What’s ahead for colour
The mood in 2017 is swinging toward dark palettes and sophisticated tones
The year 2017 is predicted to be more of a “revolution” than “evolution” in colour schemes for the home, says Sharon Grech, colour and design spokesperson for Benjamin Moore.
For the past five or so years, colours have got lighter and lighter, says Grech, highlighted by Benjamin Moore’s 2016 colour of the year — Simply White — which starkly contrasts with its 2017 colour of the year, Shadow (described as a “purply black”).
“There’s that time when things start to change drastically, and we’re kind of at that point now,” says Grech, who says their creative team travels extensively to art museums, galleries and design fairs in Europe, North America and Asia, in researching their colour of the year. The team noticed a swing toward a darker palette in everything, including the automotive industry.
“There was something about those rich, wine-coloured, violet tones that seemed very fresh on one hand, but also there’s a heritage sense to them that we really found very important for our times right now, so that’s how we moved to our catalyst colour,” she says.
The name, Shadow, reflects the importance of light in the home, Grech says.
“For 2017, we were really struck by how colour is influenced by light,” she says. “How we perceive colour is so affected by light and by shadow.”
Grech says artists and designers have always been fascinated by the relationship between light and colour, and the way light affects the mood, ambience and our overall experience of a colour.
The lighting industry is changing fast too, she says, and that affects our experience of colour in the home.
“There’s just so much more going on with lighting, we’re so much more influenced by lighting.”
Interior designer Ami McKay, of Pure Design, has certainly noticed a contrast in clients gravitating toward either a lighter or darker colour palette.
“It’s the light and the dark right now,” McKay says. “Not positive and negative, it’s just some people need light and bright around them and others are looking for something that’s really cosy and intimate.”
Dark and moody tones are sophisticated, McKay says, and are really striking a chord with people emotionally, and she’s using them in powder rooms particularly.
Describing one powder room she is currently designing, she says:
“We’re going to do a very moody grey, a very dark grey, with gorgeous light fixtures and herringbone light flooring, and a 10-inch-thick marble wrap going around the sink. It’s quite elegant.”
Dusky blues, “glorious heather tones” and vintage-like colours are also popular right now, says McKay, along with an ongoing love of pastels.
“Pale pastels aren’t going anywhere,” she says. “It’s a great transition for people who are scared of colour, it’s easier to have a little pastel here and there, it’s really muted and really soft.”
Much like the Benjamin Moore team, BEHR (which specializes in architectural paint and exterior wood-care products) researches lifestyle trends when deciding on their 20 new paint colours, which they develop and release annually.
Looking ahead to the new year, they’ve noticed an increasing desire for “me time” at home, says BEHR’s Nancy Bollefer, with people craving colours that help them “de-stress” and see their home as a “safe haven” whether they’re eating, entertaining or working there.
“To have a place to play, and to accommodate fun, and creativity, is really important, not only for kids, but adults too,” says Bollefer. “It’s part of the maker movement.”
Through BEHR’s new Composed, Comfortable and Confident palettes, which includes colours such as Wanderlust, “teal and reminiscent of a mid-century modern palette”, Artful, “a deep red” and Laidback Grey, they feel they can offer this type of space to people, Bollefer says.
“Each of these is designed to be inspirational, and personal and create a home that fits your style and personality,” she says.