*A Living Herbarium by Gail Smith Flowers on display in the Great Pavilion*

It’s no secret that nature, flowers and gardens have inspired artists, designers and all those within creative fields since, well, forever?? I won’t bang on about Monet and Water Lilies or Biomimicry as I will be vastly out of my knowledge depth, but what I do know is that the development of new paint colours and the starting point to a lot of wallpaper prints begin with nature as the inspiration.

For the past two days I have been in attendance at the Chelsea Flower Show: the world-renowned, quintessentially British, annual celebration of all things horticultural. It has been a delight. As a lover of colour and a pretty flower, there is nowhere better to soak-up a sunshine filled day. The show is also attended by the creative elite - from interior and furniture designers to actors and musicians - the show provides incredible inspiration and sows the seed (if you will) to many new designs and ideas. This year there were a few key themes, messages and colours which I think will infiltrate the way we design and style our homes, plus affect the interior purchases we make.

Less single-use plastics and moving away from animal products

*Installation by Floella Benjamin titled Floella's Future*

A huge focus at Chelsea this year was single-use plastic consumption and they way it is effecting the environment and nature. Plastic cups, bottles and straws are all polluters of water and land and there was a spotlight on a more sustainable existence. Showcasing at Chelsea was textile brand Weaver Green who produce outdoor rugs, blankets, cushions and furniture all made from 100% recycled plastic bottles. So far they have recycled 84 million plastic bottles into soft furnishings. Throws were soft and the blankets could have been wool. Weaver Green are a company to keep an eye out for as they tap into the home carpet market.

*Cushions made completely from used plastic bottles by Weaver Green*

Curves, Curves, Curves

OK, so curves in interiors are already a BIG THING, but curves were also everywhere at Chelsea, solidifying the ‘trend’ into something that is not going anywhere anytime soon. I loved the curved arches and round-backed coral (another key interior trend) chairs in designer Jo Thompson’s Wedgwood garden, which was my favourite garden at the show.

*The Dubai Majlis Garden designed by Thomas Hoblyn*

*The Morgan Stanley Garden designed by Chris Beardshaw*

Purple & Green

The key colours used in planting at Chelsea this year were green and purple. Purple was everywhere, from florist McQueen’s bee-friendly installation, through to the artisan and main show gardens. There was also a vast amount of green at the show, which although usually disappoints a colour enthusiast like myself, was really rather pleasant. Rather than tropical green hostas or other ground cover plants, the green came from soft wild-planting, with cow-parsley and leafy Irises creating a more delicate look. Green is already the key colour in interiors right now (with mint coming through from Milan, which I am really excited about), but will we see a return to Pantone’s purple prediction that never really flourished as expected in 2018?

*The Donkey Sanctuary: Donkeys Matter designed by Christina Williams and Annie Prebensen*

Tropical Cut Flowers In The Home

Everyone loves some cut peonies and scented stocks in the middle of the kitchen table this time of year, but the trend-setters and those ‘in-the-know’ will be Instagramming pictures of their home with cut bunches of Proteas and Anthuriums. The stands in the Grand Pavilion containing these flowers were drawing all the tastemakers in the crowd. I can’t say I’m a huge fan of Anthurium’s but French For Pineapple has called them out and what she doesn’t know about trends isn’t worth knowing. I am, however, currently obsessed with Proteas, especially within a dried bouquet, so I’m on the hunt for some of the huge star-head varieties available that I saw at the show.

Lastly, this image below from the Alitex stand styled by Selina Lake doesn’t fit into any of my trend categories, but it is gorgeous and timeless so I’m adding it in! The paint used for this display is M&L, who I have just recently collaborated with on my hallway revamp.