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SPRING INTO ACTION

Easter is the perfect time to refresh your home with some of this season’s key trends

By Anne Ashworth

The days are growing lighter and longer and easter, the peak home makeover season, is just around the corner. If you are planning a refresh or a bigger project, these three key trends will bring your home right up to date.

FIFTY SHADES OF GREEN

‘Green is the new grey’, declares Charlotta elgh, John Lewis director of design, reflecting the widespread view that this colour is the new neutral and is tranquil, yet revitalising, whichever shade you choose.

John Lewis reports that sales of green armchairs, headboards and sofas are 277 per cent up on last year. The colour features a lot in its new collection which is divided into modern — for lovers of contemporary — and classic, aimed at those who favour more traditional designs but with a twist.

The classic range includes a chic, palegreen woven chair (£179) that could be used as a dining or desk chair and the Otley sofa (£999 to £1,649), covered in white and green ticking, has a hint of regency formality. Both would bring a touch of green to a beige or grey decor.

It is likely, though, that many people will prefer to deploy more of the colour. And the makeover of Lily Allen’s new York townhouse, as seen in Architectural Digest magazine, is attracting attention for its prolific use of it. The sitting room has a sage-green button-back sofa and armchairs, 18th-century style floral wallpaper plus a green ceiling.

This look is easily copied, for any budget. If you are splashing out, habitat’s hendricks green button-back sofa is from £1,600, while Lancashire-based 1838 Wallcoverings has launched a range of papers based on floral prints held in the Victoria & Albert Museum collection.

Wanting to make a more modest investment? robert Dyas has the Florence green button-back tub chair reduced from £169.99 to £147.40, and the selection of wallpapers at B&M stores includes some dramatic Victorian palm-tree prints.

Paint can be an inexpensive way to make your home greener, and manufacturers are launching new shades to cater for a Britain finally bored of beige.

Beverly from Farrow & Ball is a strong forest-green. Vining Ivy, Glidden’s colour of 2023, is a blue-ish green said to be ‘energising, yet grounding’. Dulux’s colour of 2023 is Wild Wonder, ‘a gentle warm gold with hints of green’, ideal for anyone wanting to make a subtle shift into the colour. Other Dulux shades, such as Bamboo Stem, Fresh Sage and Willow Tree, would also bring about a gradual transition.

Light- sage tiles could introduce an element of green into a bathroom, and bring the outdoors indoors.

The key reason behind the rise of green is said to be a wish to feel closer to the great outdoors, in a calming atmosphere that Andrew Tanner, habitat’s creative director, describes as ‘grounded simplicity’.

SECOND-HAND CHIC

ALOnGSIDe the trend for green is a desire for eco- friendly makeovers. Upmarket developments that attract a younger, wealthy, environmentally aware clientele boast reclaimed flooring and second-hand furniture and lighting, often made in Britain.

The high Street is adapting to this trend. Christine Kasoulis, habitat’s home and furniture director says its spring and summer ranges will inspire those who are ‘updating rather than transforming’.

Suddenly brand-new everything looks dated, with the rise in the popularity of ‘statement thrifts’, low-cost pieces found in junk or charity shops: British heart Foundation is a great hunting ground.

Such items also add individuality, says Kate Watson-Smyth of the Mad About The house interiors consultancy. She adds: ‘Using vintage and antique pieces gives a more personal look. It also saves old furniture from landfill. Antiques are costly, but eBay and Facebook Marketplace can be a source of bargain tables and chairs to sand or paint.’

Want to restore old furniture? Instagram and YouTube have ‘how to’ videos. But if you love the patina and character of an item, good furniture polish such as Bald’s Original Balm (£14.99) at Lakeland may buff up a piece without removing either.

HURRAY FOR HOLLYWOOD

IF YOU believe your home needs more glamour, it’s good news because Art Deco and its sinuous lines are back.

In a move away from minimalist sharpedged Scandi furniture, there is a new passion for the curvaceous, particularly in sensuous velvet. The £975 Luna sofa from Oliver Bonas, the Tetbury (from £2,969) from heal’s and the Duval from robert Dyas £594.99 ( robertdyas.co.uk) exemplify this look. For something larger, John Lewis has the five-seater Lozenge (from £1,699).

A single piece may be enough for some, however. Dunelm’s £199 harper Drinks trolley has a golden age of hollywood vibe, while Wayfair’s £80 Gatsby rug has Art Deco motifs in gold and grey. Wayfair also offers the £95.99 Meilani bedside table and the £112.99 fanback Brough accent chair.

Whatever the latest interior fashion trends, one or two small changes may be all a room requires.

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2023-03-24T07:00:00.0000000Z

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