses (in this case with a rosy pink). Minuet Rose T14-15 (in recesses), Grand Soirée T14-13 (on framework and walls) and Cloisonné Blue T14-14 (on wall panels) are among Behr’s new colours for 2014; visit www.behr.com for retailers.The New York Times
The popularity of golden-toned decor ebbs and flows; this season’s turn toward the regal (see below) means we’re currently in a high-tide period. To create a pleasing and interesting effect, introduce gilt accent pieces of varying textures and materials to a room scheme, but keep the brightness factor at the same level, be it matte or luminous. And don’t overdo it in terms of quantity: You want a touch of warmth and richness, not Caesars Palace. Gold pairs well with dark woods, natural stone such as marble and colours including black, brown, dark purple and many blues. Gold baskets, $25.90 and $39.90 at Zara Home (www.zarahome.com).Markus Lista
Benches are so invariably handy, offering a perch for pulling your boots on or off in foyers, accommodating extra diners at long tables, simultaneously serving as settee, ottoman and side table in living rooms and boudoirs. Now, they are finally getting the haute treatment they deserve, becoming fall’s must-have piece of furniture. Toronto’s studio b, which unveils its luxuriously remodelled showroom today, has some of the season’s choicest specimens, including this handsome Holly Hunt model (HH is new this fall at sb, the U.S. brand’s exclusive distributor in Canada). Dragonfly bench by Holly Hunt, from $4,340 at studio b (www.studiobhome.com).
When Hermès releases a version, you know that the bench has reached new heights: Its sporty Cheval-d’Arçons bench, inspired by the form of a pommel horse, boasts a walnut body, bullcalf-leather upholstery and ingeniously concealed drawers in the middle and at each end of its long, curved frame. It also costs as much as some small cars – yet another benchmark! Cheval-d’Arçons bench, by special order at Hermès (www.hermes.com).
The search for an antidote to “stainless fatigue” continues apace. Sure, we’ve seen a number of alternatives to the stainless-steel appliances that have dominated North American kitchens hit the market, try to find favour and mostly become niche hues. (Hello, Oiled Bronze.) GE, however, thinks it has a winner: slate. “It’s a warm matte grey, low-gloss, but with a slighty metallic finish,” Lou Lenzi, GE Appliances’ director of industrial design, said in a recent interview of the new appliance colour his company unveiled earlier this year to a limited consumer audience (and much reported enthusiasm) and will be rolling out across the U.S. and Canada this fall. According to Lenzi, slate works harmoniously with most cabinet and countertop materials and even partners well with existing stainless-steel appliances. “We appreciate that most people don’t replace their entire [kitchen] suites at once,” he said. So is slate likely to have legs – or will it show cracks? Here’s what makes it a solid contender: It’s a stylish neutral that won’t date easily, it’s flexible enough to appeal to wide range of tastes and, perhaps best of all in the context of (so-called) stainless, it’s fingerproof-resistant. GE Over the Range Microwave Oven in Slate, $599 at GE Design Centres and Home Depot (visit www.geappliances.com for locations).
If a person’s home is his or her castle, this is the season to explore that maxim literally. Starting with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee last year and culminating in the much-anticipated birth of wee Prince George in July (not to mention all those European weddings, abdications and coronations), monarchical comings and goings have been front and centre of late, taking on the feel of one big reality show (The Royal World?). This extended glimpse into regal doings clearly influenced the queenly couture at recent high-fashion shows in Paris. And now it’s moving – slowly and elegantly – into the realm of housewares and furnishings. I am not, of course, talking about mugs bearing Camilla’s mug, but the trappings of real royal life: chandeliers dripping with crystals, Louis-anything loveseats, lots of velvet and silk. And haven’t you always wanted a toss pillow depicting a bewigged swell? Bordeaux loveseat, from $5,800 at Barrymore (www.barrymorefurniture.com).
Since “overblown,” “overstuffed” and “over the top” are among this season’s decorative catchwords, it stands to reason that black and white – the most graphic and eternal of all colour combos – should have its place. If you’re bold, take a cue from renowned society decorator Dorothy Draper and pair black and white stripes with vibrant greens and reds or subtler pastels. The fainter of heart can ease into the look with a charming checkerboard floor or pair of striped lampshades against the beige backgrounds popular today. Whatever you do, avoid zebra skin – animal prints are so last year. This autumn, it’s all about heightened artificiality, whether you’re outfitting your castle or your condo, a palace or a pied-à-terre. Striped table lamp, $79.90 at Zara Home (www.zarahome.com).Markus Lista