Frankfurt (DPA) - This promises to be the year of black and white in textiles for cushions, curtains and covers. Grey is another color we will be seeing a lot in 2014. "But that does not mean things will be looking bleak or that color is out," says German trend analyst Gabriela Kaiser.

She says we'll be buying black and white fabrics in houndstooth prints combined with pastel tones and metallic colors. "A grey sofa matched with fabrics in strong pink or even flesh tones can generate a warm, soft atmosphere in a room," says Kaiser.

Bright, shocking colors will definitely be a theme. Martin Auerbach from Germany's Association of Textile Manufacturers has a list of colors he thinks will be trendsetters including pink, purple, bright orange and lemon tonic. Natural colors and prints will also be on shoppers' minds. "We are going to see materials with bright floral prints in glowing tones and natural shades," explains Auerbach. Animal prints on cushions and bed coverings will remain popular particularly in Germany.

Owls and deers are giving way to gentler beings such as butterflies, ladybugs and dragonflies, but forest dwellers are unlikely to disappear completely from German homes. "They are very decorative and look very good with turquoise or yellow," says Kaiser.

This year geometric prints will also be a trend thanks to new technologies in the textile making industry.

Colors are not simply going to be combined and printed on materials but wrapped, sprayed, plucked and coiled on or around textiles. "Digital printing is opening unexplored avenues," says Kaiser. Manufacturers rarely use more than four colors in conventional printing for cost reasons, but digital technology allows them to use many more. "It's been a moment of liberation. We are seeing some very wild prints, delicate use of coloring and watercolor-like effects."

Although industrial mass production methods are being used, textiles are becoming more individual. That's the biggest change the industry is seeing, in Auerbach's opinion. "It's now possible to print fabrics using algorithms and make them individual for each client. Each fabric can be slightly different in color and print to the last, so that no two fabrics are identical." Another trend in textiles has arrived from the fashion industry. Opulent looking materials with luscious colors inspired by semiprecious stones are being seen in curtains, cushions and bed linen. "That can add a touch of class to a room," finds Kaiser.

Metallic colors are also popular with fashion designers and that's affecting home textiles too. Warm gold and copper tones are the two main colors of the moment. The good thing is that these trends are not written in stone. They allow you to play around and match as much as you like. Stefan Jakob, spokesman for Germany's Heimtextil fabrics trade fair in Hanover, says shoppers should feel free to experiment and mix different trend elements. "That leads to individuality and that's exactly what consumers want today," he says.