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AS WE ARE now more than halfway through the year, it’s a good time to separate the decor chaff from the decor wheat.
Every year brings with it a swathe of new decor trends, some of which become overdone or have a short lifespan, and some that manage to transcend the very definition of “trend”, becoming a mainstay of every stylish home.
As an interior stylist and co-founder of GAFF Interiors, I’ve noticed a common problem with trends. The reason some styles of furniture, paint shades or prints end up filed in the “done and dusted” aisle is because they’re taken on with far too much enthusiasm by homeowners and designers, meaning that by the time the dust has settled, we’re already sick of them.
Remember when it seems every piece of kitchenware on sale was made from copper? Or when hanging Edison-style bulbs started to pop up in homes, cafés and bars?
My advice? Even if you fall in love with a trend, stay well away from saturation point. By dipping into it with perhaps one key purchase (rather than swapping out all of your good saucepans for copper replacements), you’ll find the longevity of your home’s interior style will increase.
By exercising restraint, you’ll be less likely to want to change everything up in a year’s time, and you’ll also wind up with a more individual aesthetic at home. A style that’s personal to you and full of character, rather than lifted straight from a showhouse.
Whether you’re on the bandwagon or not, it’s always handy to know which styles and items have the most sticking power. Here are five decor trends from 2019 that I think are here to stay – and three fads that have breathed their last.
Here to stay…
1. Gallery walls
This one stands the test of time because it can be interpreted in so many different ways. You can arrange frames of different sizes in a higgledy-piggledy manner or keep things very uniform. You can mix and match different artworks or instead opt for only photographs. In general, I’m seeing homeowners getting more confident when it comes to styling their walls.
2. Mixing and matching dining chairs
After one too many chair trends, 2019 has been the year of mixing things up. Literally. Maybe you’ll pair two of your grandmother’s wishbone chairs with something more modern. Maybe you’ll come across one hot pink neon chair that would be overkill if you bought six in bulk, but that looks just right on its own. This is another trend to transcend and best of all, you can update your home’s look one chair at a time, should the mood for a change strikes you.
3. Sustainably sourced homewares – and less stuff in general
If there’s one word on the tip of everyone’s tongue this year it’s sustainability. From fashion to food and home living, the concept of ‘less is more’ is no longer niche, it’s something we’re urged to get on board with. Though the primary goal is to opt for more eco-friendly materials at home and save on energy where possible, the sustainability movement has also had an effect on aesthetics too.
At home, we just want less stuff; we want less but better. This is particularly evident when it comes to your sofa and its scatter cushions, in particular. Gone are the days of having enough cushions with which to build a fort, and all of the matching to perfection. In 2019 I’ve seen homeowners making more considered choices, investing in just one or two unique cushions for a large sofa and not giving a hoot if they match or not. The eclectic aesthetic is here to stay but it’s cluttered counterpart is dead and gone. Time for a clear-out.
4. Statement plants
Rather than opting for lots of little plants – leaving you with no surface space for the things you really need. This year has been all about the larger statement plants – such as Mother In Law’s Tongue or monstera deliciosa (the Swiss cheese plant). Lush large-leaf plants have taken over from the tiny cacti and succulents of years gone by and as one of the easiest ways to inject life and style into your home, they’re staying put. Pop yours into a neutral floor planter and you’re good to go.
5. Neutral walls
Instead of cooler greys, think warm blush and rich cotton tones or even pale mint.Get comfortable with the softer, more neutral and somewhat feminine colour palette of 2019; I think it’s here for the long-run. Paired with maximalist art, these blank canvas colours will go the distance.
Time to say goodbye to…
1. Wall prints featuring quotes
While gallery walls are on the up, one trend I am tiring of is minimalist typography wall art – you know the ones, with bold or cursive type on a white background, making your wall look like a Pinterest board of motivational mantras. If you must lean in, choose one you love, and mix it in among other more maximalist pieces.
2. Botanical prints on soft furnishings
Botanical prints on bed linen, cushions, sofas and even wallpaper were done to death these past few years and it’s a look that now feels jaded. Stylish homeowners are paring back on the prints and patterns in general – tying in with the less is more approach.
