WALLPAPER Wallpaper has gone through a revamp and is now firmly back in design vogue. You'll still get a chance to tear down the dated stripes and the drooping florals though; the prints of today are large, bright and pack a real punch. If you fancy some sparkle on your walls, check out Belynda Sharples' designs, worked onto shimmery Stardust paper for The Art of Wallpaper (www. theartof wallpaper. com). The very groovy Vortex range from ie. . . wallpaper (www. iewallpaper. com), is also one to look out for, and the perfect print for a feature wall. Or cosy up your room with the metallic and pearlescent finishes of Muraspec's Lyon range (www. muraspec. com). Other suppliers to keep an eye on are Erica Wakerly, (www. ericawakerly. com) gaining notice in the design world for her striking geometric prints, and Jocelyn Warner, whose Kaleido wallpaper features some arresting iridescent computer-generated images.

STORAGE Storage is huge now. And this year, the shelving system, cabinet and even the humble box have become design features, rather than just receptacles for so much household clutter. Don't choose units to fade into the background. Instead, go for interesting designs, handsome materials or bright splashes of colour. Take a look at trendsetters Derek Welsh (www. derekwelsh. co. uk), with his assortment of sleek solid wood and Formica boxes, and Jake Phipps, (www. jakephipps. com), whose modernist Dali shelving is causing a real stir in London. The mighty Zaum (www. zaum. net), has come up with Gravitate your Shelf, an ingenious shelving system and 3600 room divider, as well as the subtle yet stylish My Shelf. And Italian company Rexite is also worth taking a look at. Its elegant Boox . . . a modular shelving system . . . is versatile enough to serve as a holding unit, bookcase or display cabinet (www. rexite. it).

JAPAN Up until now, the Japanese have been content to rock the catwalk and rule the car showroom. This year, however, the most stylish nation on earth has been quietly making its mark on the interior design world. A whole section of 100% Design was given over completely to Japanese products, with 100% Inc's special treatment of often ignored everyday objects . . . fluorescent light tubes, incandescent light bulbs and umbrellas . . . causing a stir (www.100per. com). Naoki Terada and Teradadesign Architects' contemporary furniture (www. teradadesign. com), and sunnin co, Ltd's super compact pieces, (www. sunnin. jp), in particular the gorgeous Tokyo Dresser, also embodied that imagination and sophistication so typical of Japanese design.

CARPETS AND RUGS Carpet, like wallpaper, languished in design limbo for many a year as the 'white walls and wooden floors' mania took hold. Now, though . . . just like wallpaper . . . carpets and rugs, have been rethought and have come back stronger than ever. Floor to Heaven's (www. floortoheaven. com), custommade rugs are fantastic examples of the vibrancy and tactility of today's floor coverings, as are the super funky contemporary pieces of Scotland's The Rug Company (www. rugdesign. co. uk).

SEATING Forget about your favourite moth-eaten easy chair, seating is really being invested in. Chairs, sofas and stools now come in all the styles of the globe and the colours of the rainbow. Their common denominator? Quality and comfort. The throne of them all came from Indian workshop Wrap Art & Design, (www. wrap. co. in), where each chair has been smothered in sheets of pure silver. For the less queenly among us are exciting new designs like the funky Track modular sofa and the beautifully angled pinch stool from Noughtone (www. naughtone. com).

Meanwhile, Sawka Interior's Melon low back chair, with its curved seat designed to lean lazily backward, looks almost as if it's taking a snooze (www. sakwainterior. dk).

WOOD As those at 100% Design say, "plastic can be hip, glass can be cool, but wood commands too much respect to be in or out of fashion". The range of wooden design pieces at 100% is also testament to how beautiful a wooden piece can look in the home. Look for simple and modern designs; don't bother with pieces that are over-embellished or that cover up the beauty of the material.

The work of woodworker Derek Welsh (www. derekwelsh. co. uk), should give you some inspiration. The components of his furniture fit together beautifully, almost like a jigsaw, to create beautifully simple and elegant pieces.

William Garvey is also causing a stir, going where few would venture by bringing a range of wooden products into the bathroom. His teak sinks, baths, basins, shower tray and toilet seats are waterproof, require no maintenance and look like a million dollars (www. williamgarvey. co. uk).

LIGHT This is the year for lighting; there's never been so much choice or inspiration. In fact, the demand for a focus on lighting has been so strong that 100% Design devoted an entire section to it: 100% Light. Be guided by design classics and sleek modern shapes. Steer clear of patterned, fussy and overly decorated pieces, concentrating instead on style, shape and classic colours like black, white and red. Look out for Bestlite's 1930s classic pendant design, (www. bestlite. com), the organically shaped Clover by Gunnel Svensson for Bsweden (www. bsweden. com), and the gorgeously layered Mercer Negra from conciLUCE (www. conciluce. com).

Designers Shane Holland (www. shanehollanddesign. com), and Niamh Barry, (www. niamhbarrydesign. com), who headed up the Irish contingent at 100% Design, are also producing some beautifully imaginative new pieces.

THE BATHROOM More and more the design world is looking on bathrooms as places to relax and rejuvenate, rather than just rinse.

Most of all, though, designers have been concentrating on quality of design.

Ideal Standard, for example, has commissioned leading designer Jasper Morrison to bring out a new collection of fittings, sanitaryware and furniture, each piece bearing a signature soft square shape and oval interior (www. idealstandard. co. uk). Technojunkies will also be interested to hear about the latest technology to hit bathroom design: German company Dornbracht has introduced a RainSky E range, where the rhythm of the shower actually echoes the pattern of natural rainfall. An electronically controlled rain module can control water, mist, light and scent in choreographies based on nature itself (www. dornbracht. com).

SUSTAINABILITY From now on, things need to look as good on the outside as on the inside. In other words, nothing that we put in our homes should adversely affect the world outside of them. You'll see more and more companies designing around the principles of sustainability and fair trade, like Sofar/Sonear (www. sofarsonear. com), whose collection of silks, carpets and rugs is inspired by organic forms and whose aim is the promotion of the third-world economies through fair trade. Check out the quirky Carpet-Burns, (www. carpet-burns. com), a company whose founder, Kelly Atkins, had her light bulb moment after accidentally leaving an iron on her carpet. Upon realising that thousands of tonnes of carpet are sent to landfill for this very reason, she set about recycling the carpet into Heat Treated Carpet (HTC) and using this to create furniture for the home. Other design innovations include Herman Miller's 99% recyclable Celle chair (www. hermanmiller. com), and Dalsouple's Dalnaturel rubber flooring (www. dalsouple. com).

CERAMICS There's no need to toss away your tea sets and your beloved porridge bowl;

ceramics are being celebrated for their pure, clean appearance and tactile qualities. Look for ceramics that are delicate and beautiful, but with a sleek contemporary slant, like German designer Joanne Windaus' tableware . . .

both eastern in its delicacy and very German in its modern functionality (www. joannewindaus. com). Timea Sido has also launched an interesting collection this year. Through an innovative technique in which organic lines are formed and layered, Sido's 'Tangled in the Middle' range of lighting and wall art constitutes a direct challenge to conventional ceramic design (www. timeasido. co. uk).