This is the time of year when anyone who’s anyone goes out of their way to tell you what trends are going to be big over the next twelve months. Everywhere you look there seems to be a mad dash to find the next big thing, to say what’s going to be new first – in general to be ahead of the game.

In reality, trends don’t actually change that quickly. Interior design hasn’t had a dramatic turnaround since December 2011. So if you’ve recently given a room a makeover, in time for Christmas perhaps, don’t panic, you don’t need to get the paintbrushes out and throw away your tastefully selected accessories!

But if you are planning a redecoration project over the next months, there are some key trends that you may be noticing more of as you browse the magazines and the shops for inspiration.

So what’s do we at Hillarys think is going to be big in 2012.

Well first of all, our love affair with all things vintage is set to continue. We’re not fixated by a certain decade though – really, anything goes from the 20s, 50s, 70s and more. And we’re not looking to recreate the exact look of that time in our home. Oh no. Just a few carefully chosen pieces – maybe a chair, a table, a fabric design or a few knick knacks that really make a statement and create the mood for your room. Vintage is now all about taking the best bits from the past and combining with up-to-date style for a look that’s completely unique to you.

In recent times neutral tones have dominated interiors – they’re comfortable, easy to live with, and great to dress up or down using co-ordinating or contrasting accessories. But now it seems as though neutrals have had their day and colour and pattern has come to the fore. Which is absolutely wonderful news! Colour certainly energises a room, and it can be perfectly offset with bold patterns too. If colour and pattern is new to you, I’d recommend limiting the amount of pattern you use – for example patterned blinds or curtains but not alongside patterned wallpaper please!

Sticking with colour, a big trend that has been emerging in recent months is for bright pastels. I know this sounds a contradiction, so to help, think traditional sugared almond tones with just a little extra oomph! It’s a pretty look that works well in a retro style kitchen, although it’s fab throughout the rest of the home too.

If you like the natural look, you’ll be pleased with the next trend, which has a homespun, wholesome feel. Leafy prints, checks, chambrays and cocooning textures combine to provide a simple yet welcoming feel.

And of course, 2012 is an Olympic year, so expect to see loads of red, white and blue absolutely everywhere.

So there you go. Just a few trends it’s worth looking out for. I’m sure there’ll be something to suit you.

What trends are the latest magazines telling us to watch out for?

We’ve only been back at work for a week or so but already the February monthly magazines have been on the shelves for some time. While the end of 2011 issues were crammed with ideas for the festive season, these latest glossies have much more to say on trends for the season ahead. So, what should we be looking out for?

Well making the most of your home is certainly big news. With the downturn in the property market, moving home doesn’t seem high up on the list of anyone’s agenda for 2012. Instead it looks as though we’ll be improving what we’ve got. Good Housekeeping has a great guide to projects that will not only get your home looking fab but will also add value when house prices do eventually pick up.

Animals, believe it or not, are becoming increasingly influential in interior design. Birds and butterflies have been around for a while. Now keep your eyes open for cats, dogs, horses, hens and even bugs! There are soft furnishing fabrics and wallpaper if you really like this theme but if you prefer the odd touch in your home consider a door mat, mugs or cushions. Country Living and Country Homes and Interiors both have lots of ideas.

Textures too are something to look out for according to Country Homes and Interiors. Checks – tweeds and tartans – chunky knits, heavily woven carpets and even wallpaper help create this look that can be tailored to traditional or contemporary living.

Good Homes offers four key looks for the season. From a simple rustic feel, to bright tones and from pretty florals to exotic designs inspired by far flung holidays, there really is something that will appeal to all.

Good Homes also has some lovely buys for kids rooms.

I’ll keep you posted on what I’m expecting to be big in 2012 soon.

Win this gorgeous Charnwood Country 4 woodburning stove in our facebook competition.

Times are increasingly hard at the moment with household budgets being squeezed to the limit. So you’re probably like me and on the lookout for money saving tips, and if these can be super stylish too, all the better!

