Turn your home into a magical urban haven

Published Mar 23, 2011

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If you've ever dreamed of living in a penthouse apartment with sweeping views of the city skyline, then now's the time to put it all into perspective.

Forget those expensive mortgages and simply go house-hunting among the wealth of homeware that celebrates buildings, architecture and spectacular cityscape views.

Inspired by the urban street style that has also featured on fashion catwalks, interior designers are finding more imaginative ways to incorporate urban scenes, iconic landmarks and views into everything from wallpapers and bathroom basins to room screens and accessories.

“The cityscape interior trend is set to capture the imagination of armchair travellers and more ambitious adventurers alike,” says Kirsten Bridge, founder of interiors company Lily & Lime.

“Glamorous, fashionable meccas of the world - London, New York, Tokyo, Milan and Paris - and their iconic skylines are being translated on to murals, artwork and soft furnishings. These combine brilliantly with high-gloss monochrome furniture for an edgy urban look.”

Sam Wingate, 25, is just one young designer who has benefited from the look's popularity and his 'Mr Wingate' cushions, £40 each, featuring his architectural illustrations of London pubs and buildings, are a bestseller at ultra design-savvy store Selfridges.

“People have a tremendous attachment to buildings,” says Wingate.

“Using urban architecture as art in homes reflects a growing appreciation of design, and the variety and beauty of city streets.”

BUILD UP THE STYLE

Banish estate agents and simply choose a decorative version of the home and location you desire by opening the door to the look and evoking it with wallpaper.

“We've seen the rise of cityscapes and urban buildings in wall coverings over the past few seasons,” says Paula Taylor, colour specialist at wallpaper company Graham & Brown.

“The trend's moved from simple, stark black and white photography to a much more abstract approach with accent colours, colour washes and pattern fill.

“This makes it much easier to incorporate a favourite scene into a home as these designs have a softer and much more relaxed look.”

The team's monochrome tile-effect NYC paper features New York landmarks and its Cityscape has an abstract graphic inspired by towering buildings.

BIRD'S EYE VIEW

“There's a real desire for urban sophistication - and featuring architecture, buildings or famous urban views in the home is part of that trend,” says Tim Bennett, managing director of ID-Wall, specialists in photo wall decor that can be made to bespoke sizes.

“Paying a premium for a penthouse perched high over a city is out of reach for all but a few, but a stunning photo wall can be the next best thing.”

YOUR PLATE OR MINE

Fans of architecture have long coveted the artistic ceramic work of design duo Hannah Dipper and Robin Farquhar, who have been reproducing building designs on homeware since 2004.

“My work as an undergraduate concentrated on the use of geometry in modernist buildings and our preferred architecture involves plentiful prefabricated concrete,” says Dipper, who runs People Will Always Need Plates.

“We take great care to recreate as accurately as possible the architectural detail of every building we feature, and we've been commissioned to create pieces featuring buildings throughout the UK from the Eden Project, Cornwall to the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Arts, Gateshead,” she added. - Belfast Telegraph

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