Designer Bathrobes

Eco-conscious design

According to Design trends on tap for 2008 it is the same sustainable sensibility that draws consumers to solar water heaters, icynene insulation or vegetative roofs also drives interior elements and fixtures that pair ecological efficiency with good looks.

Incorporating outdoor spaces with the overall home design

Changing lifestyles calls for changing living spaces. 2008’s homes have sliding doors, pocket doors, and other types of movable partitions allow flexibility in living arrangements. Dedicated living and dining rooms are being replaced by large multi-purpose family areas. In addition, many houses include private "bonus" rooms that can be used for office space or adapted to a variety of specialised needs.

An increased interest in eco-friendly architecture is encouraging builders to incorporate outdoor spaces with the overall home design. The yard and garden become a part of the floor plan when sliding glass doors lead to patios and decks. These outdoor "rooms" may even include kitchens with sophisticated sinks and grills.

Mellow metallics

Matt black, pearly white and deep grey are contrasted with flashes of glossy gold, bronze and azure blue to create a look that's glamorous, excessive and dramatic.

For those finishing touches, look to Versace and Wedgwood for inspiration, gold and metallics in lighting and accessories and velvets and damask prints in textiles.

Thick crystal goblets and mirrored glass will also add to the grandiose mood. The result is witty, modern, thought provoking, visually intriguing and elegant.'

Although the outcome of this trend is super glamorous and sophisticated the content is more playful and tongue-in-cheek when you look at the detail. The dark palette with flashes of colour, especially yellow and gold alongside the extremes of scale give that wonderland feel.'

This is nothing more than naughty boy stuff, pushing the parameters to see how far they will go. Big things and small things with nothing in between. Black, white and metallics with punchy signal colours. Full of irony, this is a dramatic trend which shouts loudly.

Where And How To Use It

This palette is particularly well suited to an older period interior with its high ceilings, plaster-relief detailing on walls, panelling, extra wide woodwork and deep toned floors. Ideal for a formal dining room or a snug living space, it's a room that's reserved for evenings, one where a lack of natural light is, for a change, a good thing and not a bad thing.

If you go for this look, really go for it. Just painting a feature wall in black, or leaving all your woodwork white, will turn something elegant and dramatic into something that's reminiscent of the 1980’s, which should not the intention at all. The drama and success of this scheme comes from its all out bravery, the most adventurous will even take the black to their ceilings. If you're not brave enough, or if your rooms don't lend themselves to this type of scheme, limit it just for fun to the downstairs loo or utility area.

Where To Avoid It

There is no way this palette is intended for a house built after the turn of last century. If your home is 1920’s or 1930’s upwards, if your rooms are boxy and lacking in original mouldings or if your ceilings are low, avoid it like the plague. The only place it should be seen in a house like that is in a teenage boy's bedroom, and even then it's a bad, bad thing.

How To Furnish It

So, how do you furnish 'ironically', as suggested by the experts? The trick is to play with scale as well as style, so mix huge vases with smaller pieces, deep mirror frames with small-set glass, and enormous standard lamps with delicately turned chairs. As for fabrics, pick leather and velvet, and team them with accessories in gold’s and bronze’s, adding a touch of teal to take the scheme from bachelor pad to super cool.

Traditional patterns and crafts are combining with new technologies for example, translating images into permanent wall or floor coverings.

This palette has flashes of slightly retro but rich bright’s and pastels, offset by warm, woody neutrals, cool stone and slate grey. The key to the look is unexpected combinations of multiple colours.

Increased customisation and one-of-a-kind elements are taking centre stage - through custom-designed furniture or reinventing existing pieces whether they be from client’s own homes or antique fairs, estate sales or flea markets.

'Well-loved, well-worn pieces- like old family dining tables, cabinets or chests -fit straight in. Digital imagery transposed onto unexpected surfaces -from coffee tables to trays - lends a modern edge to the Reinvention  mood.This is a quirky, intriguing space where this vibrant colour palette works well to compliment the integrity of the surrounding materials, providing the room with a sense of honesty and heart.'

Where And How To Use It

This scheme is very adaptable, and will suit most homes, ideally in kitchens or kitchen diners. The trick is to underplay it - so while you might have a riot of colours on one wall, the rest of the walls need to be kept pretty plain.In other words, designate one wall in the room as the focus or feature wall, and build the rest of the scheme around your centrepiece.

As for flooring, choose a finish that won't fight the scheme. Black may be used to give the room an industrial feel. Reclaimed floorboards would be just as successful, and would create a more welcoming feel than the painted black concrete. Shabby chic, woolly rugs will only work if they're plain and neutral.

Where To Avoid It

A little chaotic for a living room, none too restful for a bedroom, this look with this colour combination is best limited to rooms that are busy and that you're busy in-such as the kitchen or a kitchen diner. If you're looking to extend this scheme into a living area, you needn't choose calmer colours, but you might want to limit your choice to just one neutral and two brights, rather than three or four.

How To Furnish It

Again, underplaying your choice of accessories is important if the room is to avoid looking like a den for hippies. Mis-matched chairs are a good start, but don't go for overly-stuffed, floral-covered upholstery. Look instead for more masculine styles-old school chairs, car sets, repainted, reclaimed metal chairs are more the direction you want to go.The same goes for lighting - choose steel over fabric - and accessories, which should be minimalised recycled pieces rather than a huge collection of ornaments.

The interest in crafts, materials and textures will continue

Simplicity is key - integrity, honesty, purity. Quality is important in every detail, from the finish of the painted woodwork to the craftsmanship of a chair. Nothing here is distressed or worn; the finish is immaculate. This palette allows for an easy flow between spaces and moods, where nothing is harsh or disturbing, and there is a rhythm and beauty to the nurturing space.

The need to feel soothed, comforted and warm is the essence here, a home that is embracing and enveloping. The soft pinker neutrals, all warm to the touch, are given life by the presence of red, which adds vitality and energy.

Gone are the days of neutrals just being a bland, safe backdrop. Make them work for you by adding mood and warmth, using this wonderfully sensual skin tone palette. It's like one big maternal hug.

Off whites and greys

Vanilla and chalky off whites, misty greys and muted slates combine in both matt and gloss finishes to create a room that's not just white, but layered, has depth, texture and pattern.

Faceted reflections from cut glass, crystals and delicately etched tableware adds a different scale to the delicacy, as do pleated or lacy fabrics, which bring another layer of intricacy. The flicker of candlelight transforms this mood from day to night, introducing yet another layer of shadow, colour and vitality.

Layers of white and light give this style a dream - like ethereal quality that makes white irresistible again. Not just optic, these are all shades of white from chalky to milky hues which gives depth and interest. Light beaming in through textural structures such as laser cut curtains creates ever changing patterns and atmospheres that are both enlightening and empowering.'