Design with a sense of Humour - by Dave Nemeth

As we look forward to future trends, we start to see a very interesting development starting to take place, a development so quirky and fun it is bound to bring a smile to anyone’s face. It is as if we have come to realise that we are sick and tired of all the doom and gloom of the recession and it is time to have fun and stop taking ourselves so seriously. As consumers, we want to smile and embrace all things positive and without a doubt, we want to smile in our homes when we do have those rare moments of free time. Worldwide, this new approach to design sees an exploration of fantasy, fairy tale and the imaginary, sometimes even bordering on kitsch; these designs uplift the spirits and make great points of interest in even the most conservative of homes.

On the lighting front, this is especially obvious as we see a move on from just pure scale like we saw a few years ago with oversized angelpoise lamps, which were remodelled into standing lamps, giving one the feeling of being dwarfed by this recognisable modern classic. We now see bowler hats converted into both standing and hanging lamps as well as resin animal heads, which light up. There are even lamps that contain plastic animals and other toys, as kitsch as these may be they certainly are a move away from the stagnation we have seen over the years in this decor category.

Ornamentation and object d’art also get a fun overhaul, seen even in brands that for generations had a more serious approach to styling. We see almost a comical style to these pieces with funny faces, stylised funny animals, through to brightly coloured caricatures. This is carried through to print where we see everything from Disney characters for adults to retro fantasy imagery and even pop art driven imagery.

 In the kitchen, we see a return of funky printed containers and a return of tin as well as decals, which can be placed on existing cupboards and fridges. Kitchen appliances overall have become brighter over the years and we now see large brands even bringing out items clad in denim, regardless of practicality, the buzzword here is fun, fun, fun.

Art itself gets less formal as we see increased popularity of collages, which incorporate photography, and other elements of pop culture including wording and funky phrases. Lego has just turned 80 years old this year and we see a ton of design, based on these building blocks that we are all so familiar with. We see everything from ottomans to bedside lamps and even fabrics, aimed at both the child and adult market. This new fun filled design, although childlike in many respects is not for any specific age group, but rather for anyone who has a great sense of humour.

This kind of design certainly appeals to the senses and one’s own individual and personalised tastes, it adds life to any interior space and I believe we will also start to see this quirky trend move on to corporate spaces and hopefully, with just a little luck municipal buildings too.