It’s still all the greige
But earthy colours now the in thing for a new paint job
THERE’S a way to transform your home that won’t cost a fortune and isn’t a major upheaval — fresh paint.
But what are the colour trends of 2024? Interior designer Patricia Wakely said we’ve moved away from minimalism and onto experimentation.
Wakely — expert paint consultant for Fleetwood, who will be at the Ideal Homes Show this weekend — said earthy tones like brown and yellows, and teal shades of blue are in this year.
“The shade Stone Brown gives personality. You could team it with yellow, and it goes with so many neutrals, as it’s so warm,” she revealed.
“Avoid the starkness brown and white together. Instead, go for an almost white or a powdered almond, which gives a natural feel or a light neutral touch of taupe.
“Another big colour this year is a little bit of petrol. There is a stunning new shade called Caravel Batik.”
And Wakely said the type of light a room receives will affect a colour.
“If you have a north or east facing room, steer away from blue or grey tones and go for deep, definite colours,” she advised.
“For south or west you can do anything
— but don’t do too much yellow. You can overdo it and feel like you’re in an egg yolk.
“Don’t do pure white ceilings, there is no natural projection of light onto a ceiling, so you need a colour that remains bright in a dull light and our Irish light is not warm.”
Ceiling paint is also a new trend that is popular, especially in a dramatic, soft sheen.
Some interior styles will always have a customer base, especially ever-popular shades such as beige and ‘greige’, which is easy to match upholstery and furniture with.
“We are still up for a bit of a ‘greige,’” the paint expert said of the dependable mix of grey and beige.
“Beige is still with us, though a lot of the colours now have more apricot.”
For the exterior of your home, a good rule of thumb is to look different but not stand out too much.
“It’s a fine line. You want a definite colour but not to have people walking past thinking: ‘There’s the orange house.’ Take the vibrancy out and deepen the colour,” Wakely advised.
“If you are green-fingered, you might want the backdrop of a wall or fence in charcoal; with lighting on planting for an urban look.
“A really intense brick colour I use for gardens is the Pink Coffee Bean.
“That works really well with green.” Patricia Wakely will be at the Fleetwood Interior Design Hub at the Ideal Homes Show in the RDS, Dublin, which runs this weekend from tomorrow to Sunday.