Interior Colour Trends 2016.

Dulux recently published their colour trend for 2016, under the title of Looking Both Ways, (see video here) and identifying the colour of the year as Ochre, a golden yellow tone.  Along with this, four other key trends were  identified  'Heritage and Future, Words and Pictures, Dark and light, and The Grid and letting go' all of which work with the colour of the year.

Heritage and Future

Heritage and Future, probably the most comforting trend,  is about  taking inspiration from the past, and appreciating the history, authenticity and credibility of our rich heritage. You know what you are getting, but to create a future you have to reinvent it, perhaps using traditional crafts but putting a spin on it, using colour in unexpected ways, or blending traditional and modern.
Translated into colours we see a mix of rich   reds that reflect our rich heritage, but also have a bright contemporary feel that points to the future.

Words and pictures

They say if you hold on to something long enough it will come back into fashion, and somehow we appreciate it even more, I think because it then becomes sentimental to us, enveloped in our own memories, for instance, there's something special about a shelf full of vinyl records, don't you think?  Today's digital technology is moving at such a fast pace where words are exchanged for emoticons and abbreviations that we are currently seeing a new found power   and increased interest in words and lettering in interior design.  The colour palette for words and pictures  uses the blue of ink and grey of graphite seen in the printed page, which helps to create a sense of calm in an otherwise busy world of colour saturated  graphics. 

Dark and Light
Probably my least favourite trend because I love the light is Dark and Light, but in this world where everything is switched on 24/7 it is becoming increasingly important to create dark in order for our biological health, constant light disrupts our sleep pattern, Earth Hour has highlighted how much light pollution effects us all, you can never really appreciate a starry night in the city, so to appreciate the light you must first appreciate the dark. The colours in this trend draw its inspiration from both dusk and dawn during the golden hour.

All Images by Dulux

The Grid and Letting go.

This trend is probably my favourite of the four, it feels young and fresh and fun.   This trend is all about experimenting and letting your imagination run a little riot, breaking free from the day to day boundaries and going off grid so to speak to discover new things about yourself, while still having the safety of the norm.   The colours in this palette are vivid and playful, yet still held back by the black and white of the grid.

What do you think, can you relate to any of these trends? To see the full-colour trend report visit Dulux  Colour of the Year, which trend is your favourite?