A table setting by luxury jewellery designer Patrick Mavros at his Village Market store in Gigiri, Nairobi. PHOTO | DIANA NGILA
What you need to know:
Home accessories with metallic details are back in vogue whether on walls as picture frames or on mirrors as ornaments in the living rooms.
With their gleaming allure, metallic accessories have long intrigued many. And now some rare examples have found comfort in modern homes.
Home accessories with metallic details are back in vogue whether on walls as picture frames or on mirrors as ornaments in the living rooms.
Furniture pieces now come with gold, nickel, brass, copper, stainless steel, chrome or silver embalming, warming up spaces in the house as reflective surfaces bounce light around a room.
This year, Lamudi, a global portal focusing on real estate and emerging trends, launched expected trends that emerged in 2016.
Metallic trend
Lamudi’s in-house design expert Yvonne Malebe, says the metallic trend is big this year and has made interior décor more vibrant with the use of various metals and metallic finishing on furniture.
Banana Box is one company that sells metal accessories made out of recycled metal, morphed into animal sculptures that can be beautiful additions to your house. Metal accessories are easy to clean by dusting, dab with a damp cloth or polish to look as good as new.
It also does not chip, break or crack.
Sculptured statues
From the most expensive of silver to affordable wrought metals, most of these accessories are finding their way into most homes either as cutlery, ornaments or sculptured statues.
In his collection of African savanna trees and animals, upmarket designer Patrick Mavros has made owning of silver statues a symbol of class and taste with many of his works being sort after by interior designers.
Some of his most outstanding works include the acacia tree which he says is a depiction of the Kenyan savanna grasslands.
“The acacia tree tells the story of my visit to Kenya a few years back which gave me the idea to come up with the design” says Patrick who has shops in Nairobi, London, Harare and Mauritius.
His root tree candle holders are part of his homestead designs with a different kind of animal at the base of the tree such as meerkats, elephants, or grazing giraffes.
The wine coasters with a drip ring are also a favourite for wine lovers, depicting scenes of the African wildlife and can be bought as a set of the same animals at the base all cast-in sterling silver.
Metals are also being incorporated on seats and tables to bring in intrigue and texture into the home.
Esprit Ethnique is another company that makes amazing household furniture and accessories from curved metal with a nomadic look.
Cigar ashtrays
For the home or office, the Patrick Mavros collection includes cigar ashtrays which are elevated on an animal’s back, animal paperweights and the elephant pen pots as well as paper knives, all with an animal carefully curved on the handle.
Light works well with metallic surfaces which is why metal is being incorporated in most lighting fixtures to allow the light to be reflected in all angles.
Each room in the house can have the metallic effect embossed on the furniture to make it more appealing and reflective.
The kitchen tops are also having a blend of aluminium wall tiles used as backsplash. These backsplashes are resistant to heat and are common on stove tops.
Karibu Italy
Stainless steel kitchen appliances have never gone out of trend, and are a must-have for those who love a clean look.
It is not only the shiny metals that have found space in modern homes, designers are also going for polycarbonate plastics.
Karibu Italy is one of the to-go-to shops for the polycarbonate home decor items which have metallic finishes from chandeliers, flower vases to decorative mirrors.
You can also give your antique furniture life by accessorising it with metal. For instance, add shiny metallic handles on the antique chest of drawers.
