Taking inspiration from travel, tourism and exploration, the Artisan & Global trend has made a real statement this season, and it’s easy to see why it’s set to become one of the hottest looks of 2018.
Combining authentic handcrafted ornaments, wall hangings and art, as well as textured, patterned fabrics with rustic clays and ceramics, this cool trend aims to incorporate a simplistic but artistic feel to living spaces, combining travel, cultural influences and nature.
Handcrafted decorative items play a huge role, with art, ornaments and furniture becoming focal points of your living room. Set up your sofa as the hub of the space then use ornaments, hangings, neutral colour palettes and cultural patterns to complement it, and totally refresh your home.
Choosing furniture that works
Dark hardwoods adorned with metallic handles and fittings look great with this style; a comeback for retro glamour that combines with the neutral colour schemes and monochrome patterns of cushions, throws, rugs or wall hangings you can place in the living space.
Choose a hardwood coffee table or side table and then decorate these with lighter coloured items like wicker baskets and bowls, or ceramic potted plants. Placing a lamp with a woven wicker lampshade on a side table or using a wicker shade for a ceiling light could be a great way to add a natural artisan flavour to your furniture.
The Artisan & Global trend lends itself to tactile furniture and decoration – a fabric sofa, textured fabrics, throws, wall hangings, rugs and art can all add to the feel of a room. Using patterned decorative items, like macrame wall hangings or cushions, can really add to the feel of travel and exploration.
Cultural influences
Use the Aztec patterns of South America, Native American prints from North America or tribal art from the African Continent to give your room a cultured and well-travelled feel. Combining patterned throws or cushions with a fabric sofa like the Demure in Graceland Pewter can look amazing, breaking up the colours of the room, giving the space a textured look.
These cultural influences can make a room pop with style – you can choose colourful patterns and art, or give the scheme a neutral tone using monochrome cushions, throws or rug patterns. Do personal research into cultures you love and decorate accordingly, perhaps using your own macrame hangings or homemade artisan craft pieces in your living room – a great opportunity to showcase your own work.
Blend indoors with outdoors
Blending the transition between the garden and indoors can also work really well with this trend, especially in open plan living spaces; add a quirky feel to your room by using small outdoor hanging baskets inside, or you could stick with tradition and place potted plants on the floor or on tables.
There’s a risk that a room with plenty of ornaments, macrame, plant life and monochrome patterns can look too busy and cluttered, but choosing to decorate your living area with the right amount of features without infringing on the light and open feeling of the trend is key to achieving the right look for your home.
Complement the design with a sofa you love
Using neutral wall colours like white or cream means you can give yourself more options when choosing a sofa colour to fit your tastes and living space. Try the high legged Barrington in a deep, brown leather, then decorate it with lighter coloured monochrome scatter cushions and throws. The trend also works brilliantly with a fabric sofa; go for the Demure or the Coco if you want to achieve a more textured feel for the room, with lighter colours like cream, white, silver or grey.
