What applies to decorative fabrics also holds good for bed linen: floral motifs are ‘in’.
Household textiles were also more colour conscious at Heimtextil 2014 than in the previous year. In the terry-goods segment, shades such as China red, meadow green, ultramarine and gold bring the colour spectrum to life. Also popular are tranquil tones, such as old rose, pistachio green and mauve. There has been a significant increase in the number of collections with more masculine colours, such as light grey, stone grey, anthracite, night blue and black. Hand towels have pronounced structures, are decorated with narrow solid-stripes, as well as with check, ivy and border designs.
Matching bathroom textiles are also available, e.g., soft and cosy bath mats with pile of up to 45 mm. Increasingly to be seen in the collections are bathrobes in matching colours. Indeed, some manufacturers even offer toothbrush tumblers, soap dishes, small waste bins and shower curtains in the colours and / or patterns as their terry products.
Romantic flowers in bed
What applies to decorative fabrics also holds good for bed linen: floral motifs are ‘in’. Duvet and pillow covers are strewn with petals, romantic flowers and bouquets. Or large, brightly coloured flowers with long stems lay across the fabric. Alongside them are stripes of all kinds – from colourful fusions for the ‘young bed’ to elegant, tone-in-tone satin stripes. Classic and traditional motifs, such as paisley, ikat and modernised Baroque ornaments, are en vogue again. Cheerful, eye-catching motifs from the animal world include swallows and butterflies. New is the combination of two sets of bed-linen with completely different yet matching designs. Monochrome bed linen is to be found in a variety of qualities, from the finest piqué to robustly structures cloqué, with hemstitch decoration, Oxford edging, with braiding or cording and buttons in contrasting colours. Striking in the case of covers is the widespread use of knitted fabrics and tone-in-tone patterns.
Sprucing up the dining table
Gone are the times when the dining table was set primarily with practical utensils and only made to look fine on high days and holidays. Today, table linen for everyday use is also distinguished by attractive, homelike designs. Floral splendour is in evidence in this segment, too, as are decorations comprising big circles or intricate line decorations, in many cases on semi-transparent fabrics – the more elegant, the quieter the shades. To match the table cloths, runners, placemats and napkins, there are pillow cases, aprons and even panel curtains – with the same pattern or monochrome. Alongside this range are numerous designs in country-house style and – for the more elegant household – luxurious table cloths, placemats and napkins in wonderful plain fabrics. In this segment, linen is the successful climber of the season. Kitchen towels are characterised by less elaborate, less kitschy designs. Thus, tea towels with classic white & blue and white and red checks, as well as the ‘Grubentuch’, a traditional German miner’s towel, made their comebacks at Heimtextil 2014. From Asia, there were attractive accessories for the well-set dining table including napkins and jam-jar covers with hand-embroidered fruit and vegetable motifs.
