With a gloomy year behind us, the news that global colour authority Pantone has announced the colours of the year for 2021 reveals a reflection of where we have been and the hope for a better year in 2021.
It’s exciting news for anyone planning some home refurbishments or renovations, or anyone planning to spruce up their existing home in preparation for sale.
The announcement that there are two celebrated colours for the year ahead is an unusual event, with the year of 2016 being the last time two colours were named with the top honours.
The colours of hope
Ultimate Gray and Illuminating will be the hues set to shape our design choices in the new year. The chosen colours are described as “a marriage of colour conveying a message of strength and hopefulness that is both enduring and uplifting” – very appropriate tones after what we have all experienced in 2020.
With the impact of the global pandemic and its subsequent economic uncertainty, as well as environmental concerns and associated social upheaval, a Pantone spokesperson says that the colours have been selected to project positivity, stability and much-needed hope.
“Illuminating is a bright and cheerful yellow sparkling with vivacity, a warming yellow shade imbued with solar power,” says a quote on the Pantone website.
“Ultimate Gray is emblematic of solid and dependable elements which are everlasting and provide a firm foundation. The colours of pebbles on the beach, whose weathered appearance highlight the ability to stand the test of time, Ultimate Gray quietly assures, encouraging feelings of composure, steadiness and resilience.
“Emboldening the spirit, the pairing of Ultimate Gray and Illuminating highlights our innate need to be seen, to be visible, to be recognised, to have our voices heard.”
It’s an evocative, poetic explanation of the colours that are sure to appear in interior design projects around the world in the new year ahead. For those who work with colour, the Pantone Colour of the Year announcement is a prestigious event that is the result of colour experts exploring the global influences and trends across the worlds of design, technology, fashion and entertainment, combined with a nod to the evolution of lifestyle conditions and socio-economic conditions.
The influence of colour
In the past two decades, the annual announcement has had a powerful influence on product development and purchasing decisions in a range of industries that includes fashion and home furnishings. If you enjoy visiting homewares stores to decorate your home in ways that showcase the latest trends, you can expect to see Ultimate Gray and Illuminating showing up on everything from couch cushions to throw rugs and artworks.
Less is more
Good advice for any trend-watchers is to not go overboard with adding colours that may be out of fashion again this time next year. Buying some items that add accents of colours to a neutral décor is a wonderful way to add a contemporary touch to your interior design look, but if you have plans to incorporate the colours of the year on a grander scale, do it because you genuinely love the tones – and not just because you are keen to add some short-term current style.
If you are preparing your existing home to sell, consider using a property stylist to incorporate beautiful quality interior design touches and by adding pops of these two colours in soft furnishings or decorative homewares, you will add a fresh, contemporary feel that may help attract potential buyers.
For more information about refinancing your mortgage to undertake renovations or refurbishments of your tired décor, talk to our mortgage refinancing specialists at Lending Specialists today.
