Colours find their best expressions on the catwalk. Every season, new and reworked colours walk down the catwalks in Milan, New York, Paris and London, and are then translated into high street palettes.
However, colour trends aren’t just for the catwalk. Just like the catwalks influence our wardrobe, so do they inspire our design ideas. Of course, we don’t need to change the colour of our living room every season: however, it’s good to keep up with the trends and upgrade your home to the current colour favourites.
Your first stop to find out the hues of the season is the Pantone Colour Institute, the world-renowned authority on colour. The 2014 Pantone colour of the year is radiant orchid, described by Pantone as blooming “with confidence and magical warmth that intrigues the eye and sparks the imagination.” While it’s not a colour that should be used in large doses at home, radiant orchid makes for a lively accent and gives any room a fresh direction.
The sea, especially, enters our home in shades of delicate blue, mint green and stormy grey
On the other end of the scale is grey, which is fast becoming a colour of choice for the home. The first impression is that grey might be dull. However, just like white comes in various shades, so does grey. Think of the almost metallic elegance of silvery grey, the comfort of rustic grey, and the good first impressions of charcoal grey. Moreover, grey lends itself very well to textural and gradient effects. Grey can also be comforting: a chunky grey sofa throw is homely in a lovely way.
Other warm colours for this season include oatmeal and matt charcoal grey. These shades give a room a relaxed feel: as the cold season approaches, these shades reflect the colour of the rain, clouds and dim sunlight outside, but give interiors a homely makeover.
For furniture, this season’s mood is light. Dark tones such as mahogany have dominated the market for a long time and they have now made way for lighter, caramel and honey wood tones. Dark brown shades such as chocolate are also becoming less popular, in favour of warmer browns such as mocha and cinnamon.
Dark brown shades such as chocolate are also becoming less popular, in favour of warmer browns such as mocha and cinnamon
Saturated colours are also in this season, especially deeply-saturated colours like navy and plum. Navy can also act as a neutral colour as it can blend very well with other colours.
With neutrals, remember that they look best in large doses such as on carpets and sofas: companion colours can then be used as a bright splash of colour such as crimson, acid yellow and bright green.
Nature, as always, is a vast source of inspiration. This season, the sea, especially, enters our home in shades of delicate blue, mint green and stormy grey. However, the sea isn’t just a temperamental, wintery one. Memories of holidays past are reflected in soft pastels and vivid brights such as ice-cream pink and muted sand colours.
This season’s colour combinations are a gentler take on the combos which were popular in recent years. The brown and blue combo, for instance, has been a staple of seasons past: however, this season’s browns are a bit lighter, such as caramel and tan. Other combos, such as black and white, are still a popular choice.
Of course, just like fashion is there to enjoy, so are interiors colours. When choosing a colour for your bedroom, living room or kitchen, think of colours that make you smile and bring them into your world.