Our top 3 tips: How to Incorporate the Tropical Trend

The tropical trend is a bold statement in any home, it’s hard not to over-do the look. We share our top 3 tips on how to incorporate a few of our favourite tropical themed pieces into your interior without going over the top.

The influx for all things tropical has grown into an increasingly popular interior trend in stores this summer. Surrounded with a dazzling array of bright colour palettes, palm prints, pineapples and a plethora of botanical flowers and exotic birds, it is hard to incorporate the look into your home without going a little OTT. So we thought we’d share our top 3 tips of how to incorporate the tropical trend into your interior. 

Make a Statement

1) Be bold, make a statement. For those who are fearless enough to immerse themselves in all things tropical, upholster a piece of furniture in a bright fabric or add a tropical wallpaper print to add excitement to your interior. There is a huge range out there at the moment, from quirky, cartoon-feel pineapples to dramatic, more sophisticated botanicals and tropical themed prints on wallpapers, fabrics, accessories and furniture.

The beautiful, French love seat available from Etsy, £933.70 is upholstered in a tropical leaf fabric and would add a bright shot of colour to any room or buy Tommy Bahama swaying palm print fabric by the yard, £7.60 from Bonanza to reupholster an existing piece of furniture.

Reminiscent of the original Martinique Banana leaf wallpaper seen below, that was designed in the 1940’s by Don Loper exclusively for the Beverly Hills Hotel. The tropical palm tree or more accurately, banana tree leaf design has been growing in popularity for decades. Still influencing fashion and interior looks today, the design has proven itself to be timeless and worth investing in as it manages to look just as modern today as it did in 1942.

Dorothy Draper‘s similar print with grapes, Brazilliance continued the popular tropical trend throughout the 1940’s, when her print features on the walls/ floors of the Greenbrier Hotel, West Virginia. A recent resurgence in the prints popularity was due to our love for all things vintage, fashion looked to the past for inspiration and botanical print became a key trend in 2012 onwards.

Bergdorf Goodman featured the wallpaper at the Greenbrier Hotel in the background of their Fall collection 2012, seen above. Whilst Charlotte Olympia popularised the print in her shoe and clutch collection below. Many fashion collections now continue to feature the popular design on clothing and print each year.

And many interior designers like Marjorie Skouras, seen below have also featured the bold, tropical print in their interior design or styling choices, which has caused a surge in a range of accessories and soft furnishings for sale that feature tropical themed prints.

Hermes Jungle Life wallpaper, £730.00 per roll brings the tropical theme to life. Its vivid repeat pattern depicts the flora and fauna of the now iconic Jungle Love silk scarf designed by Robert Dallet in 2000, that would certainly make a statement adorning your wall.

Or try House of Hackney‘s Troop wallpaper, £128.00 a roll. It’s bold, fun print features a troop of monkeys climbing up jungle vines on a bold backdrop of either dusk blue, parakeet green or salamander orange.

Whilst Cole & Son’s Palm Jungle wallpaper brings a dense, tropical jungle feel to your walls in a more subdued colour scheme and nod to the original banana leaf print design. It also comes in a range of brighter colour schemes for the more daring, £78.00 a roll.

Or for a more summery, fun take on the tropical trend add a popular pineapple print to your walls instead. Hygge & West’s Pineapple wallpaper collection is perfect for those who want to inject some personality onto their walls, try Rifle Co’s Pineapple Ebony £121.06 a roll, for a more sophisticated take on the tropical trend.

Or choose Pineapple Sorbet, £121.06 a roll, for a more whimsical, fun feeling tropical twist. Seen above, from left to right; Pineapple Sorbet, Pineapple Blue, Pineapple Yellow. Also see Pina Sola pineapple print wallpaper, £105.92 a roll by Aimee Wilder, below. Or try Sanderson Manila Wallpaper available at John Lewis for a more subdued botanical print, £55.00 a roll.

Team your statement walls or furniture upholstery with white or neutral accessories, natural, wooden accents and add striking pops of colour with a hot pink throw or cushion to offset your tropical print. We like Style at Home’s statement palm print headboard that is complimented by the white sheets, neutral bedside table, and the pops of pink throughout.

Daring details

2) It is important to bring balance to any room. If your furniture or walls are the statement in a room then keep your accessories minimal and secondary in your interior styling. However, if you prefer your accessories to be the focal point it is a great way to incorporate the trend. Add areas of interest throughout the room by adding tropical themed accents and shots of colour throughout.

To add a subtle nod to the tropical trend, try incorporating a range of house plants and planters like Att Pynta‘s copper bead plant hanger, £28.00 with natural elements, wicker baskets and rattan accessories. Like the round rattan stool by Alexander and Pearl £175,  or storage boxes in earthy brown and greens like the Innes natural storage bags from Habitat, £25.00 to add an understated tropical twist.

