INTERIORS
THE WAY WE LIVE NOW
At the beginning of 2020, fired up by the prospect of a new decade, we published our confident predictions for the year ahead – including the way we thought we’d all be decorating our homes. Well, you know what they say: if you want to make the universe laugh, tell it your plans… Words by Deri Robins
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eanwhile, over in the rarefied world of interiors, Dulux announced that its Colour of the Year would be Tranquil Dawn. This hue, they said, encapsulated “the nation’s mood on the approach of a new decade,” offering the perfect antidote to an “increasingly disconnected” modern society. We did think at the time that this seemed rather a lot to expect from a slightly wishy-washy, greeny-grey coloured paint, but we played along. Soon after we’d gone to press, an obscure bug brought the whole planet to a grinding halt, and daily life turned into science fiction. Covid ‘disconnected’ us all in a way we could never have imagined, and this time not even Tranquil Dawn could save us. Still, at least our walls were a nicer colour for the Zoom chats. Fast-forward to September 2020, when the tide is gradually beginning to turn. Restaurants, cafés, shops, salons and galleries are reopening; we’re able to meet up with family and friends, at least to some extent. We’re slowly getting connected again; with a bit of luck, we may end up even more connected than before, or at least a little more compassionate. It feels as if we’re more aware of one another, at least, these days. One of the most interesting legacies of Covid is that hundreds of thousands of workers have discovered that it’s entirely possible to do their jobs perfectly well, perhaps even better, from home. What may
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have begun as contingent solution may well translate into a permanent new way of living; the non-commute is better for the planet, less timewasting for workers, and probably healthier all round. It might even turn out to be cheaper for business owners, too, as that quaint and costly pre-Covid construct ‘the office’ becomes redundant. Partly due to this seismic shift in working styles, and partly because we’re still not going out to socialise anything like as much as we used to, there’s never been a time when our homes have felt more important. When it feels as if the whole world has spiralled out of control, we need a refuge. A sanctuary, in which we can retreat from all the craziness. Perhaps you feel that the times are too uncertain to splash out on a major overhaul; we get that. On the other hand, if you budgeted for a holiday that went up the spout this summer, you may decide to put the cash towards a room makeover instead; a proper home office, perhaps, with a cool little Bauhaus desk, a mid-century swivel chair and an original 1227 Anglepoise lamp. To be honest, they’ll give you far more lasting pleasure than a tan from Marbella. No wonder interior designers report that they’ve never been busier, but they’ve still kindly found time to answer the pressing questions of the day. Are florals in or out? Is grandmillennial the same as retro fusion? Do we really have to do the terrazzo thing? Is rattan back? Whither bouclé? And why are we still so obsessed with Nordic chic? For the answers to some of the above, and much more, read on…
“Covid disconnected us all – and this time not even a fresh coat of Tranquil Dawn could save us”
