Tag Archives: Home & Decor

A Luxury Guide to Sleeping in Style : Elements of style

A return to the classical for bedroom design.

Bedroom decor is trending towards the classical again, with luxurious accents. There’s a swing towards this look, but not in a full-blown gaudy way – just think of touches here and there, within clean lines.

Wallpaper from Royal Collection Fabrics & Wallpapers by Designers Guild

Architect Lin Yi Yan of Yard Pte Ltd sees this move on the horizon, and you can spot this trend as well based on the industrial designs in the market. ‘Even the fittings in bathrooms are showing this trend – as they now come in more fanciful choices, instead of your streamlined taps and faucets. Taps tend to have diamond or a ruby-cut handles, for example,’ he says.

But as a whole, there’s no particular style for bedroom interiors as these generally are wholly dependent on the occupants’ personal tastes, he notes.

Terri Tan of Designworx Interior Consultants agrees, saying that bedrooms can range from airy and bright to dark, sombre colours – it totally depends on their individual tastes.

‘One group of people might want their bedrooms off-white and neutral because they want the clean look, but another group want to recreate their look and feel of their favourite hotel room. They’re particular about their beds and pillows; about the comfort level and the look,’ she notes.

For something luxurious, the kind of texture and pattern of the wallpaper and curtains set the tone while wooden floors give the cosy feel. ‘A rug would also be important,’ says Ms Tan. Continue reading

Home stretch

A look at latest happenings in the home decorating scene

CLEAN AND CHEERY
Expect to see retail trends move towards ‘affordable luxury’, says Viggo Molhom (above), president and chief executive of Danish furnishing group BoConcept, whose key new pieces include a ‘cheeky’ rocking chair (next)

AFTER the economic crisis, expect to see retail trends move towards ‘affordable luxury’, says Viggo Molhom, president and chief executive of Danish furnishing group BoConcept.

Of course, this observation fits neatly with BoConcept’s market positioning, he admits. But what with the retail scene taking such a knock during the economic meltdown – plus reports that tastes and expectations have changed as buyers expect discounts and prefer the ‘middle’ ground rather than the uber-luxurious – his statement rings true.

‘Pricing is much more important than it was before,’ he says. ‘Today’s consumer is still conscious of quality and style – but more focused on price.’ People who used to buy at the top end now prefer to spend less. ‘And we’re in a position to benefit from this shift,’ says Mr Molhom.

That’s good news for BoConcept and other retailers that pitch their products in the mid to upper-mid range.

Almost a year into the economic downturn – or ‘after’, as some quarters are touting – BoConcept is strengthening its market position. It has closed some stores – but has also opened new ones. ‘The Asian market is good for us – we’re expanding in China and opened our second store in Manila last year,’ says Mr Molhom. ‘We’re looking to open in Bangkok soon and starting the first in Mumbai in January.’ He was in Singapore this week to open the second store here. Continue reading