Design Notes Archive

Lidewij Edelkoort

Lidewij Edelkoort

Summer is officially over, but fear not! For design arbiters September is quite possibly the most inspiring time of the year. The London Design Festival plays host to a slew of shows, from Decorex and 100% Design to the Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair and the Origin Craft Fair; not to mention London Fashion Week. If you’re not past travelling, a quick nip across the channel will land you at Maison & Objet in Paris and Design Week in Copenhagen. All in all, this month is a breeding ground for fresh ideas and one person sure to be making the rounds is creative visionary Li Edelkoort.

Perhaps the most talented trend-forecaster ever, Edelkoort is renowned for her savvy insight and well-honed eye. It’s one thing to predict the future but quite another to illustrate it as beautifully as she does. Through a multitude of outlets, Edelkoort’s vision is there to inspire you. For anyone looking to tap into her genius, there are the pricey bibles of horticulture and colour, Bloom Magazine and View on Colour respectively, that have garnered a loyal following for their stunning imagery. But her latest endeavor, Trend Tablet, is a free website where Edelkoort’s eye is shared with the masses. How does all of this relate to the bathroom? By inspiring us to think outside the box.

Take for example, the water series where seemingly disparate images are grouped together. It’s not just photographs of the ocean or babbling brooks that fill the page, there’s an element of the abstract. The way draped fabric can mimic the ripples of a wave and inspire the use of wainscoting. Or how the texture and palette of a crumbling fresco can find its way to a light fixture. This bathroom was not actually inspired by Edelkoort’s images per se, but the combination illustrates how looking beyond the obvious can yield breathtaking results. So have a look at Trend Tablet and wander through some of the design shows and see what artful ideas you come away with!

Photograph © Edelkoort, Grace Bonney