It’s actually a lot less crystal-ball-gazing - and a lot more number-crunchy - than it might sound; but percentage calculations aside it’s a fascinating (and heavily creative) world I’m lucky enough to deep-dive into on the regular.

As someone who’s always been keenly interested in the new, trend forecasting is a somewhat alchemic blend of analysing data and creative pattern spotting, allowing me to take my existing knowledge of a design topic or niche, cast a wider net to see what’s going on in the world which might affect this going forward, then sourcing (or - as is often the case - serendipitously stumbling on) products, makers, brands and design concepts which offer a good example of where things might be headed.

I’ve worked as a Contributing Trends Writer and Researcher for the world-renowned forecasting agency WGSN for over a decade now, creating monthly reports on key upcoming trends across the interiors sector which help advise business subscribers on where to best focus. Generally looking 1-2 years ahead, and designed to complement the in-house team’s broader predictions, these reports explore…

…I specialise in seeking out and investigating emerging and upcoming trends across interior design, product innovation, craft, DIY, homes and deesigner/makers. This not only complements my brand strategy services, consultancy and creative direction services, it informs the blog posts, content and copy I can create for clients.

This has led to commissions for other forecasting agencies, trickling down into all elements of my writing as well as talking, expert comment etc