Every year since 2002, the global Dulux ColourFutures™ has announced its Colour of the Year. If you’re unfamiliar with what Colour of The Year entails, it’s basically where an expert panel of colour designers, design specialists, trend forecasters, architects, and editors from around the globe join together to discuss what we increasingly need from our spaces around us, capturing a theme and suggesting the colour that embodies the mood of the moment for the year ahead. In 2019, it’s the turn of the warm and inviting tones of Spiced Honey. Why was it chosen and how can we use it in our homes? Read on to find out.
Why was Spiced Honey chosen as COTY?
For many of us, 2018 was an unsettling and unpredictable time – overwhelmed by the news, the demands that technology put on our time, we felt the need to retreat to safe spaces, to feel cocooned by our environment. We pressed pause and took time to regroup, to re-energise our spirits and our minds. As a result, this pause has given us time to wake with positive action, to look ahead with optimism and purpose.
“If the unpredictability of last year forced people to retreat and regroup, 2019 is the year for their awakening. We are ready to ‘Let the Light In’,” says Head of the Global Aesthetic Centre, Heleen van Gent, who chairs the ColourFutures™ panel annually. The colour, Spiced Honey, captures this theme.
“It can be both calming and nourishing or stimulating and energising, depending on the palettes and light surrounding it. The contemporary hue is versatile, sophisticated and timeless and lends itself to a broad spectrum of life and interior styles – perfect for reflecting the universal mood encapsulated by the panel.
“In 2019, as a society, we want to reach out, engage with our communities, make things better and ‘be the change’ – anything from supporting charities to small acts of neighbourly kindness.” Heleen added. “It’s time to act and Spiced Honey enables transformation inspiring a positive, emotional change.”
How can Spiced Honey be used in the home?
Happily, this warm and rich hue is a perfect neutral which means it can be used with many different colours to bring warmth to your home. The raw, natural quality of the shade makes it very adaptable when pairing it with various materials and styles to create a relaxed cosy atmosphere.
If you’re looking for ideas in what to combine Spiced Honey with, the panel also identifies a set of colour palettes which are all inspired by the mood of the moment and all teaming beautifully with the colour of the year. Each individual palette is formed around the activities we do when faced with stressful times: Think, Dream, Love and Act.
Creative Director for the Dulux Brand in the UK, Marianne Shillingford, explains: “The colour palettes tell different stories of colour and the way we will be using it in our homes in the year ahead. Think, Dream, Love and Act are the trends that capture a new spirit of resilience and optimism in a world that had us retreating to our homes and hiding behind the sofa in 2018.”
Palette 1: Warm Neutrals: A Space to Think
If you are looking for subtle sophistication, combine Spiced Honey with earthy ochres and cool greys with just a touch of black to give the whole look a graphic edge. The ‘Think’ palette has an inviting mix of rich neutrals and touches of soft pink, intense burgundy and sophisticated deep blue. Polished woods, mid-century furniture, graphic rugs and textiles emphasise the smart look.
Palette 2: Soft Pastels: A Space to Dream
If you are seeking a space to get lost in the moment, you’ll want to combine Spiced Honey’s earthy notes with muted pastels and tactile textiles to create the perfect spot for rest and reflection. The ‘Dream’ palette is a gently muted mix of romantic powder pinks and blues that create calm. Plain pale woods, simple hand-thrown vessels and pretty fabrics add to the contemplative, centred feel of this space.
Palette 3: Intense Pigments: A Space to Love
If you enjoy surrounding yourself with people and the things you love (and who doesn’t?) and you want to create a space where everyone feels at ease, you’ll love the ‘Love’ palette. It’s the warmest of Dulux’s 2019 choices, filled with richly pigmented shades including deep forest green, bold teal and intense terracotta red. With wooden furniture and botanical prints, it creates a cosy space perfect for sharing with loved ones.
Palette 4: Bold Brights: A Space to Act
Want to create an energising and zesty mood? The ‘Act’ palette is playful, with pops of vivid red and green among pale pinks and blues and crisp greys and whites. This space is brought to life with reclaimed, personalised furniture and bold graphic shapes whilst Spiced Honey brings balance and harmony to the theme.
Looking to Incorporate Spiced Honey into Your Home?
We have a wide range of beige and warm neutral tiles across our site but here are some of our top picks to get the Spiced Honey Look in your home…
What do you think of Spiced Honey as Dulux’s Colour of the Year? We’d love to hear if you’ll be using it in your home this year. Be sure to let us know in the comments, tweet us on @TileMountainUK or tag us on Instagram!
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As a multi-award winning interior design content creator, Kimberly Duran is an Interior Design-obsessed American ex-pat, who chronicles her decorating journey and dispenses interior design advice in her personal blog, Swoon Worthy. When she’s not helplessly drooling over all the latest trends in design, she’s adding things to the imaginary ‘shopping basket’ in her head, she likes to get messy tackling DIY projects with her partner in crime, Wayne, stalking eBay for vintage bargains and filling her home with her favourite neutral – gold.