We recently had the pleasure of attending a HIA luncheon celebrating influential women in the construction industry. At this event we were lucky enough to meet Zoe Milburn, a talented and experienced interior designer with a passion for crafting beautiful homes.

For this month’s blog, we thought we’d do something a little different and have Zoe create a guest blog for us around 2019 interior design trends. Keep reading to hear what she had to say…

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Trends keep the world of interiors exciting, dynamic and fluid. They showcase the latest colours, shapes and materials we will see filter through into fashion and homeware retailers. However, scratch the surface and you’ll discover that these trends are often a temperature gauge reflecting what’s happening around the world.

The biggest trend to emerge over recent years has been driven by the conscientious consumer. Sustainability is allowing designers to become more creative with design and we are seeing this reflected in smart choices like recycled materials and playing with shape and form. Artisans around the world are creating beautiful limited collections that help support communities and keep traditional skills alive. These kinds of collections are now sought by major global retailers in a bid to enhance their eco-credibility.

Image: Harpers

With this in mind, let’s have a look at what’s been happening in interior design in 2019:

Organic Shapes

You may have spotted this trend already – soft curves, irregular shapes and circles taking centre stage over sharp lines and geometrics. This softening of shapes has been seen through furniture design and coupled with natural materials like rattan, cane, bamboo and linen. Plush velvet curved sofas and accent chairs are also on trend; the more organic the shape, the more desirable.

Fluid shapes are also present in décor, tubular vases, curved shapes in artwork, hand-crafted materials that are not perfect, but celebrate the imperfect creating an authenticity. As humans we warm to organic shapes and natural materials, so expect to see this trend continue for a while.

Image: Pinterest

The New Pastels

Along with organic shapes comes a warmer and much softer colour palette. The influence from last year’s popular desert colours, has seen more warm pastel shades emerge in muted tones, like dirty peach, rose-beige, mushroom, toast and apricot.

These sophisticated warm tones create a calm and tranquil space – think of them as pastels for grown-ups. For those that love blues and greens, popular mist greys, muted sages and stonewashed blues are also big news for 2019.

Image: Studio Elwood

Gold Accents

Metallics have been on trend for quite a while now – we’ve seen silver, copper, bronze and now gold. It’s not surprising that gold is on trend; it works so well with earthy pastel shades and natural materials. Metallics are very clever neutrals, used sparingly they can add a delicate touch of elegance to any interior, giving a Hamptons or modern country look an elegant twist.

Image: Pinterest

Clean Lines

This year we are seeing a form of minimalism through decorative objects and clean lined décor, showcasing simplicity and turning objects into gallery-like artworks. This form of minimalism is easy to achieve and looks amazing in Australian homes.

Image: Studio Elwood

Modern Mediterranean

Inspired by the Greek Islands, we are seeing a modern Mediterranean look filter through into interiors. Rustic, imperfect, lime-washed and aged. This is all about taking influence from the clean simple look of limed aged walls, natural materials and rustic interiors. It’s a beautiful look for a coastal or global interior space.

Image: Pinterest

The New Bohemian

The coastal-inspired Bohemian look is now transcending into more of a global inspired look, taking inspiration from faraway lands such as South America. Here, brightly coloured, tribal textured materials and organic shapes create a look that’s vibrant, warm and rustic.

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As with all trends, you should use the above as a starting point for inspiration. They will help you to curate a style that’s authentic to you, helping you to discover what you love and what makes you happy. Creating an interior space that speaks to you, improves your wellbeing and resonates with you is the ultimate goal.

Above all though, try and have fun when you design. Experiment and try new things, whether you’re building a brand new home or simply refreshing your current space.

To find out more about creating an interior design you adore, get in touch with the friendly team at McGowan Homes today.

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At McGowan Homes we take pride in staying ahead of the market with the latest trends, techniques and materials. To help you with your building journey we’ve put together the 10 essential must-knows before building. Download it today or sign up to our newsletter.

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