23 May April Interiors Show – what is new in the soft furnishings world?

On the 25^th April a group of us attended April Interiors, an amazing trade exhibition, showcasing all the new ranges from our suppliers.  From fabrics to trimmings and poles to blind systems, we were treated to it all.

Getting to meet 3 new reps from the suppliers also helps build the relationships which was great for putting faces to names.

Beck @Made By Beck and Alison from @Designs4living were great company to share the show with.  We all had a great day, learning and seeing new things.  It was the first time we had been able to see everything since Covid, so there was alot to catch up on.

So what’s new?

A lovely range of bold patterned florals to adorn your space, now what a statement that would make.  Some of these were on the ever popular velvet fabric.  The new designs of printed velvets  are stunning.  Can you imagine them made up in to curtains or roman blinds?

A great collaboration with the well-known Wedgwood brand sees a lovely range of fabrics combining tradition with contemporary in the Botanical Wonders collection.  Wedgwood forms part of our history so it is wonderful to see the amazing designs portrayed on fabric.

With the trend for continuing your interiors in to your garden, this new range of Outdoor fabrics will really make your garden furniture ‘pop’.  Why be boring and beige when you can have bright colours and patterns including geometrics and stripes to brighten up your outdoor space. Imagine these on your seat pads or outdoor furniture.

Striking wallpaper and murals were on display, but the Oh Popsi range particularly caught our eye.  With their interesting range of murals, which come in rolls like wallpaper, in lovely designs from Sunsets to Tropical scenes, these would make a great backdrop to any room where you want to add interest.

Sustainable – lots of suppliers are all trying to do their bit for the environment.  We had everything from iliv’s Sustainable Plains range to the Loire Eco range from Warwick fabrics.  Even recycled plastic bottles have been made in to fabrics. Lots of innovation is coming through in this arena.  Watch this space for another blog on this topic coming soon……

We really enjoyed meeting some new designers at the show, including Oh Popsi, Willis Bloom and Seed Home Designs and I’m sure there were more that we missed, with so many stands to visit in a relatively short space of time.

With health and safety in mind, a new blind system is now available called Dual Rise.  Technology in blinds is constantly changing and this system does away with the removable cog altogether and instead replaces it with 2 chains so there is no loop to impact on child safety.  I’ll definitely be giving this a trial run so watch this space.

One supplier recently launched a collection of metal poles in an array of modern colours which can also be bent or curved for bay windows.  I now have a swatch of the colours and a brochure to show you the full range. Colours range from Bronze and Soft Brass to Gunmetal and Lead, from Soft Silver and Warm Grey and of course China White, Soft Black and Linen.

Too many things to mention everything in detail but hopefully that gives you a flavour of a few new things we saw.

Would you like to see any of these new products, fabrics, poles, wallpapers etc in sample format?  Please get in touch by emailing nicola@sewspecialsoftfurnishings.co.uk We would be happy to show you anything that has caught your eye.  Thanks for reading.