Grey is the new beige
Colours with Chonetelle Samios
Don’t lament the departure of warm weather as the autumn chill sets in. The approach of a new season provides an opportunity to explore unchartered frontiers, themes, ideas and colours inside the home and office.
In the cooler months, I like to get creative with colour that can warm up a room. But what are the key colours of the season, and what palettes will be sustainable long after the autumn leaves have fallen?
The grey palette features greatly as a replacement for the beige-on-beige and cream and off-white trends, which have been used liberally across homes and commercial environments recently.
Grey is an important element utilised within colour schemes, with variations of grey tones creating an easy-to-live-with decorating scheme that is sophisticated and understated.
Accents of rich purple and brass hues are progressing in popularity as the colours of the season. Splashes and highlights of acid or jewel shades provide a strong contrast to neutral, charred grey tones, injecting vibrancy and energy into interior settings.
Swap the winter blues for sunny shades of yellow citrus and chartreuse to create high impact indoors. Or get cosy with colour by incorporating flashes of the season’s rich, vivid hues of purple and aubergine.
In many ways it is a flash-back to the seventies, however this 21st century colour movement is modern and sleek, yet flexible and easily adapted.
If you have colour confidence and a taste for adventure, be bold and generous with solid colour and use strong shades to add life into a room. Those into simpler hues can create a foundation with neutral tones, then layer the room with patterns and punches of colour, which will add interest and texture to the scheme.
Metallics in shimmering and glossy variations are also still very much in vogue, and introduce a reflective shin to add another dimension to your space.
You’ve seen metallic inflections in fashion, now you’ll see them in flooring, surfaces, paint, wallpaper, fabric, furniture and pendent lighting. Adding sparkle, glisten and glamour to your interior scheme with Metallics and lift your mood with a colour palette that will inspire.
Colour is key in adding personality to a room, so don’t be shy to add some into your world.