
When I was recently asked by Ideal Home what my biggest trend prediction was for 2017, I said that I was seeing a lot of natural products appearing in the shops. Materials such as cork and rattan, as well as stone, marble and wood. All materials that were popular in the seventies and are now creeping into our homes by stealth. Once upon a time, we would have reserved wicker furniture and pendant lights for the conservatory, but not any more. I’m going to call it Conservatory Chic. It’s a great way of bringing the outside in, and when done right is completely mood-enhancing.
Conservatory Chic – Key Attributes
Natural materials are predominant. All of those hard surfaces that are a feature of industrial style interiors will work well here too. Cement floors, tiles, wood, metal, bare brick, polished plaster and even marble all have a place, but the overall effect should be light and airy. Just like a conservatory. And the furniture is typically light too. Wire-work and rattan, wicker and wood. Colours when used, might reflect the colours of the Mediterranean. Terracotta, blue and white, or green. Or the Scandinavian colour scheme of black, white and blonde wood. And the whole look is finished off with an abundance of plant-life, towering over chairs, lining windowsills and hanging from the ceiling.
Conservatory Chic – How to Work it into the Home
It’s actually quite easy to incorporate the Conservatory Chic look into the home. Just imagine bringing the garden into the house. So a few well-chosen accessories and a trip to the garden centre may be all that is needed. To keep it on the chic side of bohemian, limit the number of colours used and let the plants take centre stage. And remember a few large plant specimens will have a greater effect than lots of small ones, and grouped together they will look more spectacular. Much better than dotting them around the room. If buying new furniture, consider rattan and then soften it with Moroccan cushions for added comfort. And finally when choosing accessories continue the natural theme with metal, glass, wood, and string.
All images are from Cuckooland.
Ysabelle
Wow, really nice Carol. I found this beautiful and elegant. I think it’s so relaxing when you have this kind of style in the conservatory. I know its already for 2017 trend, but I found this so interesting, even if it’s already 2018. Thank you, your wonderful blog. 🙂
deardesigner
I’m really glad you liked it Ysabelle 🙂
Eva Graficar Barcelona
Really beautiful, a room plenty of light and life. It seems so cozy and relaxing. Your blog is full of great photos and ideas. Congratulations for this post!
deardesigner
Thank you 🙂
Matt Iswariah
Looks amazing. So much so I had to pin it to one of my boards. + definitely agree; larger plants over smaller ones :).
deardesigner
Glad you liked it Matt 🙂
Tamzin Rollason
I was just thinking that there is a strong conservatory trend building right now. Not just rattan and plants, but copper and other metallic col.oured planters. It all makes me think of a modern take on a Victorian mansion house conservatory. Very fun
deardesigner
It’s a look I love Tamzin 🙂
Trinske Driscoll-Antonides
Lovely post, Carol! I should have sent you the catalogue as all images are from HKliving! Here’s the link to their Spring Additions 2017, which you might find interesting too:
http://www.hkliving.nl/en-GB/catalogue-main/
Trinske x
deardesigner
Thanks Trinske. It’s beautiful x