Dulux Trade has unveiled its annual Colour of the Year: Heart Wood, a warm neutral, with a hint of heather. The colour has been revealed alongside key colour predictions for 2018 as part of the brand’s industry-acclaimed trend forecast, ColourFuturesTM, now in its 15th year.
Every year, Dulux Trade’s parent company AkzoNobel brings together a panel of international experts from various disciplines of design to develop ColourFutures, the brand’s industry-acclaimed trend analysis and forecast.
This year, acclaimed architect, interior designer and TV personality Oliver Heath was part of the panel, which is based at AkzoNobel’s Global Aesthetic Centre in the Netherlands. Oliver was key in ensuring that all the subtleties of the industry’s specification needs were threaded into the resulting palettes.
The Heart Wood trend is inspired by the beautifully warm wooden materials we see being used in all kinds of interior decorating and architecture. A variety of woods are growing in popularity, but we see a tendency towards warmer, light and dark shades of red, alongside violet and pinkish woods. The warmth of wood reflects the comfort that we need in these uncertain times – this material is an essential element for creating the welcoming environments we desire.
The 2018 colour predictions
The comforting space is a trend is about relaxed, grown-up luxury, with its heritage hints, warm-tone woods and use of natural materials. Creating rich, welcoming interiors with generously layered textures that offer a restorative embrace.
The Inviting Space colour collection has an easy-going style, bringing together neutrals, softer pastels framed by graphic borders of coal and dark blue.
The Playful Space palette draws the Colour of the Year, Heart Wood, into sunny and warm territory. Pops of fresh colour add a sense of fun and energy, including shades of green inspired by nature. As the name suggests, the Playful Home brings a sense of possibility to a space.
