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Colour Trends for 2013

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Vibrant bright colour and design from Armadillo Rugs

Vibrant bright colour and design from Armadillo Rugs

Casamance Vertigo range from Zepel Fabrics

Casamance Vertigo range from Zepel Fabrics

Florence Broadhurst designs from Signature Prints

Florence Broadhurst designs from Signature Prints

Image styled by Ella Leoncio featuring
Dulux Pink Gin and Scandelicious

Image styled by Ella Leoncio featuring Dulux Pink Gin and Scandelicious

Eijffinger Contempo range from
Verve Designer Collections

Colour is the trend for 2013. Neutrals are simply a back drop for a riot of interesting colour in its brightest incarnations. Colours are strong, clear and uplifting. Neutrals are also more daring with clear bright white and dark moody blacks creating strong and interesting contrasting schemes. Dark greys are being used to create intimate spaces and dark tones and colour are being used for all walls in a room, rather than just a feature wall.

The modern world where social media and the internet reign supreme has meant that information from around the globe is available to us in an instant and this technology revolution has completely turned around the way that trends develop. Dulux has pulled this information together and sums it up as the Empower trend. Through communication, design becomes more customised bringing choice to the consumer. Blue is perceived as the colour of communication and therefore the Empower trend is a collection of beautiful strong clear blues from those teetering on green to richer warmer blues than contain more red.

                   
Dulux Mykonos, Mystification & Surf Wash

A love of nostalgia, the natural world and a backlash to the fast technologically driven environment ensures that green also reigns in the colour stakes and Dulux represents this colour with the Seek trend. The joy of finding a piece of furniture that someone else has discarded and then restoring it to its original beauty brings a sense of achievement and a unique piece of furniture for your home. This uplifting feel is represented by the happy colour of the spectrum, yellow, which with green creates a beautiful harmonious colour palette.

                   
Dulux Celuce, Day Glow & Milpa

According to Dulux, in a transient world we crave excitement in our everyday interactions. Dulux refers to this trend as Blur. The traditional retailer is challenged to offer unique new in-store experiences addressing the needs of an online generation. Hot pinks, fiery oranges and mysterious purples are the order of the day for this colour palette. Expect to see these hot colours as stunning accents in decorating schemes or even as the main star.

                   
Dulux Grand Poobah, Hot Flamingo and Radiant Orange

Of course, neutrals, which are the mainstay of our decorating palettes, are still important as they create the backdrop for all of these wonderful colours. According to Resene, in 2013 we will see smoky and dusty neutrals that reflect the nostalgia trend, stone greys, like Half Cobblestone that are reminiscent of concrete combined with timber, and a continuing presence of very dark neutrals like Resene Silhouette that provide a fabulous cocoon environment against the stresses of the outside world.

                   
Resene Half Cobblestone, Half Secrets and Silhouette

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About the author

Samantha Bacon designs unique colour schemes for interiors and exteriors of residential and commercial properties and is a colour feature and trends writer for Country Home Ideas and Modern Home magazines. She has assembled an impressive portfolio of work in Sydney, the Central Coast and Hunter Valley. Samantha specifies the colour, product and finish for every aspect of a renovation or new build.