If you're craving a lick of luxury for your home, look no further than metallics.
Think glittering gold, shimmering silver and burnished bronze.
Precious metal tones sashayed and sparkled their way down the fashion catwalks, and now they're making their mark on our decor.
Decorators, designers and makers have all joined the gold rush, recognising that metallics can bring instant glamour and richness to settings.
They're being seen as accents on accessories, as furniture embellishment and as a brushed finish on textiles.
"Gold, particularly, is so much part of our myths and legends, with childhood stories often having pirates hunting for it," says Frederick Wimsett, who hand-paints Chinoiserie murals which feature 24-carat gold leaf, and whose clients include fashion designer Alice Temperley.
"Gold is literally woven into the fabric of our society. Around half of my projects now feature it in some way. It's warm, light reflective and never goes out of fashion."
Bringing on the bling couldn't be better timed, as that most glittering of seasons – Christmas – is on the horizon. But investing in some decor treasure for your home won't be a waste, as this look's set to last long after the baubles have been packed away.
Metallics are featuring significantly in next year's home collections and the trend will forge its way on to the high street.
"The metallics trend is definitely going to stick around and is being employed across the industry, from tiles to fabrics, wallpapers and furniture," says Steve Charles, co-founder of rare stone and decorative surface specialists Decorum Est.
"It's been channelled through some of the world's leading fashion houses and we're beginning to see it starring in interiors.
"Our latest tile collection, Hollywood, has a blend of white, gold and silver hues and is a nod to the decadence and drama of the post-Gatsby era."
Whether you're a gold-digger, silver-seeker or just burning for bronze, there's sure to be something to appeal – and it needn't tarnish the bank balance. Follow the experts' advice on creating metallic magic...
Gilt trip
Gold's the undisputed star of metals, and it's being celebrated in an exciting exhibition at London's British Museum, Beyond El Dorado (running until March 23, 2014), inspired by the imagined city of gold in South America and featuring an array of ancient Colombian gold art and crafts.
If you fancy giving your home a golden touch, stores are glistening with gold-themed items.
"Gold accents can be seen in the wallpapers and fabrics from Aegean, the new collection from Sanderson," says Rebecca Craig, head of design for Sanderson.
"We featured gold in response to the demand for luxurious home furnishings that look glamorous yet understated, without costing the earth."
Gold, she points out, complements mineral colours, as well as warm blues, reds, pinks and greens.
"Metallic gold highlights are emphasised in natural lights, creating a warm and luxe room scheme," she says. "We've used the palest, most delicate gold sheens, through to gloriously rich gold for backgrounds that showcase exquisite details."
Silver seeker
Silver has a cool, calming effect on a scheme and gives a dash of opulence to contemporary settings.
"Winter's the perfect season to introduce metallics throughout interiors and the trend ranges from warm gold and copper through to cooler chrome and stainless steel," says Gary Chambers at Apollo Blinds, whose made-to-measure roller blinds start from £62.
"We're also seeing pattern coming to the fore as people feel bolder in their choices, and the blend of metallics and detail is very strong."
Copper crush
Even if you've never been a heavy metal fan, the new look of brass, copper, bronze and nickel might change your mind.
The finishes are warm and these softer, richer-looking metals, which are joining gold and silver on the decor stage, work well in both a traditional or contemporary setting.
"The high-shine metallic hues are back in full force and, after all, what's not to like? They have a glow and aura of opulence and uber-luxury," says Janet Morais, president and creative director at luxury interiors specialists Koket.
Brighten up your home with some shimmer and shine as metallics put you in the Christmas mood early. Above left, Chasseur brushed metal aluminium mosaics from the Mosaics collection, from £20.45 per square metre, from OriginalStyle.com; above right, Colin's Rockstar twin, £69, silver dipped Cockatoo, from Bitten (www.bittenlondon.com); top right, Pineapple Glory Cushion Black Silver, £69, from Bitten
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