The new year will bring with it a desire for a fresh start and a wave of hope and optimism, according to trend experts brought together by Dulux.
With this in mind, the paint brand has announced that its Colour of the Year for 2022 is Bright Skies™, an airy light blue that aims to capture the hopeful mood of the moment and hints at new beginnings.
For the 19th year in a row, Dulux assembled leaders in design, fashion, colour and the built environment to consider the trends, innovations and events that will impact the way we live and work.
Good for the soul
The colour experts at Dulux then distilled the findings into a single colour – and supporting palettes – that encapsulates this mood.
The result is Bright Skies™, a colour that, says Dulux, “can bring any living space to life and is good for the soul – a true breath of fresh air”.
With millions of people now adopting hybrid home and office working patterns, there is a need for colour that is flexible and open, to empower this multi-purpose lifestyle and the demands we put on our spaces.
Marianne Shillingford, creative director of Dulux UK, says: “Right now, people want to feel revitalised and enjoy the freedoms that are returning to them, to look out and bring in new ideas. What better inspiration can we take than the endless skies around us?
“It is widely known that nature makes us feel better and taking steps to bring the outside in enhances our sense of wellbeing.
“So whether we are working or relaxing, creating or exercising, it is essential to have a space that reflects the optimism and desire for a fresh, new start that is top of the agenda for the year ahead.
“However, Bright Skies™ is not about idle day-dreaming. It is about turning those dreams into reality and forging ahead with the changes that we want to make.
“This is why the Dulux Colour of the Year 2022 and its supporting palettes are practical, open and flexible to all kinds of requirements.”
Colour palettes
Bright Skies™ is supported by these four colour palettes, for decorating projects in every kind of room:
- Greenhouse is full of fresh greens and blues that are the perfect backdrop for plants and natural materials such as bark or cork.
- Salon is “an enabler of fresh ideas and creative thinking” which is “consciously pale and soft, for those who want a room, or a home, that’s ready for anything”.
- Studio spaces are “subtle and inspiring” and “seek to soothe, with a mix of pale pinks, reds and oranges”.
- The Workshop palette “allows people to create adaptable spaces” for example creating a home office and are “light and positive colours that make the functional fun”.
Heleen van Gent, head of the AkzoNobel Global Aesthetics Centre, says: “Over the past 19 years, we’ve seen a dramatic shift from a concentration on brighter tones to an emphasis on neutrals.
“This year, however, vibrant colours and light tones are re-emerging – a reflection, perhaps of our need for positivity and a fresh approach.
“After a spell of feeling shut in, we crave expansion – the great outdoors. The 37 curated colours in this year’s collection help to make it easy to choose on-trend shades.”
