A very Happy New Year to you! The blog is taking a look at some interior design trends for 2022. Country House style (with sustainability always at its heart) looks again to the East for decorating inspiration. On the blog radar too is an interesting juxtaposition between Pantone’s Metaverse inspired colour of the year versus Mother Nature’s slow decorating palette. Let’s start though by opening the door to the new ‘Garden Room’ …

The new Garden Room

The ‘reset’ that in 2021 saw 90,000 people leave London for the countryside was as much about a desire for the outdoors as well as for more flexible living space. And the importance we now place on a connection to nature for our health also extends to the way we decorate our homes.

The new Garden Room (as mentioned previously in Autumn/Winter 2021 Interior Design Directions) is taking precedence alongside home offices, utility rooms and home gyms. Unsurprisingly they are also being designed into chic hotel and restaurant renovations.

Garden Rooms take many forms from the more traditional idea of a room at the bottom of the garden, to a chic architect- or custom-designed space, to a bathroom, bedroom or living space that has botanical forms at the heart of its design. A century or so ago plant hunters returning from intrepid overseas travels inspired the building of plant cathedrals by way of orangeries and conservatories.

Today’s new Garden Room is a little more egalitarian in that it can be created with a simple packet of seeds in the tightest of spaces. It might consist of an indoor theatre of plants with a few shelves. A console table with symmetry of table lamps and mirrors is also hugely effective. When budgets are small, it is amazing what can be achieved with decoupage, the use of painted trellis, a wallpaper or striking mural.

Here are some ‘Garden Room’ ideas on the more glamorous end of the spectrum:

The metaverse and Pantone’s colour of the year

In contrast to decorating with nature, Pantone have announced their colour of the year for 2022 as Very Peri. They describe it as having a combination of violet red with undertones of blue and that it represents the transformation of the physical and digital world. The idea for this colour emerged following lockdowns and isolations when the digital world and the rise of the Metaverse took a new place in our lives.

The colour is a little synthetic to my taste and whilst the idea of the Metaverse might hold all sorts of possibilities, I feel a little reserved about what significance it might ultimately have.

Russian style

The Faberge in London: Romance to Revolution exhibition at The V&A Museum (on now until 8 May 2022) is driving a renewed interest in Russian decorating. From the more rustic decoration folk art of countryside Dachas to the opulence of Russian palaces.

If like me you are a bit of a Russophile, you might like to look out for specialists in the field such as the very stylish Alexandra Tolstoy/The Tolstoy Edit, Larissa Miladoravich of Milola Designs (as featured in my previous post on Russian Style), and Volga Linen. Manuel Canovas at Colefax & Fowler are launching ‘Anastasia’ a new Faberge egg-inspired fabric design in January 2022.

What I love about these designers is how richly they re-tell the stories of their Russian heritage for today’s design audience.

Another date for your diary: A new exhibition at the Ashmoleum Museum in Oxford from July 2022 to January 2023 is Russia: Icons and the Avantgarde.

Chinoiserie style

Looking further East, another Country House style favourite is the use of Chinoiserie in an eclectic decorating scheme. 2022 sees more new highlights of this style from glinting glossy walls to lacquered furniture and accessories as well as new fabric and wallpaper designs.

Look out too for original pieces such as these gorgeous English Chinoiserie 1920s green splat back chairs, although now sold, they are from an ever-changing selection of pieces at The Oscar Collective. No country house rules required as Chinoiserie looks just as fabulous in contemporary settings too.

Marg Arg style

Finally, in the recent and rather excellent A Very British Scandal on BBC1, you can understand why Margaret, the Duchess of Argyll fell in love with the fairy tale ‘Inverar(y)’ castle. Certainly worth a visit, the castle sits in beautiful gardens with a magnificient view of Loch Fyne. There are some lovely rooms and as I remember it, the main hall has quite a display of war-like clan implements!

In the meantime, Pierre Frey are launching this Art Deco-inspired furniture set for London Design Week at The Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour (13 – 18 March 2022), perfect for recreating the Duchess’ glamorous Mayfair bedroom.

Thank you

Thank you so much for reading this. If you require any help with an interiors project, you might like to take a look at my Styling Box interior design service. In the meantime, I hope that 2022 brings you great health and much creative happiness.

With best wishes, Charis x