Home trends in 2017: stay ahead of the curve with these shopping must-haves

The cactus is king

Prepare to embrace the cactus big time in 2017 (although not quite literally as they are rather prickly little characters!). The Pineapple is most certainly not going anywhere but it does have competition this year in the form of the humble cactus, seen everywhere from high-end designers to the high street. From quirky vases and illustrated textiles to realistic looking faux plants, it’s the motif to adorn your home with this spring/summer.

Filling your kitchen with playful cactus illustrations and a funky trivet is sure to give your cooking some added flavour! ( LOVE the use of the ceramic egg holder for a mini cactus display).

Set of three Cactus tins, £12, all Ben di Lisi Home at Debenhams.

Style tip: Real life cactus’ are over taking succulents to become the biggest trend for indoor plants - be inspired by these fabulous cactus displays and ideas to decorate your home. These quirky vessels are perfect for showing off your plants...

Cactus Vase, £12, George Home.

Tall Cactus Vase, £50; Cactus Planter, £28, both House of Fraser.

Soft geometrics

In every sense of the word – with 'soft geometrics' the shapes are less angular and the colours are all dreamy hues of pastels. Geometrics are still going strong from last year but we see them updated for the new season with a softer edge.

In contrast to the hard lines of triangles we're seeing the use of more circular silhouettes, literally taking the edge off harsh angular geometrics.

Geo Glass Vase, £10; Ethereal Printed Circle Cushion, £12, Ethereal Zig Zag Crewel Cushion, £12, all Sainsbury's.

Good old M&S has perfected the soft geo look for the new season with this fusion of dreamy pastels and simplistic geometrics. Thanks to the softness of the colour this cushion would be a beautiful accent for any sofa, just imagine the wow factor of this on a bold teal or dusty pink velvet sofa.

Triangle Embroidered cushion, £25, Marks & Spencer.

It hasn't been named 'Wallpaper of the year' for nothing. This contemporary wallpaper design is a perfect fusion of geometric shapes, marbling and lustrous metallics.

Reflections in Rose Gold, £40, Graham & Brown.

A geometric rug is the saving grace of many a living room, creating an instant focal point. This harlequin-style rug is high on our wish list thanks to its delicious mix of colours.

Scale rug by Martha Coates (available in February), £250, Habitat.

Think beyond print for this trend. Geometric shapes can be found hiding just about anywhere - the geometric side table and stylised mirror are proof of that.

Olin Chaise in Malan Weave, £429; Lena Side Table, £149; Loft Oval Mirror, £59, all Marks & Spencer.

Totally tropical

Not since the return of Planet Earth have we admired such tropical delights, until now that is as it sweeps through our homes thanks to the array of bold leaf prints and rich green shades - let's not forget Greenery 15-0343 is Pantone's colour of the year.

The beauty of this tropical trend is mixing lots of vibrant colours particularly forest green and zingy teal, that all look striking against the darker grey and navy wall colours that are so fashionable for home decorating right now. Look out for the key elements to help to create this look in your home; large scale leaf prints, cheeky monkeys and ethereal hummingbirds.

Brass is a great accent colour when working this look. It perfectly enhances the lush greens and manages to add a touch of glamour.

Feathered Curtains, from £70; Zola Chair in dark teal velvet, £325; Teal Velvet Pouffe, £50; Monkey Cushion, £12; Bird Cushion, £14; Palm Cushion, £18; Monkey Table lamp, £50; Brass Effect nest of Tables, £199, all Next.

Technically speaking it's not tropical, at least we don't think these leaves are often found in tropical jungles, but this new 'Living Wall' fabric is so breathtaking in all its green glory that we just had to share it. Beautifully showcased adorning the Lynden armchair this new upholstery fabric is available for all the bespoke soft furnishing pieces, allowing you to create a statement piece for the room of your choice.

Lynden Snuggler in Living Wall, £1400, Laura Ashley.

Copper Bed, £229; Geo Side Table, £79; Leaf and Bird Print Duvet set, £11; Insect Cushion, £7; Geo Cushion, £7, all George Home.

A touch of tribal

Homeware takes a walk on the wild side this spring with animal and tribal prints playing a key role. The patterns, materials and textiles all have a natural, raw feel to them to give a them a distinctly tactile nature. Furniture has a natural handmade feel with materials such a rattan and wicker, textiles take a playful role with lots of embellishments, raw edges and applique details.

