2008Review:Now money is tighter we are getting more creative with DIY, choosing quality classics and revamping furniture and interiors bit by bit while chairs take centre stage for their ability to easily transform a room, writes Alanna Gallagher

THE SPEND, spend, spend design trend cycle has come to an abrupt halt. The downturn is a bitter pill to swallow but perhaps it will make us think and buy smarter.

Interior design trends have suffered a body blow as the conspicuous consumerism of the boom years now seems woefully out of step with the public's mood. Slick furnishings are so last season.

Our homes are bloated with the latest this and hottest that. We've all binged and now is the time to purge all the high-fashion accessories from our homes and opt for a more grown-up less e-numbered-looking interior.

Luxury items are usually the first to go in a recession, admits Ikea's interior specialist Mikael Berryman.

However people still have the need to live in a functional as well as beautiful environment, he adds.

There's less money and a different attitude to spending whatever we have, says Sean Ó Laoire of Murray Ó Laoire Architects. "After a number of years of opulence and sophisticated minimalism Shebeen chic is a whimsical, ironic response to the current mood."

Jay Bourke's latest restaurant, Shebeen on South George's Street, reflects this attitude. "It's all about forgetting chic cool and more about foraging for bric-a-brac from a skip." It's not a profound statement, rather a restaurant with affordable prices and a décor that you the customer isn't having to pay for with every forkful you consume.

In today's climate people are being more practical, observes Sharon Gearon of Mobilia. "Dining and kitchen chairs are holding their ground, I think it is a bit like kitchen remodelling when people use the existing cupboards and change the doors, people are now changing their chairs to create a new look."

Transparent purple and red are working well. "There is a move towards more comfortable dining chairs for entertaining at home - upholstered chairs and Louis Ghost for the more design conscious," Sharon continues. "For kitchens, people are choosing chairs which can also be used outdoors so it's a two for the price of one deal."

Even certain materials are falling out of favour. Vanilla gloss kitchens are a thing of the past, Berryman adds. "However new finishes in dark grey gloss are starting to appear. And stainless steal will get stiff competition from copper which is expected to be very popular next season."

Kitchen countertops are a real barometer of the public mood, explains interior designer Mary Ryder. "Worktops expanded from the traditional 30mm to 80mm deep. Countertops are now very thin, a size zero if you will."

Rather than patch up and sell, people are now evaluating their homes and investing in lasting items rather than impulse buys, says Angela Brady of Channel Four's The Home Show.

"When spending they are opting for a low energy good quality boiler rather than putting money into superficial stuff. Energy rather than cushions and paper is where the spend is. Everyone wants to cut energy bills."

There are very interesting opportunities for inspiration to face the challenges of rising costs, Ó Laoire continues. "That reality, and if the government is serious about energy reduction measures, then it is most likely we'll be spending whatever monies we have on invisible elements, things like insulation and new heating systems."

Which means new home owners could technically be staring at four blank walls for longer than they think - it's just the sort of Motillium for the home our houses need - a pill to debloat us of our thoughtless choices.

I'd like to think that people will stop being such sheep, sighs interior designer Mary Ryder. "The downturn should make people be more creative, more inventive and have more interesting-looking interiors. There is no more keeping up with the Jones."

The mood is more conservative, it's the good shoe syndrome, explains Ryder. "Clients are pushing themselves to pay more for the 'good article' but in a classic colourway."

Instant gratification is also over. Customers are paying as they go. "We get a large amount of return business as people are remodeling on a room by room basis," adds Gearon. "They will buy the chairs first and then come back for the table."

Now is about evolving interiors, assessing what we have, retaining the cool considered pieces, and being slower to buy new pieces. We won't spend less but we're taking more time to make a decision.

Since we can no longer afford to go out at weekends why not expand your skillset by learning how to add professional flair with the help of the experts?

Mary Ryder Designs is introducing a six-module interiors course aimed at the home decorator and will be offering advice and expertise in soft furnishings, kitchens, floor finishes, window treatments and much more.

Reinvention is the name of this new interiors game. The three Rs are repaint, reupholster, rethink. "People will once again be happy to inherit pieces from friends and family," says Ryder.

Interest in mid-range auction rooms like Buckley's in Sandycove and Adams in Blackrock is also on the up. "An antique piece can be given a new lease of life with a coat of paint. If you can buy a chair for €30 you can resurrect it with a coat of paint and staple gun new upholstery to the seat."

We're already design literate, we now just need to learn how to DIY.

For further details on Mary Ryder's Home School classes call 01-2301245.