Here, the top 10 findings are listed with data based on eporta’s community of more than 3000 trade buyers, many of whom use the platform daily. These interior trade findings and trends for 2016 were presented by Aneeqa Khan, CEO and Founder of eporta, and Lisa White, Head of Lifestyle & Interiors at WGSN, during a seminar at C.P. Hart, Waterloo.

1. Most searched for materials:
brass, marble, concrete and cork The most searched for materials were brass and marble (a 32% increase between July to September), while cork and concrete gained popularity (up 42%) over the last months of the year. Popular products in these materials revealed that trade buyers are seeking a look with more texture, depth and patina. WGSN noted that this is in line with an emerging trend for a ‘soft industrial’ aesthetic, which mixes warm looks, like brass and cork, with cooler marble and concrete. The use of softer colour and iridescent petrol finishes are also key for residential, public and retail spaces. The increase of high-end products in concrete and cork was particularly prevalent, with these materials being used in unexpected ways – as furniture, dining trays and lampshades in thinner, more tactile finishes and warmer colour schemes.

2. Most searched for products: bar stools, extendable tables, nesting tables and stackable chairs and most difficult to source products: bedside tables and furniture for children’s rooms
Interior trade buyers are extremely concerned with buying furniture that is multifunctional and can adapt to different spaces and uses. WGSN credits this to the continued rise in ‘homtertainment’, where our interiors are expected to perform multiple functions – particularly amongst millennials who host parties, concerts and film projections in their own homes. Trade buyers also professed particular difficulty sourcing bedside tables and furniture for children’s rooms.

3. Most popular light: the chandelier
In lighting, the most searched for and wide-ranging lighting style was the chandelier. Whether as traditional crystal or calderesque mobiles, all were designed to create a statement and used as a centrepiece. According to Lisa White of WGSN, central ceiling lights function like jewellery for the home, both in function and style.

4. Key theme: trend for furniture that frames a lifestyle and items that will grow with you
A deep dive into the most ordered products on eporta revealed a strong trend in unobtrusive furniture that has a strong sense of style and yet doesn’t absorb too much visual space; where the frame is accented and the body is transparent, minimalist display cabinets and wardrobes, or hanging spaces that allow you to see the clothes. According to Lisa, “people are increasingly buying furniture that can display our lifestyles in a curated way. As we buy less but better quality, we want to showcase and frame favourite objects and pieces in furniture that is both discreet and adaptable”.

5. Key theme: furniture and interiors increasingly replacing traditional ‘art’
There has been a 43% rise in searches for statement rugs on eporta over the last quarter alone, plus a marked increase in upholstery and wallpaper with elaborate artistic repeats. The most popular interior accessories changed over the year from vases and candles to more abstract design objects. According to trends noted by WGSN, this is about elevating confident, contemporary design to the level of a masterpiece.

6. Key theme: ‘designed to order will be the new order’
There was a direct correlation between the most popular suppliers and the degree of customisation options available. Aside from this being a practicality and requirement of the interior trade, WGSN identified this as a trend throughout interiors and lifestyle with walls and floors receiving the same degree of personalisation as furniture and lighting: it predicts that ‘designed to order will be the new order’.

7. Most popular brands
As digital partner, eporta revealed that Mullan Lighting, Duistt and Libra were the most searched or connected brands amongst trade buyers during London Design Festival, alongside Bert Frank, The Sofa & Chair Company and Benchmark.

8. Ones to watch
eporta is a unique design meritocracy, in that products from top design brands are displayed in search results against products from brand-new designers. This allows the products to speak for themselves and the best designs to rise to the surface. Some less well-known design brands that have experienced particular traction on eporta over the last six months include Shufflebotham, Missana, Intueri Light, Abalon candles, Evie, 17 Patterns and Floor Story. Lisa White identified Matteo Thun’s Atelier, Wrong London, Areti and Pedro Paulo Venzon as some of the key brands to watch during 2017.

9. Most popular country: Portugal
Analysis revealed that overall the most popular origin for suppliers at the moment is Portugal. Most popular brands include Duistt, TemaHome, Larforma, Ginger and Jagger and Mambo Unlimited Ideas.

10. Key theme: biomimicry
WGSN noted eporta’s trade community buying into items with natural patterns – feather repeats, kaleidoscopic patterns with palms and ferns adorning a range of surfaces but in a looser form with sea-inspired furnishings and transparent and rough surfaces resembling the natural world, in both natural and supernatural colours and textures.