Dulux announces Colour of the Year 2015; Copper Blush

Last Tuesday we were invited to Somerset House for the Dulux Colour Future 15 presentation. Off from work we set, marveling in  the wonderful building – even managing to squeeze in a short moment for a Beauty and the Beast style walk down the stairs – and finding our way to the event.

We took our seats to hear the experts from Dulux tell us about upcoming trends and forecasting. The amount of planning, careful thought and consideration go in to creating the perfect forward-thinking yet consumer friendly palettes and trends is incredible!

They also announced the Colour of the Year for 2015, which, if you follow us on Twitter (or generally if you don’t live under a stone) you would of seen is… Copper Blush!

A beautiful, warm tone, the panel of experts – which included Louise Tod, Senior Global Colour Designer, Rebecca Williamson, Senior Colour Design & Content Manager and Heleen van Gent from the Global Aesthetic Center – talked us through how to use this colour, whether it’s contrasting against brights and fluorescents to create a graphic, contemporary look…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Placing against it’s old friend, the humble metallic, to draw out the wonderfully luxe hues…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Or simply against soft, complimenting colour ways such as whites, natural woods and pale pastels to create a romantic charm…

Copper Blush is fantastically versatile and just when you thought you had seen all the copper, it seems that the trend is here to stay a little longer – not that we’re complaining!

After the talk we went around a series of rooms which presented the previoiusly discussed key trends, in brief these were…

• Layer + Layer: everyday life is never simple, instead it is made up of layers. Grouping this palette of dusty pastels in clusters and using them in marbling techniques allows spaces to be utilised in more interesting ways
• Big Nature + Small Me: this concept is influenced by the outdoors, particularly wood, canvas and stone. While the colours of this palette are inspired by natural elements, it features strong hues and includes rich earth tones such as sepia, ochre, sienna and baked clay – allowing the creation of an ‘ombre effect’ and beautiful two tone displays
• Him + Her: this trend embraces the differences of gender. Inspired by both intellectual and outdoor hobbies, this palette mixes typically masculine and feminine tones to accentuate and celebrate the differences of men and women
• +Unseen Spaces: negative spaces will be a thing of the past with this trend as it aims to bring vitality to dull and overlooked areas. A neutral mix of blues, khaki and pink can be used to create trompe l’oeil and draw positive attention to those previously un-inspiring spaces
• Friendly Barter+: reflecting a new social economy of community trade and the sharing of resources. Using large blocks of colour can add substantial power to a design rather than the use of intricate patterns. This palette includes berry toned pinks that can either be used to soften vibrant lime and orange, or perhaps add a richness to ochre, rich brown, and warm grey

Filled with inspiration, we’ve spent our Saturday introducing a flash of Copper Blush in to our home – stay tuned for an upcycle post coming soon!

Let us know if you’re going to Copper’feel of these fabulous trends,
David & Mark x