Lets start with retro, what does it mean? Well, according to the Chambers English Dictionary, retro means old-fashioned or relating to the past. And this is the point that I am struggling with.
Traditional Interior Design is generally influenced by past masters such as Charles Mackintosh or William Morris. Their designs are timeless and still part of our lifestyle today. Take a look in any traditional or Contemporary wallpaper or fabric book and you will see designs and colours that have been influenced by that period that are still very popular today.
Past styles such as Art Nouveau and Art Deco with their flowing and angular lines are still very much part of today's designs. We see chrome and block colours which were part of our lifestyle in the 70's and 80's. It was during this period we also saw the arrival of coloured furniture, fabric and wallpaper in black, grey and white trimmed with red's, blue's and pink's.
For me the turning point was the 80's. We saw more use of pastel and neutral shades and soft grey's and white. Carpets were being sold in plain neutral colours instead of the heavy patterned Axminster and Wilton styles, and we had moved away from the Nylon mustard and brown colours of the 70's.
So here we are almost halfway through the second decade of the 21st Century where we are still seeing the use of white, creams, greys and soft pastel shades along with period paints and wallpapers that have inspired generations of Interior Designers.
Natural floors and neutral coloured carpets with traditional styled rugs. Tweeds, houndstooth and plaids still playing their part in upholstery, blinds and curtains.
The use of wood, chrome, black & white and painted furniture are all still desirable for today's living. The style and designs all influenced by the past.
Manufacturing processes and technology now allows new textures and finishes, but the inspiration for the designs still come from the past. Can future designs be unique without having any influence from our past or has this all now been exhausted?
For me, not much has changed in the last 30 years. So where will the influences be coming from over the next 20-30 years. Who or what will the next generation of Interior Designer be looking to for their inspiration. Will they look back to the 00's and say their designs have been influenced by this period? I'm not so sure.
John Northwood
