Pumpkins, spice, and all things nice

Anybody else dreaming of pumpkin spiced lattes, snuggling up by the fire and wearing your favourite jumper again?! 

With the autumn / winter season fast approaching, we recap over the 2021 staycation boom in the UK and what’s ahead for 2022 from our industry-leading Design and Interiors team at Victory.

And let’s not forget, while the summer might be coming to an end, we’ve still got lots of celebrating to catch up on!

A year of unprecedented change

Demand in our industry remains at an all-time high. And while the pandemic presented lots of challenges for us, it’s been a huge opportunity for Victory and the UK staycation market as a whole.

In early 2020, we ‘reset’ our business and began on a mission to turn the holiday homes market on its head. An industry that hasn’t changed very much for the past 40 years. We just happened to do this right at the very start of a global pandemic. Ideal.

Well, it didn’t stop us in our tracks. Instead, we started exactly what we set out to do – starting with a complete overhaul of our Leisure Home range, delivered to market within six months.

The strategy began with our conceptual design team, Mary and Allannah, who lead the way in terms of bringing fresh ideas and interior concepts into everything we do.

You’ll see from the 2021 range and in particular, our flagship model, the Lakewood that we weren’t going to do this in any other way than with a bang.

It’s our aim to make every holiday in your Victory one that helps you feel refreshed, comfortable and proud to be a Victory owner.

So we asked Mary and Allannah to give us their review of 2021 and what trends they expect to see into 2022, so that we continue to help our customers make the most amazing memories with their family and friends in their Victory (not to mention, a much needed change of scenery!).

2021 – it’s all about the soft tropics

We recognise that customer expectations are very different from some years past, people are looking for that true home away from home and don’t want their leisure home to look like a (wait for it…) a caravan. That’s why we lead with innovation to make sure that our products are constructed more solidly, but so that they also have a domestic look and feel throughout.

“Every day I look for inspiration, in the websites I visit, the social media accounts I follow, as I walk down the street and do my shopping. Design inspiration can come in every shape and form, and often in those weird times like in the shower!

This year, we welcomed soft tropics to our range. Although this isn’t a new trend with jungle pattern, and botanical prints, soft tropics offer a calmer, lighter and more accessible approach. There’s been a big movement for indoor plants to help create better air circulation within our homes – I don’t know about you but our homes have turned into plant jungles, and we love it.” - Allannah

“The longing to surround ourselves around nature doesn’t stop at plants – natural materials such as wicker and rattan create focal sustainable furniture within a space. The feature wall we all knew and loved has grown up a bit – large textured wall art serving as a headboard, clever uses of block colours or textured woods allowed us to rethink how we use materials and colour.

 As a whole 2021 has been the year for creating a comfortable home, a nest after a turbulent and historic period of time to be living in.” - Mary

2022 – Japandi eco-inspired design

Looking ahead to 2022, we wanted to find out what trends and design principles we can expect to see for the next range changes from the design team at Victory…

“2022 brings with it a conscious awareness for sustainable products, and this message is also conveyed into the aesthetic of the design with natural materials and neutral colour palettes.

We’re loving the Japandi style; which is a blend of Japanese and Scandinavian design, creating harmony within the home. Sleek lines, earthy tones, earth-born materials, texture and pale and rich woods combined create a balanced and varied scheme. After all, your environment is a fundamental factor to your health and well-being.” - Allannah

“We’ve ditched grey, turns out it wasn’t our type on paper… and quite frankly it’s far too depressing for 2022 and that’s why beige is back… no seriously. Stone, clay, travertine, ground colours, are all nature based.  Deep greens, charcoals and navy hues offer a contrast whilst the warm neutrals console, comfort, reassure and go hand in hand with the idea that ‘a home is about the feeling it gives you.’ – Doesn’t that sound inviting!

Practically, we also see the need for de-cluttering space with clever storage solutions, allowing for a calmer, cleaner environment in all our homes.

We’ve also extended this thought process into our layout design, the modern home will have few divisions bringing us closer together. One space for living, dining and cooking. Foldable walls, windows or dividers link the interior and exterior, inviting the outdoor in.” - Mary

Sustainability tip

Storage jars for pastas, rice etc reduce plastic waste also – We love the Refill Jar, Beverley. Try your local refill market to support zero waste: https://www.therefilljar.co.uk/

A product we’re loving right now:

Made in Hull, Nature Wall offer a range of handcrafted sustainable interior wall solutions including our favourite right now Slat Wall. A beautifully designed slat wood panel, which offers Class A sound absorption. This product transforms walls and ceilings:  https://www.naturewall.co.uk/collections/slatwall/products/natural-oak

Colours we’re loving right now:

Lick – Orange 02 = A warm earthy orange that’s rich and wholesome. With a brown base the energy level is toned down to a kicked back baked terracotta

Lick – Beige 04 = Designed to work with anything and everything – this perfectly warm beige paint, with a touch of black pigment undertone is both warm and chic.

Little Greene – Jack Black = The soot from a burning oil is collected to produce this pigment – this is absolute black.