Woodburning stoves are currently experiencing a resurgence in popularity. This is in part to do with the trend towards creating a warm and welcoming home. Gone are the days of minimalism, instead think vintage style or the modern rustics trend that combines the best bits from country style and contemporary convenience. We’ve recently launched two capsule collections in our Roller blind and Roman blind ranges that reflect these trends beautifully. But it’s also in part due to the increasing cost of gas and electricity. Everyone’s aware of the huge price increases in keeping our homes warm over recent years to the extent that this now accounts for a significant chunk of our incomes.

The brilliant thing about wood is that it is cheaper and more sustainable than coal, gas or oil.  But these aren’t the only benefits of a woodburning stove. They’re also incredibly energy efficient. 70-90% of the heat from a woodburning stove stays in the room compared to an open fire, which loses around 80% of its heat up the chimney. And that’s no use to anyone!

Now let’s talk about the looks. A real fire burning in a room is so welcoming – throw in the stove and you really are making a style statement.  Woodburning stoves come in all shapes and styles from traditional to ultra-contemporary. And don’t think black is the only colour option. Cream, red, blue, grey, green and many more are all available to suit your room.

We’ve teamed up with the lovely people at Charnwood Stoves to offer you the chance to win the fab Charnwood Country 4 woodburning stove in a fantastic facebook competition. You’ve got until 11 December to take part. So if you’ve not entered yet, do it now!

And if you’re hankering after a cosy approach to your interior décor scheme, arrange an appointment with your local Hillarys advisor and take a look at our Family Favourites Roller blinds and Modern Rustics Roman blinds.

Win a woodburning stove similar to the one in our gorgeous roomset!

Now the evenings are really drawing in and the leaves are pretty much gone from the trees, spending time indoors is fast-moving up my list of things to do! Yes, I’m not ashamed to say that one of my favourite pastimes during autumn and winter is getting warm and cosy indoors, enjoying evenings snuggled up in front of the TV.

A new trend increasing in popularity right now is ‘Modern Rustics’ – you probably recognise the name as I’ve mentioned it once or twice here in my blog. And this trend is just right for creating a lovely, welcoming environment perfect for this time of year.

Modern Rustics takes all the best bits from country style. Think traditional fabric designs such as checks, florals and even chunky textures and combine with natural materials – wood flooring and furniture, and natural finishes such as exposed stone and brick. 

The trick here though is to give them a modern twist to bring them bang up-to-date in terms of both style and convenience. But how to do this? Well don’t get too concerned as it really is quite easy!

Exposed stone, brick and even beams if you’re lucky enough to have them in your home are perfect for getting that country look. For a more modern appearance, combine with neat plasterwork on selected walls and paint in a fresh tone.

Original floorboards, or replacement ones (there are loads to choose from out there in the shops) look great. If yours are looking a little worse for wear but you can’t afford brand new ones, try a lick of white paint. Stone floors, both new and old, look amazing too. Scatter with rugs to warm things up a little.

At your windows, choose from the blinds in our lovely Roman blinds capsule collection, which we’ve called ‘Modern Rustics’. Traditional checks in fresh, modern colour combinations, abstract leaf designs, chunky textures and contemporary florals are all there. Sofas and cushions that pick out the key colours from the designs will look brilliant, and remember this look is all about comfort so go for a squidgy styles with loads of cushions!

So what about the perfect finishing touch? Woodburning stoves are all the rage right now. They can be exceptionally clean burning and energy efficient, and with fuel prices going up and up all the time, they’re great for your pocket too. We’ve teamed up with the lovely people at Charnwood Stoves, based on the Isle of Wight, to offer you the chance to win the fabulous Charnwood Country 4. How exciting!

Want to find out more? Then take a look at our facebook page right now. And good luck too!

Layer blinds at your windows for a lovely cosy effect.

Clothing fashions and interior design often go hand in hand, each being inspired by the other. At this time of year, when we’re swapping our summer wardrobe over to one more suited to autumn and winter, there’s one trend that really comes into its own. And that trend is layering.

Think about it. It’s a cold, blustery day and you’re about to venture out to work, to do the school run or to get the shopping in. You don’t want to be cold but you also don’t want to go into meltdown when you get indoors. What do you do? Layer up of course. T-shirts, jumpers, cardigans, scarves, coats, plus skirts, leggings and boots – there are so many combinations that are fantastic at keeping you warm and they look great too.

So why not transfer this to your interior décor?

