Between over 30 ‘My Modern House’ visits for our Journal and the houses we sold this year, we get to see a fair number of interiors. And, while we love the idiosyncrasies of each house we encounter, we also like connecting the dots to see what themes emerge. As such, we’re sharing our top interior trends of 2018.

Luxe craft
Forget white box minimalism, this year some of our favourite homes championed craft, colour, texture and materiality.

At Shoreditch High Street, architects Chan and Eayrs poured two years of effort into converting a former warehouse, overseeing all stages of the process. The fruit of their labour is a highly bespoke space, finished with individually laid Moroccan tiles, green-hued lime plaster, vintage marble bathroom fixtures and custom textiles.

Pedro da Costa Felgueiras’ restored Georgian house in Whitechapel, meanwhile, is a lesson in considered restoration. The historic paint expert used old techniques such as lath and plaster and mixed all the paints himself to create a house that feels at once sensitive to its past and yet contemporary.

Material-driven interiors
Whether it be the stripped-back honesty of Chris and Martin’s seaside home in Suffolk, or the subtle textural celebration of wood in the panelling at Ezra Street, we noticed materials coming to the fore this year.

At Tiverton Road, Takero Shimazaki Architects created an atmospheric sanctum from the modern world with walls, staircases and ceilings rendered in shuttered concrete for a calming sense of cohesion to the internal spaces

A similar effect is achieved at Marne Street, where light engineered-oak flooring is matched with bare plaster wall. The aesthetic lightness of the material provides a gentle backdrop to a kitchen with cabinets surfaced in travertine micro-cement.

Extensions 2.0
This year, we noticed a move towards creative extension ideas that went far beyond a bolted-on room at the rear.

At Ezra Street, Al-Jawad Pike architects expertly reconsidered a Victorian flour store to create a new ground floor footprint that seamlessly opens up living, kitchen and dining areas to each other and the external courtyard garden.

Over in Islington, our ‘My Modern House’ visit to scientist Katy Davison’s home revealed a beautiful addition to her period home. Architect Simon Astridge came up with the unconventional idea for a circular window, which together with the light pink colour scheme, adds a sense of whimsical fun to the space.

Uncluttered clutter
While we’re not suggesting you go all-out maximalist, you might want to get ahead of the curve and forget no clutter puritanism for a studied arrangement of ceramics, objects d’art and personal miscellany.

Take tips on how to curate an interior from collected objects from artist Sarah Kaye Rodden and then read our own advice on the matter. And, of course, one must always defer to Jim Ede for the ultimate lesson on found objects and interiors.

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