3. Bold feature walls
After decades of nauseating magnolia, decor trends took a sharp turn in the direction of bold paints: graphite greys, racing greens, teal blues and inky navies. Irish homeowners wanted our walls to be moody and more masculine and by God did people love a striking feature wall. But much like the saturation of copper, all those teal living rooms are already starting to feel outdated. Especially when married with an overload of brass accessories. If you’re still loving your bold walls, soften the look with less of the brass and more natural or textured finishes.
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Tell the EU to f off unless they are willing to cough up the replacement of oil central heating and supply and fit solar panels. I have a pain in my b€€€ox of being told what to do by Europe.
@Trevor Hayden: that sounds like Nazi words Trevor, anyone critical of the glorious EU is ultra ultra far right. You sir are going on the watch list.
@Trevor Hayden: leave the corrupt EU and tell them to stick their fines!
@Gus Sheridan: You lads must be salivating at the thought of Nigel Farage visiting Dublin shortly. :)
@Danny foley: Ha ha funny that Germany seem to be the one telling everyone what to do in Europe.
@Trevor Hayden: Haha, Slight overreaction there Trevor… There is no mention of the EU forcing people to replace their oil burners? The government is providing grants if you want to upgrade the your home heating which should save you money in the long run and do a bit save the environment… Its a win-win.
@paulganly: True, no mention of it.
That’s not saying that the government won’t enforce it in the name of Europe.
Similar to our property tax, water charges, bailed out ” paddy power style bondholders”
What was the s€€te Enda Kenny used to spew ” It was part of the bailout agreement”
Screw the taxpayer a nd use “Europe” as the excuse.
@paulganly: the grants do not come near to cover the cost of upgrading leaving people with thousands to cough up themselves
@B9xiRspG: You don’t have to do it!!! If you think the cost is too much then just keep your current heating system. Nobody from the EU is calling around to your house to insist you upgrade… Hopefully enough other people will avail of the grant and the electric vehicle incentives and we can reduce our per capita emissions.
@Trevor Hayden:
Where do you think the money is coming from for the 50% sustainable energy grant?
@Walt Jabsco: only 50%,…..and the rest?
@paulganly: & batteries fall from the sky ?? What rear earth elements are batteries made from & what cost will it have to the environment when disposed of ? This will all end up like the VW emissions scandal & the Greens & Government will say they were misled .
@Trevor Hayden:
Nobody’s forcing you to install it.
@Walt Jabsco: from the homeless !.
@Trevor Hayden: 75 years or so later than they thought themselves……
@paulganly: some of these grants go nowhere near encouraging people to switch and save ! You’ll get it back over 20 years they say but you’ve paid twice the amount on borrowing the money in the meantime! If they were really serious about climate change it would be a lot more affordable and realistic for everyone to change. Some grants are not enough.
@Lydia McLoughlin: And here we have the people who want everything for free…..
Get a job and it is affordable. It costs less than a car, you want one of those for free too?
@Lydia McLoughlin: Well said Lydia
@Windy Atlantic Way: anti renewable energy while offering no viable alternative. the planet is dying and nibys like you dont want to look at wind turbines, you are the selfish me feiner nimbys who liked Bertie and are a major reason why we are not seeing proper action on this issue
@Trevor Hayden: people who can afford them should get small granst and people who can’t should get larger grants to upgrade. everyone and every country has to take responsibility on this issue, we may already have left it too late. being energy independent is also good because we no longer need to get fossil fuels from dictatorships like Russia and the Saudis who are supporting radical islam. FG are not the party to make these urgent changes because they believe that the market can solve everything and we can see how this has definitely not worked in housing or health
as naomi klein explains in “This Changes everything, capitalism vs the climate” free market logic the root cause of inaction on climate change.
at least 150,000 people die in the third world annually from droughts caused by climate change, storms in recent years have cost us hundreds of millions and this figure is only to go up. we need urgent action on this issue and only a green/ left coaltion will properly tackle climate change and poverty like they have had in the nordic countries for decades where they have great public services and a strong economy, here we have one and not the other under ff,fg
@Marcus Briody: for the record Berties party was the one that was involved in drawing up the eirgrid plans to keep the Greens happy & FG are following in their footsteps . Very fast to call people nimby . That word has two meanings you know .
@Trevor Hayden: except we weren’t told, we decided and agreed…. because it’s good for the planet.
@John Owens: It maybe be good for the planet but a grant of between €2k – 3k Is rediculous considering the cost of the work estimated at approximately 10k which people cannot afford considering the property tax levy and the other extra taxes we have been burdened with because of our EU membership.
