Clare Pascoe on antiques and interiors in 2018

Clare Pascoe of Pascoe InteriorsWith the return of the London Art Antiques & Interiors Fair next month, bringing together over 30,000 classic to contemporary items for the three-day event at London ExCeL, we caught up with some of the leading interiors and antiques experts appearing at the fair to ask what 2018 will look like for our homes. Here, interior designer Clare Pascoe, founder director of Pascoe Interiors and BIID registered interior designer®, reveals this year’s trends.

“In 2018 the trend for dark walls will continue, but the new ‘monochromatic scheme’ will exclude black and revolve around almost black blues and greens contrasted with crisp white or pastel walls to combine in a look that I refer to as ‘Scandi-noir’. Pink shades will remain on trend, but will shift towards tones of peach and apricot.

“Brass is going to remain the way forward and a safe bet over copper. Being a softer more universal shade (than copper) brass will have more longevity. In terms of trend predictions for antiques, collectors should turn their attentions to the rarer, less prevalent blonder woods such ash and oak from prestigious Scandinavian designers such as Moller and Wegner. The lighter tones of these pieces juxtapose well with pastel colours and dark walls.

“Lighting is key to any room. It changes the ambience and interiors on all levels. A very strong monochromatic Scandi-noir scheme could be seen as typically masculine, so to counteract this, embellish it with an oversized brushed brass, feather or glass feature chandelier to inject feminine glamour for a balanced interior. Such combinations may seem totally at odds but they add real depth of personality and ensure the end result is inclusive to all.

“Whether an original mid-century or reproduction, people should go high spec, and spend money on a genuine original or a licensed reproduction rather than opt for a copy. It’s very easy, and often tempting, to choose a cheap imitation, but if you bide your time in order to buy a genuine article, you not only protect the original design provenance, but your piece will make a genuine statement in a room.

“People will be turned off buying products that date quickly or are not made to last. They will want to invest in timeless, classic brands that have a history and a long future. I can see an emerging movement that centres around making sustainable, ecologically aware decisions becoming a pivotal and growing trend, in the same way the modernist movement caused such excitement during the mid century period.

“Spend some time researching your chosen style so that you can distinguish between which pieces are worth collecting and the cheaper variations and imitations. There’s so much available online, and all sellers enthuse that their pieces are ‘rare and collectable’, making it hard to know what to believe on face value alone. It’s only with exposure to your chosen epoch that you can work out the differences yourself. It often comes down to a nuance in how a piece is made to be able to differentiate between cheaply made and refined, collectable pieces, so if you learn how furniture is made you will quickly be able to identify the higher quality pieces. I studied upholstery for two years specifically to train my ‘eye’ and hone my ability.

“To summarise: learn to identify and seek out the signature differences and remember you get what you pay for. This doesn’t mean you have to shop at the most expensive place, you just have to do your research.”

Clare Pascoe will be speaking on ‘Designing Modern British Interiors’ using mid century furniture and lighting at the London Art Antiques & Interiors Fair on Sunday 14 January at 12pm. The Fair runs from Friday 12 to Sunday 14 January. For more information visit artantiquesinteriorsfair.com.

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