With the winter weather (hopefully) soon to give way to better weather, it's time for many home owners to focus their energies on selling up.

A clean, tidy and uncluttered home is key to making a good first impression, so a deep spring clean is an essential starting point. After that, all it takes is some subtle changes and your lived-in looking family home can be transformed into a contemporary, desirable residence that will have buyers queuing up.

“Spring is an excellent time of the year to sell. As such, it's also a competitive time for the housing market. Keeping up with the latest interior design trends is one way to give a home an edge over its rivals. It's a quick and easy way for owners to maximise their profits.” Robert Walker, Managing Director, Alexander James Interior Design.

A little investment in interior design can reap big rewards when it comes to the look and feel of a home. It has the potential to increase the speed of the sale and even the price agreed for the purchase.

2018 has already seen some strong trends emerge, with the renowned Maison&Objet show paving the way. The team from Alexander James Interior Design – recognised as one of the World's Top 100 Interior Designers by the Andrew Martin Design Awards 2016 and 2017 – are already reflecting those trends in the homes that they design and dress.

“We're seeing a definite, strong trend of monochrome this year, with matt black furniture beautifully offset by greens and yellows, which are everywhere this spring. From textiles and wall coverings to upholstery, lighting and accessories, there's no excuse not to use a splash of colour! 

“Plants and leaf patterns go hand in hand with this colour trend, so home owners looking to redecorate a room or two before selling can enjoy choosing from a fabulous range of nature-inspired wallpaper. For those who are dressing their home rather than redecorating, bold prints and textiles with leaf patterns will look terrific.” Stacey Sibley, Creative Director, Alexander James Interior Design.

Other notable 2018 interior design trends include the use of orange and coral, while there's a distinct African tribal influence when it comes to accessories and the use of wicker/cane on indoor furniture. Meanwhile, beetles have taken over from pineapples and llamas to emerge as 2018's feature object of choice. From accessories to art, it's all about the creepy crawlies this year!

The animal trend has also seen larger objects coming into fashion, from monkey ceiling lights and ostrich floor lamps to cuddly toy armchairs. The 2018 Maison&Objet show even featured a fabulous donkey desk!

“One of the great things about dressing a house for sale is that you can really have fun with the process. Create a mood board to try out different colours, textures and items that catch your eye, then bring your ideas to life within the home. Subtlety is key here – bold touches can be reserved for accessories and artwork so that they bring the underlying colour scheme to life and allow viewers to imagine themselves happily living there.” Stacey Sibley, Creative Director, Alexander James Interior Design.

So if you’re thinking of selling this summer, interior design should be top of your list. For more information, head to www.aji.co.uk