A trend that is coming through at the moment across almost every facet of design is customisation. We’ve all seen the monogrammed phone covers, the ‘design your own’ bags, and now even personalised pillowcases.
We are living in an age where we crave self-determination, reject the prescriptive and seek more balance in our lives. The 2018 Dulux Colour Trends ‘Balance’ is a response to these emotions, focusing on a broad-reaching palette that is all about the individual’s expression.
These trends include four carefully curated themes: Essential, Kinship, Escapade and Reflect – full of globally inspired hues, cocooning combinations, breezy neutrals and folklore-inspired shades that celebrate the traditions of the past and the innovations of the future.
Dulux Colour Expert, Andrea Lucena-Orr says 2018 will be all about balance, connection and community.
“As we let go of the idea of perfection in both our homes and other aspects in our lives, we are instead seeking to create balanced, harmonious interiors that stimulate the senses, while simultaneously allowing us to relax and retreat.”
Sounds pretty captivating, yes? Well, without further ado, let me introduce to you the four Dulux Colour Trends of 2018 – as styled by Bree Leech and photographed by Lisa Cohen.
1. Essential
Consumerism is no longer a status symbol as we are no longer fulfilled by the promise of perfection; we are now looking to find meaning within. Adopting a Nordic philosophy to be present in the moment and to appreciate the simple things in life, people are becoming increasingly considered to nurture their time, and personal connections to people and nature.
The Essential palette takes its cues from the minimalist movement by only owning what you need and what makes you happy; as well as collaborative design to reduce waste. Imperfect finishes, uncomplicated design paired with interesting textures from new materials created from waste and by-product underpins this movement. Comprising soft warm shades of leather, putty and cooler green-greys, Essential’s colours are calming and nurturing with stronger highlights of blues and terracotta.
2. Escapade
Everybody will be a tourist in 2018, a global citizen charting their global adventures on social media. The lines of luxury and affordability continue to blur, bringing people closer to their travel aspirations and dreams. Escapade’s style encapsulates luxury Hotel experiences; and the glamour of sundrenched Brazil, Palm Springs and Miami that is playful, colourful and tropical.
Patterns include geometric and diagonal lines mixed with summery botanical prints. 80s furniture style is referenced through features of coloured glass and acrylic, while being organic and block-shaped in form.
The palette features saturated colour combinations from pale mint to deeper shapes of teal and blue. Pink hues create tonal schemes and black is used in small doses to punctuate
the overall look.
3. Kinship
Social and political unrest continue to fill our newsfeed and consciousness, where we are reducing engagement with ‘fake news’ and ‘click-bait’ headlines.
As a result the notion of community is renewed, with folklore and old traditions revived, where we find the solution to our collective information fatigue.
Kinship celebrates cultural heritage in a contemporary way, taking inspiration from folklore details, such as tassels, patterns, fringing, stitching, embroidery and carving. The colour palette exudes warmth, pairing earthy and rich hues with cosy neutral shades.
4. Reflect
Intelligent innovation and smart technology have transformed and refined our standard of living, yet new connections are formed with the past, where furniture classics are re-imagined in contemporary form.
We balance our desire for rapid progress with an appreciation for our predecessors’ visions. Reflect’s style has a hint of nostalgia, revisiting 1970s glamour, 90s swagger and the elegance from the 30s and 50s.
The Reflect palette showcases rich colours to create moody schemes, focusing on greens and warm shades from pink to greyed-off purple hues, with avocado featuring as a highlight accent.
Images courtesy of Dulux. Styled by Bree Leech and photographed by Lisa Cohen.