Abigail Ahern is synonymous with the tribal trend due to her penchant for featuring animals and African prints on her designs. The latest giants of the animal kingdom to join the tribe are the giraffe and zebra, featuring on cushions each has it's own unique styles but both with a brilliantly tactile nature, something that Abigail does so well.

Multi-coloured cushion £32; Large Pineapple Lantern, £30; Patterned Cylinder Vases, from £25; Ornamental Bust, £25; Small Pineapple Lantern, £20; Giraffe Patchwork cushion £42; Sloane  Rug, £140; Octopus Candle Holder, £40; Zebra Cushion, £42, all Abigail Ahern/EDITION at Debenhams.

Antelope Head, £99; Amber Chair in Nyanga Tan, £599; Zebra Cushion, £25; Antelope Candle Holder, £25; Vases, from 19.50; Conran Farley Coffee Table, £220, all Marks & Spencer.

The 'Tribe' collection at House of Fraser uses earthy clay colours to keep textiles paired back, it's all about mixing natural textures like woven wool and washed linens.

Carnaby Teardrop Pendant, £95; Tribe duvet set, £60; Cushions, from £15 each; Woven Throw, £50; Geo Bedspread, £150, all House of Fraser.

Retro Revival

Where fashion leads interiors will always follow. It's with this notion that we boldly take a step back to the 70s to embrace the patterns and glorious colour combinations so redolent of that era.  This retro trend has been bubbling on the back burner for some time, this year it's ready to take over...but are you ready, that's the question?

This look embraces the wonder of a nostalgic colour palette, from warm ochre to burnt orange with cosy texture, quilting and patchworking for a granny chic feel. To enhance the look work with dark wood furniture pieces and add in pattern china (think tea sets and teapots) and vintage-style pressed glass.

Sunflower Mirror, £59; Luna Pressed Vase, £12.50; Eden Pressed Vase, £15, all Marks & Spencer.

There has been a lot of noise around green and blue for 2017 with yellow being slightly left out in the cold. The beauty of this 70s trend is how it warmly welcomes this zesty shade into our homes, and what’s not to love about this uplifting hue reminiscent of sunshine. Yellow as a colour is so versatile, taking us from mustards in the darker months to buttercup as we move into spring.

Pom poms are back and better than ever, adorning cushions, blankets and even lampshades. Pom poms are a great way to add a fun edge to accessories. They work well with this woven throw - adding another layer of decorative texture, great for that retro feel.Woven Pom Pom Throw, £40 , Next. 

This visual feast for the eyes comes courtesy of Marks & Spencer, who are championing the retro look in a big way this season. The bedding set is a retro masterpiece - while the colours ooze a 70s feel the pattern is a modern montage of seasonal flowers, by combining the two you end up with this delightful combo of old and new. Because of the saturation of the colours overall the retro feel takes the edge. The Lights are so kitsch in a fabulous way

Ruby 5 Light Cluster, £129; Ruby Table Lamp, £39; Hayward Side Table, £249; Cushions, from £19.50; Pippa Floral Print Bedset, £49.50; Crochet Trim Throw, £149; Damask Rug, £169, all Marks & Spencer.

Artistic flair

From paint splatters to brush strokes we're seeing a real resurgence for celebrating artistic talents with artisan pieces. This season takes the handmade to a whole new level, where we see more of the raw elements - nothing is perfect, think more 'made in an art class' kind of vibe. This trend celebrates a more bohemian way of living, it's got an LA style of laid-back cool where one statement piece could transform an entire room.

To the untrained eye this cushion could very well look like the victim of a child at large with a Crayola! But to us this is a dreamy piece that works that shows the naive charm behind this latest trend - it's all about having fun and quite literally adding a splash of colour to brighten things up.

Georgina Cushion by Martha Coates (available in February), £40, Habitat.

Update a plain painted wall with this abstract print, the use of mixed colours and watery brush strokes are reminiscent of an artist's colour palette - spot on for this trend!

Loft Abstract Bridges Wall Art, £25, Marks & Spencer.

Honesty Boxed Canvas, £30; Watercolour Stripe Cushion, £12; Dexter Cushion, £12; Robyn Seaoam Cushion, £18; Watercolour Spot cushion, £12, all Dunelm.

Scatter cushions are a great way to inject colour and pattern with minimal cost and also seasonally. You can change the whole scheme of a room by refreshing just the cushions with each season and trend. What's not to love about a quick decorating win?