The year 2018 will, without a doubt, introduce some innovations into our lives, and, one of them is new decoration trends. Architect Banu Altay, the founding partner of the Sia & Moore architecture office, known for its prestigious residential and commercial projects in Turkey and the Middle East, commented on the decoration trends of 2018 for us.

Producing projects together with her partner Aydın Vural Gökçek in Doha, Qatar, where she has been working since 2011, Altay has a good command of the Middle Eastern market. She has undertaken the design of private palaces and offices of emirates in Qatar, completed a great number of projects in a very short time and received awards. Additionally, she has undertaken the fine construction work of all social facilities involved in the Mondrian Doha Hotel project designed by world-renowned designer Marcel Wanders. She has produced projects in Libya, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Qatar, Northern Iraq, Russia, Georgia, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and the U.K. Based on her experiences in Islamic countries, Altay said that the concept of "spirituality in design" will be further appreciated in 2018.

Altay said: "The use of work inscribed with ‘bismillah' will be further extended to lounges and reception halls. We will mostly come across the works of calligraphy and gilding, as well as the hand of Fatima made of brass and copper. We also offer velvet curtains decorated with the verses and sections of the Quran as an example of embroidery, which are all selected in accordance with the decoration style of the place. The curtains decorated with verses especially will be very popular."

Reaching significant export figures in architecture, Altay stated that they work with a number of artisans from the Grand Bazaar and the city of Mardin, and exported their productions overseas.

Mentioning that another trend in 2018 is check patterns, Altay said that checkered fabrics made in Scotland to protect from the freezing cold will add a sense of coziness to homes.

"The checkered fabric which became the symbol of Scottish clans in time was a status symbol, in line with the fabric's colors and texture. The oldest example of checkered fabric is from 3,000 years ago, which was found in 1985 by archaeologist Dolkun Kamberi during an excavation performed in the town of Cherchen located in the western part of China. But, in the 19th century, it was still maintaining its popularity in many aspects of designing, including the world of fashion. And today, it is highly likely to be used more frequently in homes. You can introduce the checkered fabric into your home environment in a balanced way, with a single seat, chair, ottoman or pillows. We will come across this historic texture more often, as tablecloths, bedding sets, curtains and even wallpaper, as well as in seating groups, sofa throws and armchair covers. It will bring warmth and sincerity to spaces," Altay said.

Altay mentioned that the masculine designs previously used in decorations of offices as well as homes will be replaced with warmer styles in 2018 and said the wellness concept will be trendy.

Altay said that this trend will start from the managerial offices and then will expand throughout the interior company designs and added, "The transition to wellness-concept offices will firstly begin from the executives encouraged to stay away from sharp-set designs. This will be reinforced by cream, light green shades and round-design furniture. Local habits in the managerial office will also be made available across the company. The companies will introduce an organic snack bar area shared in their offices, a number of cosmetic products in their restrooms, bio-design walls furnished with real plants, common resting points furnished with bird and water sounds, rooms offering dry massage service on certain days of the week, exercise areas and technologies to increase indoor air quality."

Altay stated that wellness-concept offices will also raise the awareness level of employees in the busy routine of business life, and added: "The key component of ‘wellness-concept' offices is the mirror and mirror-like reflecting materials. These materials and designs are important since they allow the individuals to observe themselves and to notice situations such as postural and sitting defects as well as weight gain."

Emphasizing that this trend has already begun particularly in large companies in Europe, Banu Altay added, "The employee productivity was measured to increase by 30 percent upon the construction of woods in the center of the Ferrari factory in Italy. Offices will be reorganized to show respect for natural and social space usage in 2018. The application areas at which the executives and employees will share their hobbies with each other will be another feature of 2018 offices. VR game rooms, remote control car races, drone photography contests, personal plant growing, even pet feeding points will alter the socialization areas of the offices architecturally to a great extent."