How to add colour in your home with five of this season's hottest interiors trends
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Looking to add a pop of colour into your home, but not sure which shade to go for?
From midnight blue to Marrs Green, Millennial pink to ruby red, there are plenty of hues to choose from this autumn.
For all you need to know about this season's colour palette, keep reading…
Inky blues
Hot on the heels of Denim Drift, Dulux’s colour of the year, come ink, indigo and midnight blue. Strong and saturated, these hues are darkly dramatic – Marmite-like, you’ll either love them or hate them, there is no halfway house.
Like deep grey (still a strong fashion contender) they look amazing on feature walls, adding vibrancy and moody atmosphere, and are great as a backdrop to metallic highlights, jewel shades or the contrasting tones of fuchsia, mustard and orange.
They work well in both tie-dye effects and geometric patterns, look gorgeous in velvet (tactile cushions or oh-so-glamorous curtains, for example), and create a lovely setting for botanicals. Rubber plant, anyone?
Marrs Green
This deep teal is officially the world’s favourite colour – according to a global survey by Hull paper merchant GF Smith – and we can’t get enough of it.
Vibrant and uplifting, it’s a combination of blue and green, both of which have been fashion-forward for the whole of 2017 and, like any colour that’s between two shades, is both intriguing and versatile.
Marrs Green makes instant impact, looking fabulous as simple blocks of colour but also as accents or patterns – anything from Art Nouveau feathers to Moroccan tiles.
Perhaps a little too powerful for widespread use in a bedroom, it will bring energy to the walls, woodwork or floor of a living room, kitchen or dining room, and look stunning in a hallway. For a more restrained take on it, simply pick out accessories such as cushions, vases or hand towels and contrast them with a fresh white background.
Millennial pink
AKA Tumblr pink or Scandi pink, this soft, dusky shade was inspired – depending on who you ask – either by Wes Anderson’s 2014 film The Grand Budapest Hotel or the distinctive pink shopping bags of achingly hip Swedish fashion brand Acne. It probably has something to do with the rose gold iPhone, too.
Whatever its origins, it’s become a bit of a phenomenon, coming to symbolise the socially enlightened, gender-neutral values of young adults. This is colour as demographic… or, you could simply see it as a super-pretty shade that’s soothing and easy to live with, co-ordinating beautifully with pretty pastels and the ruffled/lacy look that we’re seeing everywhere right now.
Metallic highlights
Metallics have been around for a while, featuring particularly strongly in the industrial trend that’s been hugely popular everywhere – and it seems they’re here to stay.
The go-to metallic look now, rather than iron girders and copper pipes, is one of understated elegance – with restrained, opulent highlights rather than Trump-Tower bling. A touch of metallic luxury is pretty easy to add and might include shimmering wallpaper, mirrors, light fittings, plant pots, candle holders, vases, tiles or even slender furniture legs.
Silver, gold, bronze, brass and copper all look wonderful with marble and can be teamed with minimal nudes, soft pinks or pale blues, or set against dramatic darks for a more intense and glamorous appeal.
Jewel tones
Sophisticated, gem-like colours are key for homes this season. Steel grey, charcoal or navy walls provide a perfect background against which the intense shades of amethyst, jade, sapphire, royal purple, emerald and ruby really pop – not a look for the faint-hearted, but one that has huge impact if you dare.
Push it even further by employing plush fabrics such as brocade or velvet and adding touches of metallic sparkle. As the evenings draw in and the outside temperature drops, these flashes of rich colour will add instant warmth and a welcoming feeling of boho chic.
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