Seeking solace

In our colour forecast last issue, we highlighted that the trend cycle was entering a period of stability – which likely came as welcome news to many. While we broke down several of the key contributing factors that explain the sudden switch from intense volatility to the levelling-off we’re currently experiencing, there is one topic that deserves a lengthier discussion: the exponential evolution of technology.

Technological developments have always influenced architectural and interior design colour trends, but now, they’re shaping how colours are selected, applied and perceived in entirely new ways. Digital tools, AI and advanced manufacturing techniques have expanded creative possibilities, allowing designers to experiment with colours like never before.

Over the past twenty years, the development and progressive refinement of digital visualisation tools such as 3D rendering software completely revolutionised age-old communication techniques like hand-drawn and coloured sketches. More recently, breakthroughs in virtual reality (VR) are offering up more experiential approaches for sharing design ideas with clients. Eventually, as VR continues to advance, this tech will likely enable designers and their clients an opportunity to test and confirm colour schemes during site visits before physical application takes place. Though we have some way to go before this technology will be perfected, it certainly has the potential to increase confidence in bolder and less conventional colour choices – especially for clients who find it harder to visualise how colours will look once applied to their project.

Social media and digital platforms have accelerated the spread of colour trends, making global influences more accessible. Designers now draw inspiration from a diverse range of sources, leading to eclectic and highly personalised colour schemes. AI-driven colour selection tools are also getting better at analysing trends and consumer preferences, which will likely make colour forecasting more precise and data-driven in the future.

The evolution of incandescent bulbs to compact fluorescents to widespread use of full-spectrum LEDs has changed how colours appear in interior spaces. More recently, the introduction of smart illumination technology like tunable LED lighting has made it possible to shift the ambiance of spaces throughout the day. In some ways, smart lighting allows for greater flexibility in colour use but it also demands more thoughtful colour selection and encourages more dynamic and adaptable colour palettes that will respond appropriately to different lighting conditions.

In the wake of all these rapid changes, it is unsurprising to see the colour forecast for the year ahead stabilising. As we attempt to process a period of increased economic, geopolitical, environmental and technological stresses, colour trends are taking a beat. At least on this one front, it seems we can take a breather.

As you read ahead, it’s important to keep in mind that while we continue to use words like ‘change’, ‘shift’ and ‘evolve’ throughout our colour forecast to explain the progression of trends, the transitions we’re talking about are far more minute than usual. So even though we’ll be bringing attention to certain shifts that will be occurring, when you cross-reference the tones we’re talking about, many of these differences will be negligible to anyone but the most astute trend followers. This means that if you prefer a tone that’s trending right now over the shift in tone that will be taking place down the road, either option will feel authentically in vogue.

It’s also worth noting that, beyond the colours themselves, there has also been a change in the way trends are being implemented. Instead of everyone jumping on to the same bandwagon, clients are becoming more confident to choose what they love, whether it’s on trend or not. Lean into the colour trends you and your clients love and use them in tandem with existing favourites and timeless classics for a project-specific finish that will look good now and long after any given trend has waned.

And if you’re looking for a dose of colour inspiration, these are the specific Resene hues you’ll want to keep handy which will remain relevant throughout this year and the next.

Blue dips a toe into indigo

Universally adored, blues have grown to take up a fairly large proportion of the overall colour trend forecast over the course of the past year with so many different variations being relevant. Popular saturated surf and ultramarine blues like Resene Endeavour, Resene Torea Bay and Resene Aviator that have been salient in the colour forecast for a few years now will continue their hot streak along with the beloved deep stone, steel and midnight blues of the moment like Resene Big Stone, Resene High Tide, Resene Cinder, Resene Carpe Noctem and Resene Indian Ink. The latter inky options are a chic alternative to true and soft blacks when a touch more chromatic colour is desired out of the darkest hue in your palette.

Looking ahead, by the end of next year, we will start to see blues with an indigo edge like Resene Hendrix begin to emerge. We’ll also see currently popular greyed-off blues like Resene Duck Egg Blue replaced with ghostly pale blues with a cast of violet such as Resene Ghost, Resene Link Water and Resene Zircon as well as deeper Resene Portage. Because purples have nearly evaporated from the short and long term colour forecast, these indigo and violet-toned blues will be doing double-duty to fill this gap in the spectrum. Try balancing deeper Resene Black Rock or Resene Bullitt with butter yellows like Resene Astra or Resene Oasis and yellow-tinged meringue whites like Resene Meringue or Resene China Ivory for a visually pleasing twist on more typical purple and yellow complementary colour pairings.

Hearts are melting for buttery hues

Speaking of yellows, sunny hues began making a pronounced appearance on fashion runways late last year and have continued to gain momentum – most notably, soft butter yellows like Resene Popcorn and Resene Splash, sunflower and marigold yellows like Resene Sunflower and Resene Buttercup, harvest golds like Resene Pirate Gold and green-edged brassy yellows like Resene Travis.

Geographically-speaking, yellows haven’t always had a high degree of uptake here when they have come into vogue compared to other colour trends. Thanks to the tilt of the Earth’s axis and the angle that sunlight enters the atmosphere in our part of the world, our natural light tends to take on a cooler bluish quality relative to the warmer yellower light that can be seen in Europe, America and other areas of the Northern Hemisphere. While our natural lighting circumstances are fantastic for enhancing blues, greys and other cool hues, some lighter yellows may appear too ‘sweet’ to be suitable options where larger swathes of colour are needed and can sometimes look dull in small, dimly lit spaces. However, vibrant yellows and subdued and pastel yellows can be highly effective accent colours to round out a palette when used on smaller surfaces. Don’t overlook hues like Resene Thumbs Up, Resene Tulip Tree and Resene Sweet Corn for doors, statement furniture, accessories, architectural accents or ceilings for adding a point of difference without clamouring for attention.

