Colour-Me-Happy
Finally, as we find ourselves waving good-bye to the confinement of the Pandemic, we realise that our home-office, home-school, home-hospital can once again just be a home-home.
It’s been good to us over the last couple of years, providing a safe place for us to conduct our usually out of house, day-to-day business, but now it’s time to return the favour and turn those four prison walls back into a home the whole family can enjoy.
By way of thanks, it’s time to sweep the laptops off the dining room table, return the Lemsips and tissues back to the medicine cupboard and pull the educational Post-Its off the walls so we can give the whole place a fresh new look.
After a very ‘vanilla’ few years, most of us are looking forward to a much brighter future and this is certainly reflected in the Home Colour Trends 2022. Move over mute tones and welcome bold colour. Whether in the kitchen or bedroom, the use of bold colour will lift mood and inspire imagination.
However, don’t get rid of the grey just yet! Although this season will see grey pushed to one side slightly to make room for the bright and beautiful, it’s not on the shelf just yet. In fact, there will continue to be an abundance of the crisp and clean greys and whites in interiors, as they provide the canvas for the use of bright colours, making our homes feel light and airy. You’ll see grey holding onto its popularity as it responds to moving trends by seeing an increase in shades of grey with undertones of some of the season’s most popular colours such as the Shermin-Williams Colour of the Year 2022, Evergreen Fog.
Supporting our newfound appreciation for the outdoors, the colour that will be predominantly seen throughout our interiors this year is green. It’s probably no coincidence that this year’s colour represents peace, rest, security and freshness, so is therefore being embraced by the Interior Design Industry this season.
Green is an incredibly versatile colour, as it’s available in many shades and can be used in any room.
Create a feeling of calm in the bedroom with sage green or make a statement with deep, vibrant green. Design should be very much based around bringing the outside in, keeping the outdoors at the forefront of the design brief.
Think about nurturing colours; leafy greens combined with natural materials such as stone and wood for that all-natural forest feel, for example. Or if you’re after more elegance, adding gold accessories to a rich green will create a truly opulent look that’ll make your friends green with envy.
If green isn’t really your bag, your home can still be on trend this season.
From the forest to the ocean, the use of blues, whether dusky or deep, will create tranquil and relaxing spaces. Often a hue for bedrooms and bathrooms, this year will see blue feature in the rest of our homes. Use it alongside sandy tones like hemp, oatmeal and cork for an elegant natural look or brighten with a sunny yellow hue and you’ll feel like you’re on a beach holiday every day!
Opt to paint walls and ceilings in the Dulux Colour of the year 2022, Bright Skies, for a soothing and uplifting space resembling endless blue skies or make paintings artwork pop with a Midnight Blue.
Resemblant of the warmer climes of Africa and Australia, terracotta will provide you with a fresh and vibrant feel in the early part of the day and evolve into a rich and cosy tone in the evening. Opting for a terracotta paint made from natural materials will furnish your room in a softer, chalkier tone, making the space more intimate.
Finally, if the forest, the seaside or hot and dry climes don’t tickle your fancy then how about a walk amongst the meadows? Lilac is becoming a popular choice with both male and female clients as it remains a romantic and charismatic colour without compromising on style and glamour. Particularly effective on wooden furniture or panelling, this is one colour that won’t be overlooked this season.
Colours like Lily Lily Rose can transform any space into a comforting sanctuary full of fresh new promise.
Contrary to popular belief there’s no need to be scared of using colour, even in a small room, but there are a few rules you should remember before you get slap-happy:
Choose a muted tone, either of the same colour or one complementary to the bold colour you’ve chosen
In small rooms, don’t paint all the walls and the ceiling in a bold colour – unless you’re looking for a closed in, snug effect – but instead opt for a continuous muted hue or white ceilings
In any size of room, aim for around 30% coverage of the bolder shade and 70% of the more muted colour
Opt for a brightly patterned wallpaper instead of a solid block colour for that extra something. Wallpapers printed with natural elements such as bamboo leaf will feature highly this season
Don’t forget the door frames and picture rails. Painting them in the muted tone will highlight the bold colour, making it more vibrant.
Leigh Hall from Strive for Design in an interior designer in Cambridge, as if you’d prefer to have a professional introduce colour into your home, please don’t hesitate to call us on 01223 622 688, send us an email or complete our enquiry form.