Daring colours and designs
Stripes are as popular as ever and are present in all the winter design collections. They match any style of decoration, are not visually tiring and allow both daring and classic combinations of textiles and curtains, which make for pleasant textures and contrasts.

Last season's oriental-style patterns have given way to floral and country motifs inspired by mainly French 18th century paintings and sketches. In this case, daring combinations are the norm, with chocolate-coloured or stone-coloured flat textiles, which are sometimes checked or striped.

Bright colours are preferred, to contrast with the natural varieties: red, moss green and grey make up one of the most popular textile palettes. In smooth textiles, chocolate, anthracite, grey and mauve are this season's winners.

New materials full of possibilities
The latest trends in decorative textiles use the most modern fibres and spinning techniques which, used with the traditional forms of the textiles, make for daring and surprising combinations.

The new textiles are greatly resistant to wear and tear, often fire resistant and with a smoothness that is comparable to that of classic textile materials. Silky fabrics predominate, as well brilliant satin that takes on a thousand different shades depending on the light it reflects.

A further innovation is textile with metallic fibres used in combination with velvet and cotton, which add sophistication to textile and curtain materials.

One of the star materials this winter is velvet made of polyamide, which means it can be sold at a lower price but maintains its velvety appearance. The vintage and iridescent appearance of this fibre means it can be incorporated into any type of decoration.

For lace-style curtains, cotton, lino and gauze are as popular as ever, and they now come in polyester combinations, which means they can be washed easily in warm water.Whatever the style of decoration chosen, it appears that functionality has imposed itself.

Aesthetics are the main concern but the comfort of being able to wash the materials in the washing machine without ruining them is also a priority. Velvet, chenille, cotton and so on can nowadays be washed without loss of tact or colour.