WHAT THE EXPERTS ARE SAYING: 2021 COLOUR TREND FORECAST
Let's face it, 2020 has not been the year we expected - so if we've learnt anything, it's that the future has plenty of curveballs up its sleeve! But if there is one thing in 2021 that we can be sure of, it's the colour forecast for our domestic interiors. While social norms and rules continue to change, our homes have taken on new meaning (we really do spend more time than ever there).
Colour, shape and texture are taking the centre stage this season and are essential components of creating that calming, nurturing and multitasking living spaces that we all crave. Creating a space that is as dynamic as our new lifestyles are more important than ever - and definitely something to keep in mind while designing your home. Having a versatile space that can adapt to your changing needs has underpinned the 2021 colour forecast, so keep reading to find out the top tips and trends for choosing your colour palette.
Haymes Colour Library
As Haymes' Colour and Concepts Manager, Wendy Rennie is sharing all of her tips and predictions for the 2021 colour trends forecast. Divided into three palettes, Haymes' trends are inspired by creating a specific 'mood' as opposed to a colour theme - they basically take the guesswork out when deciding which colours will help you achieve the atmosphere you want, so all you have to do it pick the 'feel' you're going for and you're sorted. This is totally on-brand with the need for a versatile and adaptable space in 2021 and will get you one step closer to that dream space you're after.
Calm Mind
The first palette, 'Calm Mind', is a soft and soothing array of pastel tones, which offer a calming and nurturing environment. This dreamy combination of colours aims to emulate the relaxing look and feel of a spa retreat, so you can create an oasis in your very own home. Start by picking your favourite colour combination, and then begin to work in the colours as well as natural materials like wood, stone and concrete to help balance out the pastels. Teaming these pastels with natural materials creates a soothing atmosphere while keeping things fresh and contemporary. Rennie recommends pairing the buttery yellow Manilla with a more muted neutral like Bloom Pumice and Natural Oak.
Happy Home
This palette encapsulates a relaxed approach to interiors and introduces an uplifting array of tones intended to evoke joy. By focusing on areas you want to inject energy into, you can introduce bright and bold colours by colour blocking. This will create an energised feeling without seeming busy, and can even be a great place to tie in something a little quirky. Rennie recommends combining Middle Pod White and True Self to provide something bold that isn't too overwhelming. Try using multiple tones to colour block, and break them up with a fresh white to keep the space light and energetic.
Grounded Palette
This palette draws inspiration from the earthy tones of the natural world, intended to offer an escape from the artificial light of our screens and devices to keep us present and grounded. By drawing on the beauty of the rich colours of the landscape, this palette is perfect for creating an intense and transformative space that brings an element of the outdoors right into your space. Rennie recommends pairing using a singular colour like Moment or Immersive Blue to create an immersive space with a distinctive organic feel.
By using the colours in the Colour Library Vol 14, you'll be able to learn all about how to layer colours and finishes in your home to create a specific mood. The whole collection is built on the idea that designing with both a functionality and 'purpose' for the family is what makes a house a home, creating atmosphere rather than just following trends or styles. Rennie also explains why sticking to a consistent theme throughout the house is important for creating flow from room to room, and a key aspect of what builds a solid atmosphere. Inspired by the Australian Landscape, Haymes' unearthed palette is also worth checking out - totally perfect for those looking to weave through some rich and earthy tones throughout their space.
Wattyl - Defining a Post Pandemic World
In a post-Covid world, our homes have become more essential than ever. We eat, sleep, socialise and even work from home - so creating a space that is versatile and comfortable is more important than ever. Curves, texture and colour are key players in 2021 domestic interiors, and key elements to creating your very own sanctuary. Our daily lives have become centred around this concept of 'home', so creating a space that inspires calmness and serenity is crucial to feeling well mentally. Wattyl's focus on shape, colour and textures sees that curved and rounded shapes are going to be a big trend, with soft textures and considered colour palettes becoming the go-to option when trying to create a relaxing environment. These tones and textures pair perfectly with an open living space, which has proven to be a great way to open up a space you spend a lot of time in.
