Colourful connections

Warmer earthy tones making their way into homes

COLOUR STYLIST: BREE LEECH | PHOTOGRAPHER: LISA COHEN

After a chaotic couple of years, many of us feel an overwhelming desire to live more simply and authentically.

There has been a conscious stripping away of the unnecessary and superfluous, both in terms of what we surround ourselves with and how we spend our time, to create space for more meaningful connections.

In response, the Dulux Colour Forecast 2023 reflects our desire to bond with the environment, or communities and the people we love, with warming, earth-drawn neutrals, natural textures, and an array of uplifting brighter hues. The forecast is led by Dulux Colour Specialists Davina Harper and Andrea Lucena-Orr in conjunction with Dulux Colour Forecaster and Stylist Bree Leech. “The palettes we can expect to see in our homes in 2023 are predominantly warm and nurturing, with nature continuing to be a key driver of trends. Brighter hues continue however, they are deeper than last year,” Davina says. Sustainability will be another important focus in the year ahead. “We’re reframing our relationship with material things – it’s no longer enough that a piece is beautiful, it needs to earn its place in our homes,” Bree Leech says. “We have all reacted to the upheavals of the last couple of years in different ways – some people crave lightness and whimsy, whilst others seek order and reassurance.

“The three palettes in the Dulux Colour Forecast 2023 reflect these differing needs, allowing you to create beautiful living spaces that reflect where you are in your life’s journey,” she says.

DULUX COLOUR FORECAST 2023

– BALANCE PALETTE

CONNECT PALETTE

DULUX WASH&WEAR IN DULUX GLINKS GULLY AND RIVERTON

Colour integration tips by Davina Harper

To introduce colour, try painting the skirting boards or architraves in your living room, the edge of a door, the back of a bookshelf, a bedhead in your child’s room, or breathe new life into an old lamp base, chair or front door with a coat of paint. You’ll find that colour really makes a house a home – once you get started with paint colours, you’ll never look back. Before you start painting, it’s crucial when selecting colours for walls or soft furnishings that you consider other fixtures and fittings in your space that you can’t change easily; it might be carpet, tiles, laminate or stone, and/or curtains and blinds that you will need to ensure work with the new colour(s) chosen.

Balance

Dulux Balance is a refined palette of serene marine blues, gentle greens and accents of deep garnet that evokes the beauty and fluidity of the ocean and shoreline.

Luxe textures, such as velvet and silk, furniture with exaggerated, curved silhouettes, abstract art, and décor pieces with organic shapes and delicate pleating complete the look.

Connect

With its warm, earthy tones of moss, wasabi, sandstone, muddied yellowgreen and burnt charcoal, the Dulux Connect palette is all about fostering our relationship with the great outdoors. Simple, rustic furniture in timber, leather and rattan sits alongside stone flooring and bespoke, modern lighting made from recycled materials for a look that simultaneously speaks of the past, present and the future.

Revive

Filled with playful, uplifting brighter colours, such as rose pink, breezy blue, sunshine yellow, emerald, violet and burnt orange, the Dulux Revive palette is an instant mood-lifter – just what many of us need after the gruelling last couple of years. With unexpected colour combinations, graphic floral patterns and furniture in cloudlike forms, the message is clear: interiors shouldn’t be taking themselves too seriously in 2023.

Integrating the colours into your home

So how should you go about incorporating Dulux’s 2023 trend colours into your home? “There are no rules – just pick up a paint brush and get creative,” Bree says. “If you’re new to colour, these inspirational images are a great place to get ideas and build your confidence - the curated palettes are designed to be used as schemes for paint, as well as soft furnishings, artwork and décor.” www.buildandrenovate.co.nz B&R | 13