As a tech and lifestyle public relations agency, it’s important we stay on top of the latest news and trends. We therefore find ourselves doing lots of reading! This week, we’ve put together a round-up of the most inspirational articles we’ve read throughout the month.
Our write up includes blog posts from Kitchen Warehouse UK and Create Perfect and an article from YourHomeStyle.
Image: Kitchen Warehouse UK
Kitchen Warehouse UK – What is the best kind of dog-friendly kitchen?
One of our favourite 2022 interiors trends is Barkitecture, which is when you design a room or even your entire house with your pet in mind. This blog post by Kitchen Warehouse UK goes into detail about how to design a kitchen that is best suited for your dog. According to the blog post, the term ‘Dog Friendly Kitchen’ saw a 118 per cent increase in Google searches over the past 18 months and searches specifically focusing on dog beds best suited for the kitchen were among the most common topics with ‘Dog Bed Ideas for Kitchen’ searches rising by 2700 per cent! With an increase in remote and hybrid work patterns, it’s no wonder that more people are looking to get a pet or even make their home more suited for a future furry friend.
If you have the space, then a utility room or a boot room, is perfect for dog owners. During the winter when the weather is typically wetter, it’s common for muddy paw prints to be an issue among dog owners. As you enter the house, you may be pre-occupied with removing your wet coat or ensuring that your own filthy boots are removed before you have time to tend to your pup’s muddy paws. When you eventually grab the things you need to clean your dog’s paws with, the floor will already be in a state. A boot room gives you the space to do all this without your dog wandering further up your pristine hallway with their mucky feet. This space can be fitted with tiled flooring too, which will be easier to wipe down than a carpet or hallway runner. This can also act as a ‘splash safe zone’ in case your pooch decides to give their wet fur a good shake before you’ve had a chance to towel dry them.
Speaking of floor cleaning, when designing your kitchen, it’s best to opt for a floor type that’s easy to clean. Not only will this become essential for food preparation, but if you have a puppy, then it’s best to be prepared for any ‘accidents’ before they’ve been house trained. An easy-to-wipe floor will also make cleaning up pet hair far easier, as carpets and dogs with a tendency to moult a lot don’t mix well. Tiles and laminated flooring will bode better with dog owners over wooden floorboards too, as they’re not as easy to scratch! That being said, blemishes and scuffs are unavoidable when you own a dog, so darker colours will also work well with dog-friendly kitchens, as any markings won’t be so obvious compared to white flooring.
In many ways, getting a dog can be the same as having a child. For one, just as you need to make sure your home is safe for a toddler, you should also be ensuring it’s safe for a puppy. Although your choice of flooring is most important when designing a dog-friendly kitchen, low hanging shelves or open-end units should be avoided to not only prevent any accidents from a wagging tail, but also to stop your dog from being able to grab any items. When decorating, you should also be mindful about whether any houseplants you’re keeping in your kitchen are poisonous to pets. The same can be said for making sure cleaning products are kept out of reach too.
Just like humans, dogs also appreciate having their own space to go. When designing a kitchen, it can be beneficial for both you and your pooch to have a designated area for your dog’s belongings. Not only will this make your kitchen safer and neater without water bowls, toys and a dog bed scattered around the room, but this also gives your furry friend their own space to retreat to.
An unlikely aspect of your kitchen that you’ll be thinking of during the design process, but is actually hugely important when you own a dog, is the kitchen bin. Most dogs are naturally driven by food and sometimes even the most best-behaved pooches will sneak their snout into the bin for scraps while you’re not looking. Because of this, making sure your bin is dog-proof is essential for not only ensuring your dog doesn’t get bin scraps all over your kitchen floor, but to also prevent them from getting sick from gone-off food!
Kitchen Warehouse UK recommends an integrated bin, which is not only inaccessible for your dog, but will also make your kitchen look a lot neater without the bin in sight. But if this isn’t possible, make sure you at least get a bin which has a lid that’s difficult to remove without hands! Even better, you could invest in a food waste disposer, such as the ones offered by InSinkErator®. Food waste disposers can dispose of inedible food scraps within seconds, reducing the amount of food waste in the kitchen bin.
