The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Show your home’s true colours this season with Dulux
As autumn gets into full swing, grab yourself a paintbrush and invite warm tones into your house with the 2019 Dulux Colour of the Year...
The Dulux colour of the year has arrived. Deliberated by an expert panel of colour designers, design specialists, trend forecasters, architects and editors from around the world, the deliciously-named shade has been unveiled as Spiced Honey.
It is the 16th year the paint brand has released its annual trend forecast in a bid to predict the kind of themes and colour schemes people will be choosing for their homes in the year ahead.
The panel join together to discuss what we increasingly need from the spaces around us, capturing a universal theme, and finally suggests a colour that suitably embodies the mood of the moment for the year ahead.
Dulux believes that if the unpredictability of 2018 forced people to retreat and regroup in the safety of their homes, then 2019 is the time for awakening and letting in some light.
The warm and inviting amber tones of Spiced Honey should capture this theme, explains Heleen van Gent, head of the global aesthetic centre and chair of the panel: “It can be both calming and nourishing or stimulating and energising, depending on the palettes and light surrounding it.
“The contemporary hue is versatile, sophisticated and timeless and lends itself to a broad spectrum of life and interior styles – perfect for reflecting the universal mood encapsulated by the panel.
“Every year, we seek to transform a trend into a colour that responds to consumer needs and enables them to bring a mood, affecting their life, in to their homes,” Heleen goes on.
“In 2019, as a society, we want to reach out, engage with our communities, make things better and ‘be the change’ – anything from supporting charities to small acts of neighbourly kindness. It’s time to act and Spiced Honey enables transformation inspiring a positive, emotional change.”
Marianne Shillingford, creative director for the Dulux brand in the UK, says: “Spiced Honey has a raw, natural quality that works like a warm neutral, which makes it so adaptable to pairing with different materials and styles of decoration. Its rich caramel tones visually turn up the thermostat a few degrees and so it’s perfect for creating a relaxed cosy atmosphere in places where we like to think, dream, love and act”
She goes on: “It looks especially good when teamed with whites and off-whites in furniture and furnishings, which gives it a contemporary feel.”
Alongside identifying Spiced Honey as a lead colour for the year ahead, the panel also transformed the insights into a set of colour palettes, all inspired by the mood of the moment and all teaming beautifully with the hero shade for the season.
All palettes include Spiced Honey, are inspired by the varied tones and properties of honey itself, and have been designed to make decorating with the Colour of the Year simple.
Marianne adds: “The colour palettes tell different stories of colour and the way we will be using it in our homes in the year ahead. Think, Dream, Love and Act are the trends that capture a new spirit of resilience and optimism in a world that had us retreating to our homes and hiding behind the sofa in 2018.”
Warm neutrals – a space to think: the ‘think’ palette has an inviting mix of rich neutrals and touches of soft pink, intense burgundy and sophisticated deep blue. Polished woods, midcentury furniture, graphic rugs and textiles emphasise the smart look.
Soft pastels – a space to dream: the ‘dream’ palette is a gently muted mix of romantic powder pinks and blues that create calm. Plain pale woods, simple hand-thrown vessels and pretty fabrics add to the contemplative, centred feel of this space.
Intense pigments – a space to love: the “love” palette is filled with richly pigmented shades including deep forest green, bold teal and intense terracotta red. With wooden furniture and botanical prints, it creates a cosy space perfect for sharing with loved ones.
Bold brights – a space to act: the “act” palette is playful, with pops of vivid red and green among pale pinks and blues and crisp greys and whites. This space is brought to life with reclaimed, personalised furniture and bold graphic shapes.
Dulux’s Colour of the Year 2019 is Spiced Honey, a warm, energising and sophisticated tone that will suit any home.