I personally have not had a pay rise since 08 but have paid the extra taxes thats been put on me so therefore I will not be considered any of the upgrades to my home wether its affecting the planet or nor.
France and Germany have never been fined for their excessive deficits in violation of the EU’s Growth and Stability Pact.
We shouldn’t have renewable energy because we’re afraid of fines, but because it’s the right thing to do. It’s healthy for the planet and ourselves, and besides there’s economic growth in its development.
Do they want people to freeze, People heat their homes in Ireland because we have too
@David Huston: Ireland isn’t the coldest country in the world by a long way. In places like Scandinavia they design houses to keep the heat in with better insulation so they don’t waste enormous amounts of heat like the houses here. They also have much better public transport, invest more in renewables, etc, etc.
@David Huston: and how do they manage in Sweden, Finland, elsewhere with equally cold and wet climates?
He seems ok with paying fines for charging us illegally for VRT though.
He should try changing the climate for the homeless – make them a bit warmer by providing affordable housing.
@Kath Noonan: roll on election: these Gombeens are destroying communities all over the country with their German policy of renewables & wind farms , the same Eu countries that build & supply these turbines are the ones that are telling our gombeen government what to do : it’s about time that our government listen to Irish people & tell the EU to stuff their climate change policy. After all the Greens & the government think that ireland can save the worlds problems. “Follow the money & see who has investments in climate change it’s frightening “ .
@Kath Noonan: I thought that the stupid people who thought that VRT was illegal had been educated by now. News flash: it’s not and there are similar taxes in other countries! It had been applied illegally in a few cases where cars were imported on a temporsry basis but guess what…the EU found against Ireland!.
@Windy Atlantic Way: I think you’ll find the gombeens are the ones who think they can carry on burning oil indefinirely.
@Reg: there are alternatives to oil !!! Climate change is developer driven for profit. “Follow the money” it’s not about oil wind solar you name it , it’s about profit profit ( in the last couple of weeks another windfarm was sold for 88 million & cost in the region of 25 million to build) & you are saying they are not gombeen government? Any gombeen could read what is going on here.
@Windy Atlantic Way: follow the money and you will find that the info that you are using is being paid for by the fossil fuel industry. the koch brothers are worth over 80 billion and basically ow the republcians and have spent decades financing anti climate change sites which appears to have paid off with you and the “smart people” who believe your nonsense. over 50% of renewable energy projects in Germnay and Denmark are owned by local communites whereas oil and coal comes from dictatorships likes Russia and the Saudis who finance radical Islam….there i followed the money for you
@Marcus Briody: you must be one of the renewable mafia . Screw every household & business in the country through pso levy so we can subsidize greedy developers to make massive profits from climate change. Jealous of the fortune the oil companies have made & want some of their fortunes ? If solar or wind have to be used let individual businesses & household benefit from it & not greedy selfish developers
@Reg: The gombeens are also those who think that electric cars are the answer, clearly there is not enough electricity nationally on grid to meet any future demands. Better to start cutting back on diesel cars if they are serious about emissions. Start building commuter railways and get rid of some buses from our cities.
I’m wondering how were the 20% by 2020 and 30% by 2030 figures decided… have these been looked at in depth to determine whether they’re reasonable/achievable? I have this weird feeling that the figures were improvised by a bunch of politicians just because they look good. And fining countries for not hitting random arbitrary goals was the aim to start with… just a thought…
Just tell Europe we have nothing left to pay until we complete paying their 80bn bailout first
Solar panels & wind farms ?? Win win for German economy. Losing at war but winning financially. Wake up to the truth Leo & look after our communities & landscape which is there for millions of years .
@Windy Atlantic Way: Germany failed to take over Europe by violence/armed warfare. They are doing it now by stealth. The British know this. Hence Brexit.
@Windy Atlantic Way: our landscape and planet is going to be destroyed in the coming decades by climate change unless we radiaclly change our whole system and nimbys like you only care about your hillsides. btw i ahve turbines on my hillside and dont have any issue with them in fact every time one spins three times i know that this has supplied the energy for a house and i look beyond those hills to the third world where 150,000 people die annueally because of droughts caused by climate change, you and all teh otehr anti renewable energy brigade have their blood on your hands http://www.who.int/heli/risks/climate/climatechange/en/
@Marcus Briody: a beneficiary of turbines eh ? Or one of Leo’s pr €5 million boys. Just because blades are turning doesn’t mean power is generated . Obviously you don’t know the working of them cut in speed -m/s etc . (Turbines are only 23% efficient max ).I don’t have a problem with community based turbine servicing a community but I do have a problem with dictators calling people nimby when they don’t know the situation that families are going through . People are suffering country wide because to corrupt developments by the hidden developers blindfolding landowners into water tight contracts which if there was no problem with wind turbines why don’t they have an opt out option? Corruption written all over it .
