Jason Burns, MD of Shurtape, looks at the importance of keeping on top of decorating trends, and using the right tools to deliver them.
It feels like just a few years ago that we were all talking about magnolia and minimalism, but that was in the 90s. We then moved swiftly into the noughties, which brought grey and gallery walls, both of which are still popular (good job as my gallery wall has never gone anywhere). And now we are in the era of maximalism and mindfulness.
All types of fashion moves in cycles and we often find ourselves revisiting or tweaking old trends. But there are always new ideas to keep an eye on too. The role of a good decorator is to know those trends and be able to help customers follow them, with up to the minute tricks, knowledge on colours and textures, and the right tools for the job.
Double drenching
A popular trend at the time of writing is double drenching. This is not colour drenching, in which an entire room is painted the same colour, instead the room is effectively split in half and painted all over in two colours. The term was coined by paint brand Little Greene but painting a room in two colours is not entirely new: the look was very popular in the seventies. The formal name has just given it a new lease of life. It’s a great look, whether the colours clash or complement each other – and, of course, FrogTape will be your best friend, as those paint colours cannot bleed into one another.
There needs to be clean lines and clear differentiation in the drenching. The best product to use here would be FrogTape Delicate Surface, ideal for creating the neatest possible lines, with PaintBlock Technology removing the risk of bleed when painting on top of existing paint. Our new FrogTape Containment Tape will also be useful here. It is perfect for holding up poly sheeting to seal off areas and contain dust during renovation or painting.
Stripe drenching
We’ve also seen a lot of talk about stripe drenching (drenching in general is very popular, whether it’s fabric, texture or paint – it’s part of the overall trend for maximalism, which is being confident and bold in decorating).
Stripe drenching takes the popular stripe – vertical, horizontal or diagonal – and covers the whole room, either with matching furniture or accessories, or even going up onto the ‘fifth wall’ (the ceiling). This makes a really bold statement and is an extra challenge for the decorator, but one which does deliver great results for the customer and the professional’s portfolio. Again, the tool to use is FrogTape Delicate Surface.
Exterior decorating
The UK has definitely taken a steer from warmer climates over the last few years, with outdoor kitchens and living areas becoming more popular, and ever since Covid, there has been a steady rise in garden offices and gyms. We’ve recently launched FrogTape High Bond Exterior Tape, which provides excellent adhesion outside and is especially ideal for hard-to-stick-to self-cleaning paint surfaces.
Keeping on top of trends
It’s important for tradespeople to keep on top of trends in this era of sharing. Decorators are professional tradespeople with a brilliant skillset, but they can also be consultants and advise the customer on possible effects and trends that might work well, in a domestic or commercial setting. It can also create visually impactful content for a decorator’s social media channels, which can be fantastic for new business.
Social media can also be used to find trends, by following key media titles and interior influencers, searching up relevant hashtags and checking out what the decorating brands (paint companies, brush companies, us!) are talking about. Reading consumer home interest magazines online or in print also provides information and inspiration that will be consumed by the end user at the same time.
FrogTape delivers professional results you can trust – when it matters most. Performance cannot be compromised; decorators and builders want to deliver the best possible finish. So, we helps deliver that finish, because we keep an eye on trends ourselves. We work with a number of professional builders and decorators to make sure we are always on top of fashions – creating the best tools for the job. It’s why we’ve also just launched our FrogTape Multipacks, available in Multi-Surface, Delicate Surface and new Pro-Grade Blue; ideal for builders and decorators who prefer to buy in bulk.
By doing the same – working with the right products and continually researching new trends – decorators can provide the best possible results to their customers, creating high quality finishes that will stand the test of time… or at least until the next new trend comes along!
For further information on Shurtape visit Shurtape UK | Cloth, Masking and Packaging Tapes UK.
