Design Diary | Trends In Material Finishes

“2017 is already exciting for material trends. Our interiors seem to be mirroring our feelings towards what is happening in the world around us in rousing and thought-provoking ways. The first thing that really grabbed my attention is the move towards darker and powerful, almost self-indulgent, colours. The use of these darker colours express a feeling of extravagance combined with warmer metal finishes to give us a moody and sophisticated feeling.

These bold choices combined with rougher finishes give us a feeling of industry, with natural stones and sleeks wooden finishes hinting at the natural world. Art Deco looks to be making another come back. The direction is towards personalised finishes almost as a reaction against the bland new apartment feel that has been prevalent for so long. We are in for some exciting times. This is partly why in 2016 Drummonds extended the finishes we offer to cater for this growing trend away from shiny metals or as we now like to call them our standard finishes of Chrome, Nickel and Brass. It started with Antique Brass which proved very popular in 2016, a patinated brass finish giving the feeling of age and grandeur. I think this year though we’ll see a move more towards our Antique Bronze finish, a very dark powerful finish giving a feeling of industrial luxury, perfect to pair with our Basaltina marble.

Off the back of the popularity of these new finishes it didn’t take long to introduce our Brushed Brass finish, a warm yet contemporary twist on our regular Brass finish which looks stunning on our Art Deco Chessleton range. To give a darker more grey look we also have introduced a Brushed Nickel finish. Drummonds’ finishes are all live, which means that they are not fixed. Over time with use every finish will patina, creating an antiqued look that only the regular cleaning and polishing of the very devoted can prevent. But that is part of the beauty of our finishes, always changing, and settling into their surroundings. Which got us to experimenting and introducing the Antique Brushed Brass, and Antique Brushed Nickel finish for a very rough exciting industrial look. Perfect for the new moody trends and colour pallets we will see throughout the year.

Drummonds Design Diary written by Senior Designer Tommy Bendall