We recently caught up with our friends at We Are Absolute, an interior design company who have previously worked with us on selected Beach Retreats properties. We have always been delighted with the results, so we thought we’d have a chat with them to dive deeper into the tricks of the trade, and find out more about the upcoming trends for the year ahead.

What’s on trend for 2022? 

Over the past few years, we have seen a burgeoning trend whereby people are spending increasingly more time in their homes. Therefore, we are focusing on making our living and holiday spaces, places that allow us to feel completely relaxed, comfortable and content to just be present. Colour wise, we feel that grey is coming to the end of its reign while, instead we move into those warmer earthier tones and neutral inspired palettes. That said, we maintain that tonal uses of blue bring an element of the outdoors inside which is naturally always welcome.

Colours aside, for us in 2022, we anticipate seeing much more fluted furniture adding character and texture, abstract artwork which is just timeless, and an overall slick and tidy minimal aesthetic.

How do you best use colour and texture in holiday homes?

The neutral palette is extremely important when designing a holiday home, it instils the feeling of calm as not to distract the mind – holidays are for clearing the mind after all. We are always looking to create spaces that give clients a strong basis meaning there is versatility when adding colour and tones to their holiday home. Raw natural materials such as jute, rattan and bamboo are admired materials amongst our clients, they provide a visually stylish look, whilst impersonating the outside world.  

How can lighting be used in holiday homes?

Lighting can be used in a variety of ways for best effect – ideally the light should be layered, which will allow for multi-use purpose within a room, whilst adding depth to accent and highlight certain areas. Lighting is so important to the overall feel of a space and it can be incredibly powerful – aside from the functionality, it improves mood, adds warmth and balance. That said, we advocate ample natural light in our holiday homes, the light in Cornwall is just something else – artists come here in their droves for the light!

 What are the most suitable furniture choices for holiday homes?

Comfort is definitely key when it comes to styling a holiday home. A plump luxurious sofa to sink into after a day of coastal explorations is what every Cornish living space needs. It is so important that the guests are comfortable and can enjoy a true ‘home from home’. Attention to detail provides a sense of luxury without over cluttering. Console tables in the entrance can be styled with a large mirror or artwork hung above – all of which gives the space an inviting welcome, whilst practically adding storage for keys and those all important holiday sunglasses.

Providing a beautiful wall-hung headboard with more functional zip and link beds is a great option as they can offer flexibility to those who stay at the holiday home and save space at the same time. It can be great to add snug areas to a holiday home with love seat style chairs slightly set away from the rest of the seating in the home. A quieter space for guests to take themselves away for reading or a little down time. 

How do you choose artwork when styling a room?

Depending on what style we want to achieve, we always consider the wall space we have to work with first. Often when working with a minimalistic interior, one large stand-alone piece works best. The art should be reflective of the interior palette whilst complimenting the surrounding environment. 

Find out more about We Are Absolute here.