Hello friends if you follow me on Instagram or Facebook you might have caught wind of a little mini-vacation I took recently with my guy. It was glorious, wonderful and such a treat. The sun shone on us that weekend, quite literally actually because Fall is treating us very kindly this year.

On the first day of our three day trip we went in search of inspiration. Home decor inspiration to be exact. Taking a look at how the professionals were doing things. What is hot and what isn’t anymore. Where does my style fit in these days? And what should I absolutely do/change/ have right now.

In other words, we visited the Woonbeurs Amsterdam. I looked up the proper translation of that and found “Residential Event Amsterdam”, but basically it is a show/exhibition/market of all things living and the home. You’ll find vendors of floors, paint, furniture, accessories etc,; interior designers showing off their latest styles; home decor magazines have show houses that incorporate new trends; you can get all the information for your upcoming kitchen/bathroom or garden renovation etc.

And of course you get a whiff for what is in style and trending over here when it comes to furnishing and decorating your home. All the new interior design trends are brought together and for us to explore.

So let’s go visit, and see what’s hot, shall we…..

The entrance set the mood: natural colors, homemade, a bit rustic, a dash of modern, lots of denim and natural elements.

But let’s not linger here too long, there are three halls to discover and conquer.

Speaking of halls…..

This is what you’ll see. Huge exhibion halls filled with little islands. Islands where a shop, a company, a design house or a magazine would show off their style. Some open and free like the one above, and some had built proper little homes and shops within.

And lots of people looking, touching, photographing, discussing, mingling, buying and admiring. Most of them women, but quite a few men too.

Of course all the modern furniture above drew my guy right in. Like a dog that smells a bone, he was off to explore. Bright happy colors and stark lines, just up his alley.

I, on the other hand, felt right at home here:

A vintage, rustic, industrial beauty. Replace that awkward fern by a piece of thrifted coral, hang a sea star on that locker and you have my home to a tee.

We both enjoyed the booth of a lamp artist. As in lamps made quite artistically from unexpected objects. Wonderful to look at, but would I want it in my home?

Would you like a sewing machine lamp? Or one made from a drill? They were super imaginative and lovely rustic, but maybe a touch too much ‘out there’ for me.

As I mentioned several home decor magazines had their own exhibitions where they decorated a whole house. Their typically would be a kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, living space, and a craft area.

This one is from Ariadne At Home, a magazine that is known for its romantic, vintage and soft feel. I loved their house this year. It seemed to have a touch more grit mixed in with the romance which made it all the more lovely in my book. I took a ton of pictures there.

Ariadne At Home Show Home

I think it was the kitchen area where they had this dipped paintbrushes chandelier. Isn’t it fun? Loved it! (of course the man didn’t dare to say he liked it too, for fear that I would recreate it immediately at home 😀 )

What is it about open shelving in a kitchen that I love so much? I thought the addition of that delicate almost sheer curtain to the rustic shelving unit was a wonderful touch. And I would have gladly taken the content of those shelves off their hands……

Also quite marvelous was this bathroom area. Perfect for a guest room.

This was a closet turned bathroom. Those are real tiles inside, a zinc sink and lots of lovely details.

Speaking of original ways to use a closet/ hutch….

How about them plants? I totally digged this white hutch with all the green and natural elements. I think that under a roof this would work great for outside too. I could totally imagine a herb garden hutch.

BTW I hope you appreciate the fact that it took my almost 10 minutes to get this shot. This wall hutch was huge and I had to back up a great deal to get it in the shot. Of course that meant waiting for the exact moment that nobody was passing in front of me. Took some time, but I succeeded….. for you…..

The girls at Ariadne at Home really had a thing for closets this year. Even the craft room was a in a closet:

With all the pink and lace and little details, this was the most outspoken feminine corner in their show house. It made me want to sit down and start crafting….

And I couldn’t not show you this last shot from this show house:

I mean come on! A ladder on the wall, a perfectly rustic and vintage bench, pink enamel, fresh roses and a sturdy wall lamp. You knew I would love this, didn’t you….

Ok. time to go see what the young crowd is up to…..

At the exhibition their was a whole alley where young and hip designers could show off and sell their creations.

Like this geometrical pottery. Not my style exactly but I liked the idea of it, if that makes sense.

Is it time for coffee yet? I think so, let’s sit down for a moment and have a cuppa and process all the excitement so far.

Or better yet, let’s swing…..

And see those twig chandeliers…… They reminded me of this one from my Canadian friend.

Refreshed and rested? Then let’s get on  with it.

There is more denim around the corner.

Fun! Turn your old jeans in plant hangers. Must put on my list!

The next one was fun too, but didn’t make it on the list….

On old jeans couch. I could so imagine this in a student dorm or a teenagers room. Maybe not too comfortable but definitely tough enough to withstand some serious abuse.

But enough with all that roughness, let’s go see how the other half lives…

As a novelty and a tongue in cheek joke, they also decorated the dream home of our royal couple. They even had a dashing prince sit in for the King. And may I suggest taking a look at that wall paper! They had many variations to this trompe l’oeil wallpaper. We can all live in a palace that way.

And when we do, we’ll have this on our night stand:

Yep, I need a crown in my life…… And so do you…..

Ok. Time to get serious again. Like I love this so much serious:

Rustic wood table by Adrian from Nice & Nasty and see that smaller table on wheels in the back too. Now that is my kind of modern design!

And it would go so well with some more vintage touches….

Like from this shop. The man and I both totally had our eyes one those drawer cabinets. I could just all too well imagine a line up of them….

I totally digged the hat from the shop girl too. Seeing her enjoy her coffee, made me quite thirsty too.

Ah, another rest area around the corner:

More jeans and denim here. I could totally see myself wrapping the frame of my parasol and canopy with fabric next time we have a garden party….

Ok, let’s get serious again. We have another show home to visit. This time the one from my favorite Dutch home decor magazine: 101 Woonideeën. The title means 101 home ideas, and that is what I got at their show home too. Let me not show you 101 pictures but just my absolute favorite ideas from this home.

101 Woonideeën Show Home

There was this wall with geometric candle holders……

A fun, colorful craft corner. Check out that totally hackable lamp…..

A crazy white cubicle wall…….

And copper pipes in the bathroom.

Totally a wonderful house. With lots of attention to the walls and how to use them as part of your decorating.

Speaking of walls, how about this wall treatment:

So what have we learned so far about the major trends in decorating so far.

5 hottest interior design trends

1. Denim is hot

2. Combine styles: new and old, rustic and romantic, homemade and designer styled

3. Geometrics are hot, so are soft colors and copper

4. Black and white is here to stay

5. Do and choose what you love! And don’t forget to add some personal quirkiness to it.

And I think this last image from one of the accessories shops sums it all up nicely:

So how about that!

Hope you enjoyed this insight to what is hot and on trend over here.

CU soon!

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