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Home  »News  »Home-Lifestyle News

Out with the new and in with the old

04/08/2010

Over the last few years, all things vintage seem to have become popular again. Porcelain tea sets - complete with tiny cups and saucers - and flowery bed spreads are back in fashion, while many people are looking for antiques to fill their home. It's a strange contrast from a few years ago, when everyone was ridding their houses of all things floral and old-fashioned in favour of clean lines and modern furniture. Simon Hamilton, director of Simon Hamilton & Associates, an architectural interior design consultancy, agreed that people don't want clinical and minimal-looking homes any longer. "People want to feel more comfortable at home and at work. It's more personalised, with more colour and pattern - it's definitely a trend." This is something Katrina Burroughs noted in an article for the Daily Telegraph, stating that many paint manufacturers are moving away from the whites of the past in favour of bright colours. Mr Hamilton thinks our desire to have more traditional and homely pieces of furniture and accessories is down to the current economic climate. "People are unsettled and not sure of the future. They want to feel a bit more secure in their surroundings and I think that gets reflected in interiors," Mr Hamilton suggested. There's also less pressure to have an immaculate home nowadays, he said, adding that "people want things that are a bit more worn in, and have a bit more heritage - not everything has to be absolutely perfect." But, Brits aren't throwing away their old Ikea bits and pieces. Instead, antiques are being mixed with newer pieces, while flowery curtains are being used in the same rooms that have minimalist light fittings. "People like a mix of things that are new and old, more so than they have done in the past," he added. Posted by Jez Walters

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