Collected works

Striking interiors are not hard to achieve, but you do need to co-ordinate fabrics, furniture and paint shades. Bos Design presents some current trends, using fabrics from Warwick and Textilia, and paints from Resene.

Fashion may be ephemeral, but there's always a place for traditional furnishings. However, some of the best formal looks are toned-down affairs, with elaborate furnishings balanced by the simple lines of other furniture pieces. This is the philosophy employed by Bos Design in creating the interior pictured. Here, the neutral tones of the Esquire lounge suite are contrasted with a formal wall colour - Resene Juniper. The suite is paired with a modern Marceau table, which keeps the room calm and stops it from looking too busy, says Bos designer Ana Davies. Traditional accessories complete the setting.

Neutral tones were also selected for the more contemporary interior featured next - but here the furniture has been kept simple and understated. Bos designer Sue Arts says a more modern look was called for, hence the choice of the Bos Ditto lounge suite. "We have used a Marceau coffee table, similar to the one in the traditional setting, but in a rectangular shape rather than a square," she says. "This has been combined with modern accessories and a contemporary painting to provide a more minimalist look."

A simple Roman blind placed next to narrow, wooden louvres was a way to introduce an additional texture to the setting and consolidate the grey tones of the carpet and cushions.

To avoid a washed-out look in a room with neutral tones, Sue Arts advocates the introduction of dark wood furniture or accessories.

"Even a small amount of dark brown or black helps to anchor a room visually," she says. "In this setting, the dark Victorian ash of the tables and the colour of the accessories and painting work to bring the room together." Additional Bos furniture in this home includes a matching solid Victorian ash dining table.

With the use of contrasting textures a strong trend in interior design, it's not surprising to see the re-emergence of leather in modern furnishings. But it's the natural-look leathers that are making the strongest comeback, says Bos director Loes Bos. "Waxed leather in cow-hide colours, where the natural blemishes are still visible, is well suited to contemporary interiors," she says.

Pull-up leather is another popular option. This specially treated leather is also known as self-correcting leather, as marks and indentations disappear with use.

The room setting shown on these pages features a Bos Maxwell leather suite in dark brown pull-up leather.

"The faux leather is an economical alternative to the real thing, and features a similar natural finish," says Loes Bos.

Dark Victorian ash Marceau coffee tables are also a feature of the room. But Loes Bos says choosing dark colours for furniture doesn't mean you can't have a vibrant interior.

"Introducing colour to the walls and bright accents, such as cushions, rugs and decorative items, can enliven any room."

Bos interior designers dressed the room on these pages in two different ways. Both settings have timber flooring and a feature corner painted in Resene Wasabi. In the fifth picture on the right this colour has been contrasted with warm orange and red furnishings. A Bos Carlton tub chair and contemporary painting also reflect the vibrant colour scheme.

The second style, sixth picture, illustrates how easily a different look can be created by changing the accessories. Here, a more neutral and natural look has been achieved by the use of terracotta, cream and brown cushions, and a water hyacinth chair. A light brown-toned rug is another visually quiet element in the room.

"These settings also show that if you move house, or redecorate, you don't necessarily have to change everything," says Loes Bos. "With a little professional help, most of your existing furniture can be retained."

For more information, contact Bos Design, phone (09) 579 1116, fax (09) 580 1987.

Spoilt for choice is probably a fair comment to make about the range of home furnishing fabrics available today. Textile companies are quick to pick up on current trends in fabrics, colour and texture, and this is reflected in the latest collections from Warwick Fabrics. Many of the chairs and sofas from Bos Design are covered in Warwick textiles, including the furniture shown on these pages. The Bos Ditto corner suite (second picture on the right) features Pashmina in Pebble. Euan Cameron, Warwick Fabrics operations manager, says Pashmina is made from 100% polyester, which makes it particularly hard-wearing - it scored 99,000 rubs in the Martindale test for abrasion resistance.

"Its soil resistance also makes it well suited to chairs and sofas," Euan Cameron says.

Pashmina, which is available in seven colours, can be complemented by Warwick's Jaivin fabric from the Dion Collection. In the lounge setting shown below, Jaivin Royal features on the Bos Soho chair. Jaivin is a textured, polyester, viscose and rayon mix, featuring an abstract, all-over pattern. It is available in nine colourways.

"Mixing different fabrics on the seating within a room avoids a contrived look, and is one of the stronger decorating trends that has emerged over the past few years," says Loes Bos. "Cushions also can be mixed and matched to add personality to a room."

In the room setting on the right, the cushions feature retro Funk fabric in Chocolate from Warwick's TuttiFrutti Collection and Macrosuede in Aubergine. Macrosuede comes in 58 colours and is made from 100% hard-wearing polyester.

The move towards casual interiors that have an element of sophistication is another strong design trend that suits modern lifestyles. This style is epitomised by the interiors shown on these pages, which all feature Textilia fabrics. In the room setting shown below, a Bos Cologne settee and chaise are upholstered in Textilia's Saville in Bone. While the furniture provides a sophisticated look, this is balanced by the addition of coloured cushions that add a more casual feel to the room. These feature Textilia Avila, Braga, Saville and Chamois fabrics in Graphite and Red.

