Trending Colours in Interior Design
Every year, leading industry experts predict the hottest new colours for the year ahead. These colours filter through not only into the clothing industries but also into interiors and all of a sudden, the world goes mad for “the new black”!
Fashionistas make it their business to be seen sporting these colours in their new clothes, handbags, shoes and accessories. Even their pooches and moggies are spotted strutting their stuff alongside their humans, fully colour co-ordinated with their trendy mammas and papas! Likewise in the interior design world, interior designers arm themselves with this information so that we are well equipped to serve our clients better, as it is inevitable we will have clients wanting to incorporate them into their homes.
But what if, the colour trends for a particular year are ones you detest? or they do nothing for you? Is it the end of the world? Should you still insist on having them in your homes just because all the trend-setters have jumped on the bandwagon? Absolutely…… NOT!!!
And, would it come as a surprise, or rather a shock to you all, if I were to tell you that I haven’t made it my business to jump onto the trending colour bandwagon and learn everything there is to know about this year’s hottest colours, like a swatting teenager sitting his/her GCSE’s as if it’s a matter of life or death? OMG, I hear you all say!!! Now, before you all send me off to be hung, drawn and quartered for this disgraceful, even reckless revelation that could cost me my interior design business, not to mention my reputation, hear me out……
I love colour, I love colour in all it’s forms, and I am aware of this year’s trending colours, but I don’t get hung up on them. Instead, I have made it my business over the years, heck, I’ve even paid for professional consultations, to learn what colours serve me best and those which don’t regardless of what’s trending. In my handbag, I have with me at all times, a personalised colour card of all the colours that work for me. And, believe me when I say it has been a Godsend! It’s saved me from making tons of fashion faux-pas with clothes, which had I have bought, would have done nothing but make me look like one of cinderella’s ugly sisters……..hmm, some might say I’m not far off anyway!. But hey, let’s not focus on me!
So, what does this have to do with home interiors? Well, the same theory applies. If you’re not going to wear a colour because it will make you look as ugly as hell, why on Earth would you have that colour splattered all over your walls, or in your soft furnishings, just because industry experts have shone a spotlight on it?! Just think about it, if a colour doesn’t work on your body, it is not going to work in your home. Why? Because your home and its interiors are an extension of you. Whatever colours you put inside your home will inevitably reflect onto you. It will be like a giant sheet shrouding your entire body in that colour and, well, let’s just say this, they’ll either make you look drop dead gorgeous and radiant cos you got it right, or just downright dreadful and washed out cos you got it so unbelievably wrong! Which would you prefer?
To give you some examples of famous people who live by these rules, both in the fashion and interior design world.
Take Victoria Beckham, how many times have we seen her wear dark/navy blue or some variant of it? Hundreds of times!! Why? Because she looks damn good in it, and she knows it!!! She uses it to her advantage and this is what you should do when it comes to your home interiors; use colours to your advantage.
Kelly Hoppen, the world renowned interior designer, how many times have we seen her team neutral shades, whites, taupes, with contrasting shades of almost black? Always! Is Kelly going to lose sleep or change her colour preferences because the hottest trending colour of the year is, say, lime green?? Definitely not.
Then there’s Abigail Ahern, another well known interior designer. She leans towards very deep dark colours, greys, blues and blacks; colours that completely cocoon a person and have a profound affect on their mood the second they walk into the space. Like Kelly, Abigail’s not going to lose sleep…..nor should you!
Therefore, rather than get all hung up on the latest trending colours for the year, I get hung up on getting to know my clients. Their personal preferences and tastes are my business because they are unique to them and this is what is important. Figuring out what colours will work for my clients and those that won’t, especially when my clients are not aware of this themselves, is far more invaluable for the client-designer relationship, than any trending colour could ever be. You see, I’m not designing for the entire world, I’m designing for the person that’s sitting in front of me. Someone who has placed their trust in me to produce an interior design scheme that serves their purpose, preferences and tastes, and is unique to them; not what the world says.
Finally, a trending colour isn’t going to last. It will be replaced by another colour come the next year, and then again the following year. It’s a multi-million pound industry; it’s not going to vanish. But, there is an old saying “yesterday’s newspaper will be tomorrow’s chip paper”. Similarly, today’s trending colour will end up being “sooo yesterday” come tomorrow. Interiors will date a lot faster, but unlike with clothes, it isn’t always possible or feasible for a client to renew their home interiors every year. As professionals, it is our job to ensure that our clients receive a service which ultimately is in their best interests. Therefore, trending colours are not the be all and end all. What is important, is empowering our clients to own their own, no matter what, and of course, it goes without say, client satisfaction!
Next up, want to learn what an achromatic colour scheme is and how to incorporate it into your home?……. Be sure to come back next week and check it out!