Layering up at home is all about creating a warm and welcoming environment for relaxing in. It’s not hard to go wrong but follow our advice and you’ll be off to a flying start!

1. Blankets and throws are a brilliant starting point. Perfect for creating a lovely comfy bed, they’re also fantastic for tossing over the back of a chair or sofa (and perfect for snuggly under during the evening).

2. Cushions work well too. Again, pile them up on your bed for real designer style or scatter on your seating for extra comfort. Don’t be mean though! Choose contrasting patterns and colours for added interest and cram as many as you can on there for a real luxurious feel.

3. If you have a shelf or bookcase load it up with knick-knacks, trinkets and other things such as photos that are important to you. The layered look isn’t about keeping things to a minimum – as long as it fits and looks good too, it’ll work!

4. Books are often beautiful in their own right and can add interest to a room. Stack on a shelf or even pile up on the floor for a lovely focal point (if you still have vinyl, these make a great feature as well). 

5. Coffee tables can be a living room essential – pile up your favourite glossy magazines or go one step further and replace the table with a stack of vintage suitcases or luggage chests for a unique and quirky effect. 

6. Your windows are ideal for getting lots of layers together in one place. Blinds and curtains make a lovely cosy combination – perfect for bedrooms. And you can also layer blinds together too. Think of adding a blackout roller bind behind a feature blind for an extra dark room at night-time. Or combine two complementary fabrics together to create a lovely, luxurious effect as we have done in our room. We’ve picked out the red of our check design and added a plain blind in this shade to make a real feature of the window.

Of course, there’s lots more you can do when it comes to layering in your home – it really is an organic process that develops over time. These tips should get your started. Enjoy!

Villa Pimento was one of lucky fabrics we chose to photograph.

The 20 fabrics that make up our brand new ‘Family Favourites’ collection of Roman blinds are so gorgeous that we couldn’t wait to photograph them. The problem was deciding just which ones to use in our photo shoot!

But decide we had to and after lots of to-ing and fro-ing we managed to narrow it down to eight fabrics in three room sets that encapsulate exactly what ‘Family Favourites’ is all about.

The product team here at Hillarys works closely alongside our photographer and stylist to build room sets that suit the fabrics we’re going to be featuring in our pictures. Of course, we want the blinds to be the hero of the photograph but we also want to give a good feel for what the rest of the room looks like as we know our customers find these inspirational.

Our new Roman blinds have a modern rustic feel. This is an emerging interior décor trend that combines homespun, wholesome style fabrics with contemporary design. Checks, chambrays, cocooning textures and leafy prints are at the heart of the collection, and we’ve given our rooms a simple yet welcoming feel to set them off to perfection.

We hope you like our photography. If you’ve been inspired to give your homes a makeover because of it, let us know via our facebook page. We’d love to see pictures of your room too.

Our new ‘Family Favourites’ Roman blinds collection launches on Monday 3 October.

Our customers wanted to see more checks in the range, so we're introducing this gorgeous fabric called Tatton in three colour options.

Hot on the heels of our new ‘Family Favourites’ collection of Roller blinds comes an update to our Roman blinds range – and we’ve called this ‘Family Favourites’ too!

‘Family Favourites’ Roller blinds have been a big hit, not just here in the product office, but also amongst our advisors and most importantly our customers. You all just love the quirky, chintzy and retro designs as well as the more sophisticated styles we’ve introduced. So we’re hoping you’re going to just as happy with these new Roman blinds.

There are cheeky checks, gorgeous printed designs, lovely textures and pretty chambrays to choose from in a great range of neutrals and on-trend colours. So whether you prefer a fresh feel to your home, or a cosier mood, there’ll be something to suit you.

Putting the range together is down to one of the product managers in the team. Before getting started they listen to what our customers and advisors are saying and look at the trends expected to be important for interiors in the months ahead.

Our customers told us they wanted to see more red in our ranges of blinds, and this collection has plenty in it. They also revealed their love of checks – so we’ve found a fab fabric called Tatton, which comes in three stylish colour options.

Our top tips for choosing new Roman blinds from our ‘Family Favourites’ collection:

Vintage Know-how

Granny chic takes the best things from the past – the knick-knacks we never throw away – and combines them with up-to-date styles for an eclectic look that’s as individual as you are.

