The world of design is always in motion. No sooner is a new style firmly established than those at the forefront of the movement are already working on the next trend.

In that sense we, the consumer, are always playing a catch-up game if we attempt to be on-trend, so perhaps the best solution is to take the optimum of everything and create your very own personal style. Here is a selection of the latest tendencies in design.

There was a time when design was an issue for professionals in the business, for arty types and for the well-heeled, but for over a quarter of a century now there has been a ‘democratisation of design’ by which the concept of products, decorative items and clothing created as much for form as for function has trickled down society to become a rather universal (consumer) right.

The Mini, Fiat 500, Smeg kitchen appliances, Apple computers and designer-labelled clothing are all examples of this, so while the ultimate quality, rarity, price tag and sense of exclusivity of top and medium-level brands still vary, increasingly the disparity style between them is on the wane.

Put in different terms: we love design, demand style and follow the latest trends almost slavishly. From Rasputin beards and semi-shaved heads to body-armour tattoos and stud-adorned anatomies that won’t make it through an airport metal detector, we follow fashion like the herd animals we are.

There is another way, of course, and that is to regain control of your look and environment by picking the best of today’s, tomorrow’s and even yesterday’s offering to create a personal style that really reflects your personality and tells the world that you are an individual. You’ll be happier if you dress, decorate and drive this way, and who knows, you might even become a trend leader yourself.

Giving Shape to your Home – Architecture

Just a few years ago we – and much of the world, for that matter – experienced a ‘modern’ architectural design trend that has swept all before it to return to straight-lined, white, minimalist modernism…

Words Michel Cruz

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