Trends 2012

Dare and have fun! That's the message I took home from IDS, Canada's largest contemporary design fair, held in Toronto at the end of January. This year's event was clearly the show of sparkly chandeliers. I saw them everywhere! Both contemporary and more traditional spaces boasted large-scale light fixtures, often coupled with an animal-print couch and a rough wooden table. This is very descriptive of interior design of today: it's all about mixing! High and low, styles and materials. Who says a tree stump side table cannot live next to an antique chair? And how about that industrial lamp in my traditional kitchen? The answer is: they do work! You can "play up" or "play down" an environment depending on what objects you bring in. The tension that is created when the two worlds meet is what makes it interesting. Follow me as I walk you through some other highlights from the show.

Groupings of small light fixtures are 

a good alternative to an oversized 

fixture. As you can see, the result
is equally effective. 

This is a good example of mix of materials.
The round glass table complements the massive
crystal chandelier beautifully. And the light wood
frame on the upholstered chairs gives the
transparent surfaces a nice, solid break.
Elegant!

If you think you could easily get tired

of an animal print on the couch...

...why not try it on a smaller 

piece of furniture?

Colourful and adorned tiles give your

kitchen or bathroom personality and

introduce a pop of colour. Combine
one big, patterned tile with plain white subway tiles.

Brass is back, as seen in this 

beautiful faucet. Look how well 

it combines with the light green 

in the background.

The raw light bulb and brass frame of this 

scaled-down fixture give it an edgy, industrial

feel. Several fixtures hung together at different 

heights will look like an installation, a piece of art. 

Yes, chandeliers also work perfectly

fine in bathrooms. 

This might be an unexpected mirror 

for a bathroom, but its robust organic
qualities complement the watery-coloured
tiles and white sink very well.

Look at the height of the coffee table. It's low!

Patchwork is very popular right now. 

I saw it in textiles...

...and in rugs. Take note, all quilters! 

This graphic rug tells a story, quite
literally.

It's made up of letters!

We've seen mugs and blankets decorated with

our personal photos. Now our loved ones can

also take centre stage on a rug!

Introduce some ethnic vibes into your space.

If you want to stick to a northern

Ontario culture, a tree-stump table

couldn't be more right!

These colourful rugs would look great

in an all-white room.

The back of this comfy and stylish 

Norwegian chair is made from a 

spinnaker canvas. Makes me long 

for summer! 

Doing your e-mails in style! This 

spider-like lounger chair takes 

"home office" to a completely new

level.