Keep on painting the town red

Reds, which had somewhat fallen out of fashion for a few years, emerged at the beginning of last year as the definitive must-have hue – and they will most certainly be sticking around for the foreseeable future. Among the most lauded variations are black cherry and burgundy reds like Resene Avant Garde and Resene Volcano as well as vibrant capsicum and tomato reds like Resene Jalapeno and Resene Del Toro. For those opting to use rich chocolate browns like Resene Dark Chocolate or Resene Moccaccino in lieu of blacks to create contrast and depth, you’d be remiss not to incorporate brown and brick reds like Resene Desperado and Resene Hot August in your palette – which will blend beautifully thanks to their shared undertones.

All these options are expected to remain firmly on the table for this year, next year and potentially even further ahead in the colour forecast, so if you’re after an eyepopping statement hue to lift your colour scheme or a smouldering shade to bring the drama, red will continue to be a trend-forward option for a long while yet.

Select greens turn over a new leaf

The most ubiquitous presence in colour trend forecasts for the past decade, green continues to be venerated in architecture, interior design, fashion, art and graphic design. We have talked at length in previous forecasts about how pandemic-related isolation created a yearning for soothing, organic colours that mimicked nature. In this time of economic and geopolitical instability and accelerating technological advancements, it makes sense that green continues to take up a significant segment of the colour forecast.

Although it’s true that we’ll be seeing stability of colour trends across the spectrum in the coming 18- 24 months, greens will see slightly more pronounced transitions than other colour families. Fresh grassy greens like Resene Good To Go and Resene Bilbao will wane before returning again, pistachio greens like Resene Wild Willow will lighten to paler options like Resene First Light and bushy greens like Resene Off The Grid will take on deeper, bluer pine tones next year, when hues like Resene Black Forest come into favour.

That being said, a number of other fashionable green tones will move through this year and the next unchanged – namely, bracken and woodland greens like Resene West Coast and Resene Scrub and silvery pampas and sage greens like Resene Harp and Resene Secrets – so look to these hues if you need more dependable greens that will stand the test of time.

Tried-and-true neutrals tow the line

Perhaps the most static colour category in our entire forecast is neutrals, and today’s most prized neutrals will remain consistent for literally years to come. So, if you’re looking for the safest possible colour choices that will still be in alignment with trends a few years down the road, you can rest assured that the following neutral picks will be the most reliable options out there.

Both soft blacks and true blacks like Resene Night Magic and Resene Nero are in, as are chocolate browns like Resene Transition, spiced browns like Resene Cinnamon and Resene Trek and buff and ginger browns like Resene Kalgoorie Sands, Resene Dark Buff and Resene Teak. Dependable tans and biscuit beiges like Resene Smooth Operator and Resene Blank Canvas continue to be favourites among the quiet luxury crowd while warm clay and gravel tones like Resene Outlaw, Resene Awaroa Bay and Resene Half Gravel remain solid options for fans of earthy greys. And, of course, cream reigns supreme as the preferred form of white, so look to variations like Resene Quarter Spanish White, Resene Quarter Solitaire and Resene Half Pearl Lusta as top options.

Prolonging peaches, protracting pinks and shrinking violets

Ever since last year’s Pantone Color of the Year was announced, our passion for peaches like Resene Beethoven, Resene Guggenheim, Resene Romantic and Resene Tacao has remained strong – and we expect these positive feelings to sustain well into next year. Pinks, on the other hand, will be less prevalent than they were in the wake of Barbiefever. Though certain pinks like Resene Gelato, Resene Princess, Resene Smitten, Resene Scrumptious and Resene Sakura will endure, it seems the variety of popular pinks has protracted to these select sherbet, magenta and cherry blossom hues. And apart from the exception of deep dark plums like Resene Black Doris, aubergines like Resene Upstage, misty lilacs like Resene I Do and the indigo-influenced blues we mentioned earlier, purples have nearly dropped off the colour trend forecast completely. These specific versions will be sticking with us for the long haul and will still be evident within the cultural ethos, there will simply be less variety in the pinks and purples we see used – so don’t shy away from incorporating these selections into your projects.

Bold brights start to step out of the spotlight

The array of boldly saturated brights that have been a pronounced fixture in our colour trend forecast since the dark days of the pandemic have been drastically pared back to a select few – namely, ultramarine blues like Resene Aviator, lively reds like Resene Roadster, marigold yellows like Resene Tulip Tree, satsumas like Resene Tangerine, fuchsia pinks like Resene Smitten and citrus greens like Resene Bird Flower. These curated favourites will continue being relevant for a year or two, when we’ll see some of them soften or lighten slightly. Resene Citrus, for example, will make way for paler Resene Sublime and Resene Hypnotic – which are still plenty bright in their own right.

While bold and bright colours were certainly representative of our strong desire for freedom and liberation after our worlds shrunk during stringent lockdowns, it’s worth recognising they are also colours that are intrinsically tied to technology. Firstly, it took leaps and bounds in the development of new paint, pigment and colour-fastness tech over the course of centuries to get us to a point where we don’t have to settle for just muted earth tones on our walls. The advent of screens has made additive colour prevalent and clear, saturated, backlit colours that glow from within have become part of our daily lives.

As tech continues to advance, we expect future trends will likely be emphasised by even more customisation, adaptability and multisensory experiences – further pushing the boundaries of how colour interacts in our built environments. But until then, let’s all enjoy the zen that this extended period of colour trend stability is affording us.

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BlackWhite magazine

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