03 Jan What colour will you be this year? Colour trends for 2019.
Happy New Year! 2019 is the year to be BOLD!
Rich colours are in, and some of the hottest colours for the new year are living coral, night watch green and spiced honey. With inspiration taken directly from nature, these colours can work with multiple palettes and styles if used correctly.
The intention is that these colours calm our busy world and provide a way for us to reconnect with nature in our technological age.
There are 200 colours in the PPG Global Colour Trends Forecast this year. This forecast gives inspiration and direction to designers across multiple industries, and feature heavily in retail and residential markets. We’ve featured our three favourite colours, as chosen by some of the leading colour experts; Pantone, Taubmans and Dulux.
Living Coral
Pantone Colour of the Year
“An animating and life-affirming coral hue with a golden undertone that energizes and enlivens with a softer edge”
Coral (or peach) is a colour which works well with the popular rich tones of green, purple or blue, as well as pastels like lemon yellow or blush pink. It can be incorporated easily as an accent colour in many homes and styles, without the colour feeling overbearing.
Representing the fusion of modern life, Living Coral is a nurturing colour that appears in our natural surroundings and at the same time, displays a lively presence within social media.
Night Watch Green
Taubmans Colour of the Year
“Encompassing the tones of a dense tropical forest, Night Watch is a natural shade that is chic, effortlessly timeless, and destined to be a favourite in both the home and workplace given our urge to reconnect with nature in today’s tumultuous society.”
A soft, deep and inoffensive green which can be used to cover whole walls, right down to small accent finishes. Perfect for use with earthy neutrals, this colour lifts a boring ‘off-white’ room and brings some personality to your style.
Spiced Honey
Dulux Colour of the Year
“Chosen by Dulux colour experts to reflect the new positive mood of the moment. Spiced Honey is a warm amber tone, inspired by the beauty and versatility of honey itself. Spiced Honey can be soothing or calming, cosy or vibrant, depending on the palette you pair it with.”
Dulux is predicting a continuing resurgence of the ‘orange’ trend. Spiced honey is a subtle, neutral way to bring an orange tone into your home, without it feeling like a throwback to 1970s. The golden, amber tone is bold, but not brash.
Dulux’s 2019 palettes have both orange and green tones featuring heavily – not bright or ‘in-your-face’ but rich and warm – inspired by nature and the earth. These colours work beautifully with the more recent uptake in the Australiana style trend.
Forget the Hamptons, Australiana is back and better than ever!
Our rugged outback, our red centre, the lush native plants and eucalyptus forests of Australia lend beautifully to the 2019 colour trends. Tie this in with the craftsmanship of Australia’s many wonderful designers and retailers and you have truly authentic styling!
Australiana chic was last ‘in vogue’ in the 1980s, with emblazoned images of Sydney harbour, koalas, and cringe-worthy bright colours. So, it was brash, it was bold, and it was met with sheer embarrassment. But it was the 80s, and in the midst of the Expo ’88 it was bang on trend at the time!
21st Century Australiana style is like our own version of Hawaiian Plantation with a Bohemian twist. Weatherboards, summer sun, tropical plants, aboriginal artwork and unique, rich timber furniture. It’s an authentic style that can be easily mashed with others, like the hugely popular Industrial style. And you don’t have to be an interior designer to give it a go!
How to use the 2019 colours in your home
Because decorating is about more than just one colour in a room, it’s important to consider how much of each colour to use in your colour palette. This is where the 60:30:10 ratio of colour comes in handy.
Pick no more than five complimentary colours to use in your ratio and you can’t go wrong!
First, choose your dominant colour for 60% of the overall room (like the walls, floors, dominant fabrics, furniture). You can have two very similar tones used together here.
Also, pick an intermediate colour for 30% of the overall room (like the ceiling, cabinets, floor, carpet, smaller furniture)
Finally, incorporate up to two accent colours for 10% of the overall room (like the trim and moulding, pillows, throw rugs, accessories). This is often the stand-out colour, which can be easily changed as styles update in the future.