Stone me! Why brown really is the new black
As Dulux names ‘Brave Ground’ its colour of the year, Jessica Doyle says it’s the perfect shade for now
Earlier this week, when Dulux revealed a shade called “Brave Ground” as its colour of the year for 2021, the reaction from some tastemakers was muted – not unlike the colour itself, a pale, cool brown described as the shade of raw clay.
After the year we’ve had, wouldn’t a jollier, more uplifting colour be more fitting?
Look a little deeper at the psychology behind the choice, however, and it might make more sense.
Brown has been making a comeback in fashion and interiors, tying in with the trend for Seventies styling – but this colour was chosen not as a result of the catwalk, but by examining wider social issues.
Kate Watson-smyth, author and founder of madaboutthehouse.com, (who repainted her charcoal grey living room a deep chocolate brown a couple of years ago) explains: “The panel behind this looks at trends in social media, fashion, architecture, politics and environment; it’s as much about a colour that represents the psychological state of the global mind as something to put on the walls.
“In that sense, Brave Ground is the perfect choice.
“On the one hand, it is simply a continuation of the move towards warm neutrals that has been building for the last couple of years.
“On the other, it is, as the name suggests, a grounding colour – a quiet yet warm neutral that supports all the other colours but also suggests we need to have our feet firmly on the ground if we are to make the changes needed in the world.”
The colour was chosen over a year ago – before anyone had heard of Covid-19 or experienced the fundamental lifestyle changes it brought – but, according to Marianne Shillingford, Dulux’s creative director, the world was already in a state of turmoil, thanks to climate change and political instability.
Dulux’s panel considered changing the shade after the pandemic emerged, but then decided that they had got it right first time.
“The process [of choosing the colour] is about getting to the nuts and bolts of the things we find important,” says Shillingford.
“From there, the big story is, how are we going to be living in our homes, and how does this reflect on the way we live and work?
“We distil it down to how will this be captured in colours that give us what we want and need from our homes and workspaces.”
What is needed right now, it seems, is a connection with nature, which brings a feeling of security.
“The theme is that we need to have courage to make really fundamental decisions about what we’re doing with the planet; we can’t put them off any more,” continues Shillingford.
“That needs bravery, from business and from us as individuals. The idea is that we need solid ground from which to make these decisions in our own lives, hence this positive, elemental colour.”
The trend for biophilia – fostering a sense of connection with the outside world – has been building for several years, hence the popularity of furniture and accessories made from natural materials such as wood and rattan, and the craze for house plants.
This colour will work with what Shillingford calls “that sort of pareddown, natural, naked stuff; the stuff you don’t have to do much to and it’s effortlessly beautiful”.
“It’s the same with our food,” she adds, “the less processed it is, the closer to the earth and the more organic, the better.
“We’re thinking about everything we put in our bodies, and these colours that are similarly simple – I think that’s what we want.”
What we also want is a colour that is easy to use: neutral paint shades are by far the most commercially successful. Grey has been popular for so long
‘What we need now is to connect with nature, and that brings a feeling of security’
partly because it complements most other tones, and Brave Ground is intended to perform the same function, while also adding warmth to walls. “It works with everything,” agrees Shillingford.
“It’s safe and warm, a transition from the urban look of grey into something much more organic and natural.”
It contains both cool greyish tones and warmer pink notes, so it will change with the light and with whatever shades it is paired with, toning down hotter colours like bright pinks, yellows and reds, while warming up cooler blues and greens.
Whatever it is used alongside, it will provide the grounding quality that a neutral tone brings: ultimately, the idea is that at a time of tumult and fear outside our homes, we will want the atmosphere within to feel calm, serene and nurturing.
As Shillingford puts it: “I’m sick of being challenged – don’t challenge me with your walls! Keep them quiet.”