Trends are created to reflect the signs of the times. They are discovered, announced, established, only to be left behind by the latest thing. Those who create and follow them are rewarded with the coveted "hip" label. Some trends have staying power, some of them don't last very long at all.
They sink into oblivion until they are rediscovered and catapulted back into the bright lights of popularity. Dusted down and polished, they are combined with current fashions and given a new lease of life.
The enviable fate of trends is that they always return in cycles, spiced up with a good pinch of Zeitgeist. After all - if something has been seen before, it doesn't mean that it is "old-fashioned". On the contrary: trends aren't trends without a reason!
And this continual process of re-invention does not just feature in music and fashion, it also applies to interior design.
That is why wallpapers are enjoying a huge revival at the moment. Not just on one wall, but all over. The so-called "feature wall" might reflect the occupants' subtle reserve and show their distinct understanding of design, but doesn't it also speak of a certain diffidence - a lack of daring? But why?
Taking the use of a space into consideration, there are countless variations and possibilities to liven up a room with wallpapers. In a minimalist interior, for instance, bright colours and patterns or even darker plain-coloured wallpapers can emphasise and accentuate the shapes of furniture and objéts in a room (see also "Tinta Lousa" article).
Conversely, lighter, more subtle wallpaper designs complementing the shapes and colours of three-dimensional items can unify a room that features lots of furniture and accessories. Not as a distinct contrast to the background, but as a means of integration and convergence of surface and objects: to create harmony rather than opposition.
Depending on personal preference, two walls facing each other, or two converging walls, can be adorned with different wallpaper designs.
But creating trends also means to leave established traditions behind and dare to try new things. Every young generation develops its own style by observing the past without prejudice and with fresh curiosity, and re-interpreting it in imaginative new ways.
So why neglect three walls when it was proved as early as in the 1970s that it doesn't take a lot of courage, just personal style and self-confident tastes. And to argue this fact would really be "yesterday's news".
Text: szim
