Fabulous fabrics & all the latest trends

Robert Anderson from

From global influences to home-made comfort, see the hot trends in home textiles.

Going Global
We may not be able to hop on an airplane any time soon to explore the world but that doesn’t mean we can’t bring home a taste of the exotic – and hang it on the windows or wrap it around our sofas.
Global influences in home textiles are varied with two or three strong looks emerging. One is the traditional block print where basic geometric prints in robust colours are placed onto highly textured base cloth to create an antiqued effect.

There is a tribal nature to these designs echoing patterning from Africa and South America. Turkish influences are also appearing with ottoman-style motifs in faded and antiqued looking colourways.
Says Annie Moir from Mokum: “We see design influences from Asia, the Middle East and Africa working together for cultural fluidity and a celebration of the world’s global heritage. This includes a fresh take on Japan’s rich and sophisticated decorative history.”

Hannah Irvine from Warwick Fabrics says that global influences have always been to the fore, but now more than ever when travel is not possible.

“Our collections in the second half of 2020 draw from traditional Moroccan and Middle Eastern patterns. These textiles are easily layered, encompass rich opulent textures and use warmer tones with solid contrasts. These combinations make for an extremely rich, layered interior.”

Jacqui McKenzie from Harvey Furnishings notes the crossover between the global and handcrafted trends, with handcrafted fabric textures like weaves, embroideries and cut-velvets in colour palettes inspired by traditional Indian dyes and spices: “These bring a global appreciation of traditional craftsmanship, while celebrating diversity.”

Quirky retro
It’s taken over our fashion, and the 1970s retro look continues in our interiors with a resurgence of curvaceous furniture, arches in architecture and bold retro textiles in statement prints.

Alongside this comes a 1950s Hollywood glamour vibe. Says Hannah Irvine of Warwick Fabrics: “We’re calling the trend ‘rewind’. This theme has evolved from last year’s mid-century modern trends. We are seeing lots of 1920s influence in the patterns and palette of yesteryears designs.

“The colours driving rewind include earthy warm browns, tan, ochre and mustard with teal-tinged blues and navy hues to offer a touch of contrast. Materials and texture playing their part in taking us to this theme include leather, suede, velvet, soft-touch chenille, warp knits, corduroy and boucle.”

Says Bolt of Cloth’s Suzannah Tonascia: “Just like fashion, interior trends are cyclic and inspired by other eras – we have been wearing a lot of 70s-inspired clothes and seeing those influences coming into our homes was always likely to follow. People like patterns and fabrics to make them feel good in their homes and the 70s was a really great carefree time – who wouldn’t want a bit of that rubbing off on your life today?”

Suzannah encourages us to have fun with the look: “My favourite use is as a roman blind. You don’t see much of the print when they are open during the day, but drop it down in the evening and it is like a piece of art – amazing.”

Handcrafted & homely
As we seek to return to simpler times, there’s a revival of traditional craft not only in personally making the craft but the influence on home interiors and textile constructions where natural material and traditional techniques are lovingly reinterpreted.

Replications of needlework, cross stitch, crochet and knitting are appearing. Fabrics are also folded and crushed to look handcrafted and irregular. Imperfection is encouraged.

According to Rhea Culliford of James Dunlop Textiles, this trend interconnects with two others, global and textural, with homespun-style fabrics, traditional textile techniques and colour palettes inspired from natural dyes.

Jessica Fitzgibbon of The Textile Company points to the reasoning behind the Invicta collection: “There’s a search for raw expression and valuable heritage. It’s a reflection of art and human science, preserved and enriched by resilient artists, people of other ages and different backgrounds, reuniting the knowledge and crafts of the past with skills of the future.”

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