Image: John Lewis
YourHomeStyle – Christmas trends 2022: 10 trends you don’t want to miss this year
As many of us are now thinking about Christmas decorations (with some even starting to put them up already!), we’ve been taking a look at the latest festive decorating trends! Although lots of consumers tend to reuse the same Christmas decorations every year, you can keep up to date with the latest festive decorating trends the same way you can with interior design trends. And, as this article by YourHomeStyle shows, there’s so many different 2022 Christmas decorating trends to choose from to suit a variety of interiors! YourHomeStyle spoke to interior experts to find out what styles they expect will be trending this Christmas.
Traditional Christmas decorations are timeless, and as mentioned earlier, many will reuse the same decorations every year to save money, so the traditional style is often the go-to look. One of the top trending Christmas decoration colour pairings of 2022 is, of course, red and gold. This colour scheme works well against the greens of the Christmas tree, and the inclusion of gold can add a touch of elegance.
In the past few years, we’ve seen a return of retro looks in both interior design and fashion. This year, we’ve spotted plenty of 1970s and 1980s-style interiors across our Instagram feed and one of the latest interior trends of 2022 was a subcategory of vibrant 1950s and 1980s décor styles called Barbiecore. So, it’s no surprise that one of this year’s Christmas trends is another blast from the past, this time tapping into the Roaring Twenties. The 2022 festive season may very well be our modern version of the Roaring Twenties, as Christmas parties are possible again at full capacity. This Christmas decoration trend consists of everything glitz and glamour, think gold (and more gold), beads, feathers and crystal garlands.
Image: Balsam Hill
Going even further back into the past, royal-themed shows such as Bridgerton and The Crown have ranked as some of Netflix’s most talked about shows this year, so it’s no wonder that ‘regencycore’ has been a big interior design trend this year. Like the show Bridgeton, regencycore is inspire by Georgian era interiors. Think elegance, ornaments, and maximalism. Regencycore uses rich colours, so the traditional Christmas red and green colour scheme fits in really well here, especially when embellished with gold.
With sustainability becoming a much greater part of our lives each year, it’s clear that sustainable decorations are looking to be one of the biggest Christmas trends of the year. Christmas time can cause a lot of waste; from wrapping paper to Christmas crackers, we typically consume a lot of nonreusable items throughout this period. The sustainable decorations trend is all about avoiding this by including reusable crackers, recyclable paper decorations, and opting for second hand decorations rather than buying them new.
Boho has been a rising interiors trend for a few years now, so there’s no surprise that this has translated to our Christmas decorations too! Boho interiors typically reflect nature through a cosy atmosphere. A Christmas boho look will use soft, natural elements such as pampas grass, a warm, nature-inspired colour scheme, dried flowers and rattan textures.
Image: Cox and Cox
Create Perfect – Top 4 Christmas Tree Trends 2022
Earlier, we talked about 2022 Christmas trends. Sticking with the festive theme, we’ve taken a closer look at Christmas tree decorating trends for 2022 with Create Perfect’s ‘Top 4 Christmas Tree Trends 2022’.
We love Christmas markets at jmm PR, as they combine the excitement of Christmas shopping with travel. Christmas markets are typically heaving with crowds at this time of the year, so it’s no surprise that ‘The Christmas Market’ would become its own Christmas tree decoration trend thanks to their popularity. This style embodies a similar look to what you would see at a traditional Christmas market: large red bows, berries, and cones. This look also fits in with traditional decorations, so is timeless and can be used year after year as well!
One of the most exciting things about Christmas is receiving gifts, and many of us will have fond memories of opening up new toys on Christmas day as a child. ‘The Toy Shop’ Christmas tree trend taps into this nostalgia, and is fun to implement as you can be playful with your tree decorations. Think stockings, board games, candy canes and teddies, as well as toy and animal tree decorations!
Our favourite Christmas tree trend on this list is the Christmas Cocktail (see pictured above)! At jmm PR, we love all things pink and even have a pink wall in our office! The Christmas Cocktail trend is all about making your tree look fabulous, like a cocktail. Partner your tree up with glass and glittery decorations and even large flowers! And don’t forget the pink!
Image: Dobbies
We’d love to know which article you found most inspiring and if you’ll take any tips away from our roundup. Let us know in the comments!
Ends
Jess
25th November 2022
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