Spring Fair. This is the biggest trade event in the UK for interiors and it's

where the trends for 2019 are being shaped. When we came to Spring Fair last

year we saw a lot of black being used as an accent for the soft pastel colors

that were everywhere. This year it's gone bigger and it's gone bolder, so we're

seeing furniture, we're seeing lighting, really big, structural, statement pieces.

What keeps it modern, because I know you're probably worrying that it's gonna

look a little bit shiny and a little bit cheap maybe, it's the matte finish that

keeps it really chic and just makes a great backdrop. One of the things

that it's been paired with everywhere is brass. This time last year

if we talked about metallics, it was all about copper, but things have moved on

since then and now we're seeing brass and gold everywhere. This stand behind me

is a perfect example so we've got the gold pendant lights, we've got

candlesticks, we've got trays, we've got lamps, honestly

it can be used on everything. One of the things that brass works perfectly

against is the new neutral backdrop we're seeing this year there's no grey.

Honestly, I'm as surprised as you are but grey is gone, instead we're seeing

much softer creams, we're seeing spiced honey, which is obviously Dulux's

colour of the year for this year, we're seeing corals, we're seeing pinks, and

it's just a warmer, softer feel and the brass goes beautifully with it, as does

the black furniture, because it really stands out and makes a statement. One of

the things that brass is brilliant at is really showing off greens. Take a look at

this plant pot here, I love this and it's a really affordable way to bring brass

into your home. I'd love to hang them off my bookshelves in my living room and

then inside you can pop some plants. This one looks real but it's not

Now if you're anything like me, plants probably have a limited lifespan in your

house. I'm going to let you into a little secret - I don't have the real thing

anymore, I just go for some faux foliage instead. There's been such advances in the

technology used to create these that they look so realistic now and it's a

great way to bring the outdoors in. One of the best things about faux foliage is

that you can use it in any room of the house and it'll help to tie your whole

scheme together, it also works really well we've black and brass as we've

talked about earlier. And as you can see behind me now, we're not just talking

small potted plants and cacti, you can get a full range of both foliage now,

from these structural grasses to hanging baskets, even a full sized tree

If you've tuned into our SoRealHomes videos then you'll have joined us inside the homes of Instagram stars like Lisa Dawson and Amy Wilson from This Style Rocks

and the thing that's best about their dining rooms is that they've got

their own bars. This one is absolutely beautiful. It's maybe a little bit big

for the average home, but it's black, it's got brass ,so it's ticking off two of the

key trends that we've already talked about. I think this would fill my whole

living room, so if it's a little bit too big for your house, another trend that

you can easily tap into is this beautiful olive green colour. Fake plants

have been used as an accent, but if you want to take it one step further, then

green is the go-to shade that we're seeing absolutely everywhere. We're

seeing every shade under the sun, from olive green, to sage green, to emerald

green, cooking apple green, British racing green,

or this gorgeous sludgy mossy colour that we're seeing here. Whichever shade

you choose, and however bold you are with how you use it, it's going to create the

perfect backdrop for the black furniture we saw earlier, and the beautiful

brass accents. Another thing we've seen a lot of when we've been walking around

the show is exposed wood it's literally everywhere, so here we've got a bookcase

with a nice metal frame and it looks really, really good against the crisp

matte black that we saw earlier, but you can see in everything from pendant

lights to fruit bowls to dining tables and chairs

Talking about natural materials, take a look at this gorgeous table - it's got a lovely rough finish and

you've even got the exposed bark down here, which is just so tactile. Another

nature-inspired finish that we've seen coming through is honeycomb - not the real

stuff, unfortunately, it but it's this beautiful hexagon pattern that you can

see here. It's like a new take on geometrics, which aren't going anywhere

We've seen it on these bowls, these gorgeous canisters, which have lots of uses in the

kitchen, and there's also been loads of other examples. Take a look...

The key thing I've notice while walking around this year, is that the trends

aren't intimidating. For the last few years we've had things like Maximalism,

clashing colors and patterns, and they were very easy to feel intimidated

by, but this year you could easily invest in a beautiful black table, some nice

brass accents, and some gorgeous faux foliage. If you're buying for the home

this year, now you know exactly what you should be looking out for. You're going to

find these trends everywhere from your supermarket to the high street and

online. If you need more inspiration or advice, just head to realhomes.com or

check out our SoRealHomes videos on YouTube.