Layer up to keep cosy

Layering doesn’t just apply to clothing, it’s all the rage for blinds too! Pick out a colour from your favourite patterned fabric and fit a plain blind in this tone at the same window for an extra dash of luxury.

Keep warm this winter

Fully-lined Roman blinds are a great option for insulating windows – perfect for keeping the chill out. Consider a blackout lining for bedrooms to help get a good night’s sleep.

Don’t forget the finishing touches

With beaded braids and a choice of metal and coloured operating chains, it’s easy to tailor your bind to suit your home exactly.

There are 20 brand new and very beautiful Roman blind fabrics in the ‘Family Favourites’ collection, which launches on Monday 3 October.

Interior design is increasingly taking inspiration from catwalk fashions

Over recent years interior design trends have increasingly followed high street fashions. Styles are being updated much more frequently than ever before and these styles being heavily influenced by the clothes we’re wearing.

So it’s with more than a passing interest that the team here at Hillarys are currently taking note of what’s happening at London Fashion Week (16 – 21 September). While designers are showing off their looks for the spring/summer 2012 season, we attempt to assess the effect they will have on the interiors market.

Vintage in one form or another is a big look, as is a subtle seaside theme. From 50s Miami beach glamour (Charlotte Olympia) to a much more traditionally British feel (Mulberry), expect hints of the seashore to be key in the seasons ahead. Think deckchair stripes, pastel shades and even more exotic touches such as flamingo feathers!

When it comes to vintage, there’s no set decade to stick to. As well as the 50s, the 60s and 70s also provide inspiration – think cute 50s style prom dresses (Jonathan Saunders), 60s and Doris Day (Richard Nicoll) and the jet set of the 70s (Jaegar) – they’ll all have an impact.

As well as pretty pastels and chintzy patterns, bold floral prints are big news, as are vivid tones. When it comes it interiors it’s been bang-on-trend to mix more than one vivid shade together in the same room for a while. Now try using one as an accent alongside a more neutral backdrop.

Translating catwalk styles to interior trends isn’t always a straightforward process but we’re more than happy that our fab range of blinds reflects what’s happening in the fashion world. With our great mix of retro designs, bold florals, pretty pastels and vibrant tones we’re bang on trend for now and the seasons ahead.

Angelica Sage Roller blind has a lovely vintage feel

It’s as though the summer never happened! No sooner has the holiday season ended than the shops are filling up with warm and cosy winter styles.

So what will the best dressed windows be wearing during the seasons ahead?

Believe it or not, world events such as the current economic climate are incredibly influential when it comes to interior design. That’s why themes focusing on comfort and traditional family values have come to the fore in recent months and even years.

Vintage styles will continue to be popular this autumn and winter but we’re now getter smarter about using these classic designs. Try clashing colours and patterns that aren’t supposed to go together and mixing styles from different eras to establish your own personal trend.

When it comes to your windows, spots, stripes and chintzy florals work perfectly with the vintage look and offer something to suit all tastes too.

If vintage isn’t quite your thing, you may like an emerging trend that combines simple rustic style with contemporary design. Called ‘Modern Rustics’, it brings elements of nature into your home with a palette of relaxing tones and homespun fabrics to heighten the senses and add timeless, wholesome appeal.

Country-style checks and natural leafy prints in simple chambrays are at the heart of this look and are a great choice for your windows. Look out for some fab new Roman blinds fabrics launching in the new few weeks that fit in with this feel just perfectly.

If all this is just a little too homely for your particular taste, there are other options.

Metallics are always in fashion in one way or another.  This season we’re seeing a move away from cooler metals towards warmer tones such as bronze, copper and even brass, all of which you’ll find in our Venetian blinds  range. And these colours can be used in all types of rooms too from contemporary to traditional.

Finally if you want to inject some fun into your home, splashes of bright colours are very on-trend. Primary colours create lively spaces, perfect for children’s rooms, although used cleverly they bring stylish sophistication that’s ideal for grown ups too.

Plus unlike other blinds companies we haven’t put our prices up because of the VAT increase. Hurry this great offer won’t last forever! To see our full range of blinds make an appointment with a Hillarys advisor today!