‘Flamboyant and Flea’ is my 2020 trend prediction!

21st January 2020

By Helen Parker

Trends, urgh I hate that word because it gives people the excuse to keep making rash, sometimes expensive changes to their homes, only to regret it or tire of it in a few years’ time. I think this way of decorating and styling your home is gradually becoming less of a thing as people become more sustainable and more aware of waste and providence and most importantly of realising that style is about longevity, careful choices, wise choices and time, soul and patience to see things evolving. I think updating a room with new lights, new wallpaper, new furniture, and carpets is such an old fashioned and ill-considered way to make a room that feels like home.

When we were kids and we left home, we would get bundled off with boxes of old stuff to get us started, odd plates, crockery, blankets and the odd bit of furniture. This was the beginning of making a home and it required a bit of thought to make these things look good, but it was a foundation for understanding the importance of reusing. It was also quite special (even though it didn’t feel like it at the time) to have pieces of your past following you on your journey into adulthood, a kind of comforting reminder of family. This to me is so much more fulfilling, creative and stylish than going to Ikea and buying everything in one go and when it breaks going and buying it again.

I still have so much from my childhood in my home, they are some of the best things I own, the things that have a story to tell, the things that people are interested in and find fascinating and then they become a little wiser about me as a person. Everyone wants to be interesting and history is so interesting, history can be from your grandparents or your parents or your children, but it’s the layers of time and places and special moments that create a true home. We all buy new things and of course, we should, but make those things special and make them worth keeping and passing on to your children, make them have stories and memories. I spent far too much money on a few beautiful Christmas decorations this year, but I was with my children (who are grown up) and we chose them together and I will always remember that evening on Columbia Road and how we recklessly spent £100 on 6 Christmas tree decorations, but they will last, they are beautiful and they will always begin a story in our home at Christmas.

When I go to customers’ homes and see how they style them it fascinates me, and I see more and more that people are mixing old and new. This look has always been around but if there is any trend in this new decade, then that’s what I predict. I’m so pleased, it’s my first trend predication that is genuinely a good thing. Here at deVOL we have always loved the old and new mix and the essential art of buying good quality, lifelong items for your home. We have continued to create spaces that inspire eclecticism and layers of interest. Spaces that are not so carefully curated that they feel like a hotel or a museum, but a slightly gung-ho attitude to mixing and matching and making a room with interest and character. It takes time and patience and isn’t instant but it’s definitely worth putting in the time.

I began to think as I was getting to grips with styling my new home that it’s a similar way to how I dress. So I have some rules, and as always rules are meant to be broken, but generally, I like to dress in a mix of old things and new things, bargains, and expensive things. Sounds pretty standard I know but I haven’t ever thought about it before. I will wear an expensive pair of jeans because that’s a place where you should spend good money, I will wear some old jewellery from my grandma and then maybe a charity shop t-shirt and a coat from eBay. Now that’s exactly how I dress my home, a little bit of new, a little bit of old a little bit of history, plenty of bargains and maybe the odd splurge!!

So I would push the boat out on one special thing in a room – if I have cobbled together the main bits of the room from here there and everywhere, then I may go full-out on a lampshade. It’s nice to have a splash of twinkle, a flash of glamour but mostly a nicely understated and humble collection of good quality decorations. Sheets and bed linen need to be good but pictures and beds and chairs can be absolute bargains that you have begged, stolen or borrowed.

If you are looking for inspiration for your home then have a look at the people and books I have been loving since my move.

Pearl Lowe’s ‘Faded Glamour’, this new book by Pearl Lowe is full of delightfully eclectic homes, where their owners have perfected the art of history, beauty and stories within their homes. The Englishness of these special people’s rooms is sooo good, their attention to detail and choices are just gorgeous. I love the heavy use of wallpaper and textiles and the roughly painted woodwork which gives a feeling of carefree homeowners who are not caught up in making everything perfect, that’s the bit I like the most. I love a bit of rustic unkemptness, peeling wallpaper and scuffed paint that is the backdrop to exquisite velvets and tapestries.

Then there is the ‘Wandering eye’ a book where all the images are taken on an iPhone by Miguel Flores-Vianna, this is his second book. ‘Haute Bohemians’ was the first, they are both so inspiring in a way that teaches you to go with what you have, don’t change things if they are ok, don’t make everything perfect, enjoy the decay and ageing of buildings. See something beautiful in everything, see the colours of old paint, the remains of wallpaper and the way things that have evolved over time are much more stylish, much more beautiful and much more desirable than new.

A master of old and new, of understated unique style, is John Derian, his home and interior images are always my favourite, it’s becoming tedious how much I rely on this man’s interior styling to inspire me. I have never been more in awe of how simplicity, a lack of desire to make perfect and a glorious sense of taste can be so memorable. What we all want to achieve when we get dressed or when we style our homes is that effortless, thrown together, yet miraculously brilliant ease of swagger. We want and should aim for quality in choice which doesn’t mean expensive but we shouldn’t be afraid to spend a bit extra to get something that is classic or special. Mixing class and quality with a little rough and ready is the perfect combination and it’s especially good if you cannot detect what’s what! Real quality and style can come from anywhere and no one wants to shout out when they have spent a fortune, so keep it cool and keep it humble and keep it real. Spend a bit on the most beautiful faded silk cushion that is almost threadbare, but pop it on a bed that was £100 off eBay and you will begin to layer up your home with lasting style.