Irexit anyone???
@Rob Ryan: Ehh No, you’re grand
@Rob Ryan: And a small island on the periphery of Europe with no history of successfully going it alone will broker over 150 trade deals? And subsidise our own farmers? And suddenly fabricate our own industry to make up the shortfall caused by foreign companies upping and leaving (after all, what use are we to them if we’re no longer the easiest gateway to the common market?). And prop up an ailing tourism industry, crippled by the loss of visa free travel from Europe.
I don’t think you’ve thought this through.
To leave the EU over costs is like pulling the plug of a life support machine because it makes an irritating noise and electricity bill.
People should ask what happens to our PSO money. :That’s the four, now to be 500 million made up of the add ons to our electric bills. Most at present goes to big wind, big grid, and wait for it, wood biomass raped out of some virgin environment in some other continent, shipped across an ocean or two and then trucked up to the old peat stations to keep the open, for the sake of some jobs in someone’s local constituency. There it is burned at 30% efficiency, with all the heat going to waste.
We were of course meant to be going the Scandinavian route of having district heating and CHP plant all around the country, operating at up to 80% efficiency and also capable of safely incinerating our domestic waste, in particular the plastics, which the Chinese no longer want to take. This route would put tremendous added activity value into rural Ireland and at the same time be highly ecologically and environmentally friendly. The land owners would be paid and we would get carbon credit.
We have over 300,000 kms of hedges that could be coppiced, instead of being hammered to the scut each year. 22,000 kms of over topped streams, destroying the salmon and trout, leading also to massive flooding problems as all the sands and silts migrate downstream, no longer held in place by the keystone aquatic weeds. Also vast areas of cut away bog, suitable for growing willow, but no that is to come in from the States where Bord na Mona have just bought a $60m wood pelleting plant for the purpose.
Sorry for the rant, but this needs a big big wake up call.
@Nicholas Grubb: true words
As if our meager population is going to really make a difference in comparison to the giants of the wold. However, every little does help. Up spending but nothing else for the meager citizen.
@Ian McGrath: (i.e.) up spending but don’t raise taxes for tge little guy.
@Ian McGrath:
Obviously a country of 5 million is going to have lower overall emissions than a country of 1400 million, but per capita we’re amongst the highest in the world.
China are leading the way in renewable technologies now, as they’ve recognised it’s the future.
@Ian McGrath: but if every country had that opinion then where would we be?
They should encourage self builders then as the UK has been doing with grants for years. Building an eco friendly house in Ireland is expensive and you get no help. But they’ll give retrofit grants where a lot of people can’t afford the upgrades even with grants. Try to be self sufficient with electricity in Ireland and you don’t even get paid the market rate for feeding electric back into the grid. How is that encouraging self reliance. As usual though the multi nationals will get paid appropriately when they feed back into the grid. Welcome to Ireland where we do only what’s necessary but don’t really care about the overall picture for efficiency and intelligence
@Mary McDonagh Faherty: This has been the way in Ireland for as long as I can remember. The reason why Ireland has so little home grown manufacturing industry and the fact that multinational companies can get away with paying so little tax.
Why doesn’t our fearless leader grow a spine and tell Brussels where to stick it.
@Chris Daniels: Because reducing our energy waste and generating more of our electricity from renewable sources ultimately benefits us too?
@Chris Daniels: because Ireland needs to become self reliant on its energy infrastructure.
@Chris Daniels: Because, like most bullies, he and his party are only big men when they’re in a gang attacking others.
Remember how they slaughtered Greece? now they’re ganging up on the Brits.
We can’t let the future generations pay for our bad stewardship,my generation has plundered the fruits of the Earth so it’s only right we should pay,
@Brian O Reilly: So, what fruits have your Irish generation plundered? Have you looked up the definition of ‘plunder’?
Ireland is at the heart of the EU,surely a good obedient boy like ireland will not be punished as it still struggles from paying 42% of EU debt belonging to bankers and bondholders.
