Home fashion and you

On her visit to India last year, the globally eminent trend forecaster Lidewij Edelkoort prophesied there would be a going back to nature and its goodness.

So if star diets and organic foodoholics are to be believed, if fashion is paving the way for materials rich in textures, home décor too is on that bus. From lighting trends and décor products, bath fittings to kitchen gadgets, furniture and upholstery these lifestyle choices seem to be making quite a statement.

Naturals: "Heavy silks and linen are growing popular depending on the occasion and season. Silk drapes can be reserved for formal occasions while linen would give a casual feel," says Mandeep Nagi, design director, Shades of India, Delhi-based home fashion brand. Hand-embroidered upholstery and accessories are doing the rounds too, giving the artist in a homemaker a reason to celebrate. Shades of green and coral too will see takers this year. Kitchens too are going organic. With nude, unpolished concrete on walls and stone finishes for tiles, it is not just looks, but maintenance too proves easy. "Lighter wood has being a favourite in Europe forever, while in India, people have preferred dark wood with varnishes. There's a shift now towards lighter wood and Scandinavian-inspired designs," says Julie Leymarie, co-founder, Le Mill, Mumbai. "The look of the '50s is in, with less straight and more rounded legs in furniture," she says.

Textures and touch: Playing with contrasts and giving users and visitors something to engage with, that is the idea in surface treatments. Textural patterns in fabrics for drapes and upholstery are a good way to create points of interest, says Nagi. Taking off from the natural touch, in furniture too, wood is being treated and finished to give it a raw feel. "We'd like to focus more on organic products where we can use paper, wood and other materials is a more natural way," says Leymarie. And while our smart phones are seeing the touch revolution, it has made its way into kitchen gadgets such as ovens, microwaves and refrigerators.

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