Or be bold with colour, Better Homes & Gardens even named the Tropical Trends as their palette of the year 2015 due to it’s bold mix of colours; leafy greens, corals, bright jewel-toned pinks, blues and dramatic greys. So pick statement tropical accessories that fit within the colour scheme, or get crafty and paint them to suit.

Palm print throws or cushion are great to add a clashing print and bold statement to your interior. The Tropical palm print cushion, £26.19 available from Etsy would work well on a muted blue or neutral sofa or paired with a bright pink throw.

Whilst Laura Ashley‘s exotic mix of prints, textures and bold colours used in their Spring/Summer collection is ideal for adding a tropical feel to your soft furnishings. Their statement collection features exotic birds, botanical prints and a range of bright, clashing prints in bold pinks, blues and greens (various prices.)

Or add a rainforest inspired Christian Lacroix silk cushion, £110.00 available from Amara Living. Team with bright velvet yellow scatter cushions to add a sense of dramatic glamour to your tropical themed interior.

Amongst the tropical décor, pineapple ornaments have rapidly increased in popularity as well. Available in a range of shapes, sizes and finishes, there is definitely one to suit your interior space.

Our favourites are Goodnight Light’s Pina Colada Pineapple lamps, £68.85 which are a quirkier take on the trend. Available in a range of pastel and bright colours from Smallable, they are sure to add a touch of tropical to your night stand. Or try Oliver Bonas for a similar find, £80.00.

For a more sophisticated take on tropical, Laura Ashley’s Pineapple lamp base and shade, £75.00 is a great statement piece. Whilst House of Hackney‘s brass pineapple lamp stand and Palmeral ‘Malpas’ Lampshade, £350.00 has more of a classic, vintage feel.

They have a huge range of tropical themed lighting, featuring various pineapple bases, birds of paradise, botanical prints and palmeral printed shades in the Palmeral collection. The collection is the perfect mix of bold, palm leaf prints that has been applied to a range of soft-furnishings, clothes and tableware with pineapples thrown in for good measure.

To embrace the tropical trend whole heartedly, our favourite tropical themed lamp comes from the jungle. Conjuring up images of monkey swinging through leafy palms, exotic flowers and wild animals, the Seletti monkey lamp available from Amara Living, £205.00 would really make a statement in your interior.

Or instead of a statement lamp, various ornaments or pineapple storage are also key items to purchase. Great for hiding away all your bits and bobs, the range of pots and storage jar designs could be used as a quirky biscuit tin in a kitchen or in a living room. The Pols Potten golden pineapple below would be a great feature piece in any room, available from Amara Living, £57.00.

Whilst Ebay have a range of pineapple accessories and statement décor up for sale or auction like vintage trinket boxes, bookends and ornaments in eye-catching golds, silver or spray them pastel coloured for a modern twist.

Or for those who want to be understated but still add tropical décor to their home, Kate of Ghostparties.com featured these lovely little plaster pineapple succulent planters on her blog back in February. They are the perfect balance when incorporating a key trend without spoiling your existing interior style. Created by Janneke who runs Etsy stationary shop Papermaché each charming, little pineapple pot is £12 each.

We also found a white ceramic pineapple jar from Graham & Green, £35.00. That is the perfect feature to provide a sense of tropical whimsy without being too much of a bold statement.

3) Don’t change your whole interior just to incorporate a trend. Not everyone will want to see pineapples year long, so don’t feel like you need to re-design your whole interior scheme just to incorporate a trend. Why not add tropical accents to complement an existing interior scheme instead.

Or try adding an unexpected pop of colour to a tired colour scheme with your accessories. Thornback & Peel‘s new Pineapple range offers a bright, fun way to incorporate tropical touches of yellow into a neutral kitchen without it feeling overpowering. With its summery, pineapple repeat print adorning the Pineapple Apron, £24.95, Pineapple Tea Towel, £12.95 and their Pineapple Hankerchief Set, £14.95 the collection is a quick, easy way to add just a touch of tropical to your interior.

Or try Bed, Bath & Beyond‘s Poolside Palms Dinnerware Collection, £1.42-£7.13 to add a palmeral twist to your table, team with natural or bamboo place mats for an instant tropical touch without changing your interior too much.

So from palm prints to pineapples, we hope our tropical trends post has inspired you to add a tropical twist to your interior. Whether it be a statement palm print wall, or bold item of furniture. Or just a subtle nod to the trend, with the growing popularity for all things tropical we’re sure there is the perfect tropical touch for your interior.