Zara Home Spring/Summer 2012 Collections

Zara Home

Ah, I do love this time of year. Why? Well, as March arrives I know that spring is within touching distance. The crocuses and daffodils spring up from the ground in abundance, while each day feels a little warmer, a little lighter. Whatsmore, March is the month we see many stores start to fill up with their spring/summer offerings. Zara Home are doing just that, with their latest collections filtering in at present. I've rounded up their products into two themes - Graphic Nautical and Feminine Brights. Graphic Nautical is all about bold navy patterns set against crisp white base hues. There's the occasional pop of red (which works wonders for this year's Jubilee!) but the main elements of this look - the white and blue duo - spans across their living room, bathroom and bedroom categories. The second, Feminine Brights, offers us a very different look, one that's awash with soft pink, washed-out orange, silky jade green and light saffron yellow shades. Notice how they've styled the colourful tableware cabinet in the relaxed, effortless way I wrote about last week? I think it looks fantastic! That said, I'm also drawn to the stripes, blue hues and natural, tactile textures of the nautical-inspired pieces. Which look is flirting with your interior eye, friends?

John Lewis' Spring/Summer Collection 2012

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Playnation is the first of the three collections for the spring/summer season at John Lewis and details graphic geometric prints and shapes in a variety of bright hues. This feels like a collection that is full of energy and upbeat ideas to use in the home; it's colourful not saccharine, playful not childish. I would use pieces from Playnation to add life and visual interest to a space: a graphic throw cushion on an armchair or a set of coordinating, brightly coloured stationery pieces upon a wooden desk to break up the workspace.

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Modern Utility is a development of the pared-back and sophisticated Refined Puritan autumn/winter collection from the brand. Although it details a natural progression for spring, I like how John Lewis have maintained the tactile and detailed feeling to the collection. This is seen through the use of worn wooden textures, traditional factory lights from Davey lighting and terracotta vases. The reclaimed wooden stool needs to find it's way in Mr. Bazaar's abode quick sharp (along with the yellow terracotta vase, too)!

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Nautical themes are common in many spring/summer collections but they do fit perfectly with the season ahead and, personally, I rarely tire of crisp whites teamed with an array of beautiful blue hues. Think midnight, sky and ultramarine shades, accented with a sunflower yellow and grounded with wicker textures. Maritime offers all of these elements in abundance and at a high quality, too. (I recently invested in their coastal dinnerware set, which has been nothing short of excellent.) I love to see this look in a spare room as it's the perfect scheme for offering guests an escape from their daily lives. Which collection do you like best? How would you use it in your home for spring/summer?

Trend: Kitchen Pastels

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Pastels are experiencing a renaissance of sorts in the world of interiors, with many brands - both High Street and luxury - adding more than a gentle nod to the soft colourful shades in their current collections. As such sorbet hues are no longer tied to children's bedrooms, instead they are claiming a stake across products for living and dining as well. That said, it's the kitchen where the trend is most noticeable this season and, potentially, one of the easiest spaces to work the sweet as sugar shades. You could opt for sky blue walls with dusty pink accent in your tablecloth, or swap out the pink hue for a primrose yellow to take off the feminine edge. Have you decorated with pastel hues? How do you like to decorate with these shades?

Spring Trends: Upbeat, Elements, Traveller

Scanned from Good Homes February 2012 | Styling by Emma Clayton | Styling assistants Charlotte Love & Rebecca Nee | Photography by Mark Scott

So you know you want to redecorate (or, perhaps, just decorate!) but with the sheer volume of ideas out there you can't help but feel overwhelmed with where to start. That's where narrowing down your ideas and inspirations to a handful of themes or trends can help tie your scheme together. And these three schemes from Good Homes magazine are ideal for doing just that. The first, Upbeat, is a playful and colourful scheme with preppy polka dots gracing the walls. I love the colour block legs on the Jonas Klien stool and the triangle print cushion. Elements, the second trend, is more pared back than the first, where texture really comes to the forefront of the design. My favourite part of this look has to be the combination of tactile linens and rustic wooden surfaces. In the final trend, Traveller, we see how culture has inspired a marriage of striking prints and bold hues that result in a graphic finish. Eclectic and earthy, this trend is versatile enough to add and minus accessories as you go. Which trend do you like best?

H&M Home: Two New Spring Trends

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With Christmas decorations boxed away for another year, the January sales in full swing and stores quickly filling up with their new spring 2012 collections, now an ideal time for a little interior refresh. I love that feeling you get when the decorations go away and calm is restored. I always clean my apartment within an inch of its life and fling open the windows letting the cool January air blow in straight away! H&M Home allows for a New Year interiors accessories refresh without blowing an already no doubt squeezed post-holiday budget! I've grouped the store's new arrivals into two trends - Rustic Industrial and Spring Fresh Hues - the former suiting a more pared back scheme and the latter more playful and youthful in nature. Although separated here, there's every possibility for a successful mix and match of accessories from across the two themes. For example, a bold and bright floral print mixed with a collection of neutral, stone-hued pillows could work a treat; the perfect little splash of spring the forthcoming season. Which trend and products are catching your eye? Do you like to have a little decor refresh in the New Year?