Wattyl's colour trends for 2021 are split into four palettes designed to soothe the lack of security a lot of us have been feeling since March. Shadowy Dark, Uplifting Lights, Nourishing Earth Tones and Humble Whites are each as inspirational as they are reassuring, and are perfect guides for giving your home a well-deserved refresher.
Uplifting Lights
This palette is a collection of four carefully dusted pastels - Snow Rose, Light Aqua, Cave and China Mauve. Perfect for balancing geometric patterns, these tones add warmth and tactility to minimalist spaces (totally made for curved furniture and detailing). These tones are especially great for rooms like bedrooms, as they are subtle enough to remain versatile yet tinted enough to avoid being bland, boring or cold.
Shadowy Darks
The richer, darker hues of this palette (Dark Dream, Black Hole, Deep Forest and Seductress) are a luxurious yet cocooning combination of tones intended to create a mood of timeworn comfort. The experts from Wattyl recommend pairing these colours with panelled walls like Easycraft's Ascot Vogue dado panel, as well as textures like velvet, corduroy and dark timber.
Nourishing Earth Tones
More relevant than ever, warm and nourishing plant-based colours are the ultimate way to reconnect with nature and the outdoors. Terracotta tones like Brandy Snap have a little extra depth and visual interest and are best paired with textured wall linings and mirrored in furnishing textiles like leather, linen and wool. Wattyl also recommends Moccacino, Run Forest, Denim and Honey Honey as top picks for earthy and organic hues.
Humble Whites
This palette is perfect for anything minimalist. Wattyl predicts that these tones are shifting away from a crisp and pristine look toward a warmer detail and styling. This typically simple palette is infused with personality and emotion by pairing materials like timber, vegetable-dyed textiles and hand-made ceramics to create an ambience of homely simplicity. Top picks include Confetti Shower and Ice Volcano, which are perfect for imbuing a space with an authentic sense of earthiness.
Dulux, Connection Through Colour
With home acting more or less as the new epicentre of our lives, connection - to each other, to the environment, to ourselves - is more important than ever. This has driven the need to strike a pretty difficult balance between relying on technology (perhaps more than ever before!) to keep us in touch and making time to "switch off" and reflect.
With three grounding and nurturing palettes, Dulux has responded to our need to feel reassured and strong as we enter a new year filled with new promises. While familiarity and comfort are big cornerstones of next year's trend forecasts, according to the Dulux experts we can expect to see unpredictable material and colour combinations creeping in. We have to continue to welcome adaptation after all!
Retreat
Warm whites, brown-based neutrals and dusty blues strike a balance in this gorgeous palette that aims to create a sense of soft luxury.
“The Retreat palette feels tranquil and sentimental – reminiscing tradition, whilst hinting at better times to come,” - Andrea Lucena-Orr, Dulux Colour and Communications Manager.
Nourish
All that time spent stuck indoors has served to heighten our appreciation for natural beauty. Dulux's Nourish palette is our want for nature and stillness epitomised. With soft olive, muted ochre and gentle, buff neutrals, this palette is striking some kind of balance, and we are loving it.
"...switch off and ground yourself in the moment. Pair [these colours] with simple, handcrafted pieces with raw textures and matte finishes.” - Andrea Lucena-Orr, Dulux Colour and Communications Manager.
Reset Uplifting and optimistic, Reset is exactly what we need to face 2021. Featuring bright hues of rich blue, coral, warm rust and playful terracottas and pinks, Reset celebrates a nostalgic 70s vibe that evokes memories of travel and fun.
“As we retreat indoors, fond memories of past adventures and discoveries inspire our home spaces... Life may be slower, but there’s joy to be had in a less frantic pace." - Andrea Lucena-Orr, Dulux Colour and Communications Manager.
So, with 2020 coming to a close (FINALLY), and 2021 on the horizon - now is the perfect time to start planning a well-earned face-lift for your home. Make your time spent indoors that much more enjoyable, and use paint to create the atmosphere and feeling in your home that you've been missing.
WORDS | Brittany Ross, Lucy Francis