What bout the homeless, and Ava? Run!
@Seamus Balfe: article is about the environment and energy generation
The biggest load of c rap. If the establishment were serious about climate change and polution, they would stop covering up the ‘free energy’ protocols that Tesla documented and which they have harnessed for use in other forms. But of course they wont do that as it would mean the destruction of the Global Capitalist system dominated by power and fossil fuel resources
@Trevor Hayden: Haha, Slight overreaction there Trevor… There is no mention of the EU forcing people to replace their oil burners? The government is providing grants if you want to upgrade the your home heating which should save you money in the long run and do a bit save the environment… Win-win
so climate chage is back in the news after a storm so leo’s PR people tell him to say some nice words when this fg gov is the most environmentally destructive that we have ever had. heather humphries Heritage Bill will allow farmers to cut hedgerows in Aug when many birds are still nesting and we have seen a 50% decline in rural birdlife since 1980
simon soveney wanted to sell our forestry to hedge funds, abstained from a vote to ban insecticides to protect the bees.
fg encouraged farmers to increase our cattle herd by 300,000 knowing that this would massively increase our emmissions and lead to huge fines in the future
they are trying to privatize the bus services and there are no new rail service plan thus forcing people to use their cars
as naomi klein explains its the free market logic that fg and ff follow that is the root cause of inaction on climate change
They’re just after giving themselves another pay rise, why couldn’t they use that money! It’s not like they deserved that pay rise.
So good we are trying to move into renewables energy so why can’t a semi state body like Eirgrid not bury the cables instead of building huge pylons across the boyne valley and up north. Why can’t they use alternative ways to supply energy. Hmm can’t squeeze any more profits out of them if ye burying the f*ckers. If the gov was committed to renewables every household would’ve been supplied with solar panels and small quite wind generators. But ESB/gas producers would be up in arms. Who will pay the bills? To import solar panels is very cheap my brother found out if bought in bulk it’s the middle men who rip us off don’t forget.
Meanwhile, considerable numbers of peer-reviewed scientific papers are coming out predicting we will most likely be entering another mini ice age cooling trend within the next year or two due to cycles in sun activity. The science is so far from “settled” it’s just not funny to tax people even more to subsidise the hugely inefficient, landscape-destroying, bird-killing wind farms etc..
Well then-he needs to get a minister who cares for our country and is fully dedicated to reducing polluting sources of energy and isn’t scared of showing leadership on renewable energy.
If Germany never started ww2 global warming would still be in the future.
If he wants to avoid fines he’ll have to stop speaking for awhile.
Good man Leo…. keep the anal fisting of the Irish people going. It’s about the only thing you’re good at.
Feed in tariff.
Feed in tariff.
Feed in tariff.
Feed in tariff.
Why are they preventing people from being self sufficient and earning a return.
@Tom: True – other countries like Portugal are way ahead of us in harnessing sources of energy.
“I am going to get us as close as possible to the target,” – typical nonsense from a politician. Denis Naughton has been an obstacle to achieving the renewables targets. An absentee Minister
Tells you the idiots we have that signed up to these EU imposed targets.
As usual yes men like Leo’ FG agree with everything that’s fired at us from our EU masters.
Crumbling roads and infrastructure,Our rural towns falling down, people dying on the streets, Hundreds of murderers walking freely, Hospital chaos with tens of thousands having now experienced the trolley thing
He should be making a stand Ireland is not a big player in pollution
Father Holy Commode,I didn’t specify Nationality and I use the verb plundered as I perceived it to be suitable.
Over the next ten years the government is going to subsidise peat fired electricity stations to the tune of €300 million?????? And the government also has blocked any and all wind farm development at sea in order to force wind farm development ashore for the financial benefit of landowners. Whither your green credentials Leo?
Bloody hell. It’s hardly unfair for the other countries to demand that we pay a fine if we don’t meet the targets that we all agreed together back in 2005, is it? They’ve all put in the work, for the benefit of everyone’s climate – I can hardly imagine (and rightly so) that if we had met our targets and, say, Germany hadn’t, we’d be saying to the Germans “sure, that’s all right, no need to pay”. We’d expect that they also live up to their obligation to stop global warming.
If countries make international agreements and then renege on them, the agreements have to be enforceable. Otherwise there’s no point in making them.
have your say