Rex Godso, managing director of Textilia, says Saville is a particularly durable fabric composed of 49% polyester, 39% viscose and 12% linen. "Saville is available in seven colours and is part of a four-fabric range called Casa Del Playa or House by the Sea. Its sophisticated look lends itself to casual or more tailored interiors and it suits both fully upholstered furniture and loose covers."

Rex Godso says the curtain drop features Textilia's Marquesas 100% cotton fabric, which comes in three colourways. "This is a batik-style print that looks great with concrete or tiled floors," he says.

Taffetas are also in fashion at present, partly because of the beautiful way they drape, says Rex Godso. Textilia illustrates this trend with the checked Mauna taffeta in Onyx.

"We have combined this with a matching stripe and contrasted the smooth, lustrous look with textured cushions in heavy woven fabrics and a leather ottoman," he says.

Other Textilia fabrics pictured include Magnum in Chrome, a fabric well suited to tailored furniture such as the Tosca chair from Bos.

When it comes to setting the mood of your home's interior, colour plays a significant role. It can help create a stimulating environment or a more intimate and tranquil setting. And it isn't difficult to find the right colour, if you know where to look, says Resene marketing manager Karen Warman. "To help homeowners find the colour combinations that will work best in their homes, Resene has produced The Range," she says. "This fandeck narrows down the thousands of colour options to 150 key shades, which reflect old favourites as well as current international design trends, tailored to suit New Zealand lifestyles."

Warman says The Range also suggests colour combinations that will work well together.

"Many homeowners err on the side of caution when they choose colours for their home's interior, yet they admire the more adventurous solutions chosen by designers. This fandeck helps remove that hesitation as our colour experts have already done the hard work, making it easy to mix and match colours."

Warman says this doesn't mean bright colours are advocated for every room, or every wall. Something as simple as painting a feature wall can make all the difference to the ambience of a room.

"Colour can be used as a feature in its own right, or to create a neutral backdrop for beautiful furniture and accessories, as illustrated in the settings on these pages. And today's neutrals are a lot more exciting than the colours on offer 10 years ago," she says. "Resene's colour range includes dark, warm neutrals that help achieve a monochromatic effect. Shades such as Resene Mondo, Cowboy and Masala add depth to a room and focus attention on the furnishings."

Warman says the colour trends for the year ahead present a balanced palette, which blends sleek, high-tech looks with colours that take their cues from nature. Retro looks are also balanced by contemporary hues. There is also a place for exotic colours that have an international feel. For example, orange is still a strong influence, fuelling new metallic finishes.

"Edgy fashion is teaching us to be brave in our colour choices, to develop seemingly incongruous schemes through the use of different colours."

The latest The Range fandeck is available from Resene ColorShops.

Warwick fabrics are a feature of this Bos room setting and include Pashmina on the corner suite and Jaivin on the chair. The cushions include Macrosuede in Aubergine. Warwick Fabrics says Macrosuede’s woven micro-denier fibres give high abrasion resistance and make the fabric easy to keep clean. Resene paint swatches are Resene Gravel, Castro and Acropolis.	The cushions include Macrosuede in Aubergine. Warwick Fabrics says Macrosuede’s woven micro-denier fibres give high abrasion resistance and make the fabric easy to keep clean.
Table runners are a strong decorating trend. This setting features Eclipse in Gooseberry from Warwick Fabrics’ TuttiFruitti Collection.	Textiles are an intrinsic part of most home interiors. In this room setting, the colour of the curtains is repeated in the cushions, light shade and accessories. The curtains feature Warwick Fabrics’ Glam plain taffeta.
For a sophisticated casual look, Textilia fabrics were specified for this room. The Bos Cologne settee and chaise feature Saville in Bone, and contrasting cushions.	Creamy-toned walls in Resene Double Pearl Lusta complement the taffeta bed linen.
Taffeta makes a bold statement. Here Textilia’s Mauna in Onyx is pictured with a matching stripe and contrasting textured cushions.	This Bos Tosca chair is upholstered in Textilia’s Magnum in Chrome. Magnum has a lustrous background, which is broken by a chenille stripe – a fabric that meets the demand for a sophisticated yet casual interior.
Bos Design specified Resene paints for the interior of the new PW Design & Build show home in Orewa. Resene Cowboy features in the master bedroom.	The dining room features Resene Castle Rock on the fireplace. A Bos Marceau dining table in solid Victorian ash with a black wash finish is paired with Bos Manhattan chairs.

Resene Pearl Lusta	Resene Bianca	Resene Acropolis	Resene Coconut Cream
Resene Half Pearl Lusta	Resene Gravel	Resene Mondo	Resene Masala
Resene Monza	Resene Jaguar	Resene Wasabi	Resene Tia Maria
Resene Juniper	Resene Souffle	Resene Castro

Find out more home design, landscaping and decorating ideas at www.trendsideas.com.