Colour is an essential part of any design project, and this year Furniture News has invited the trend forecasting company behind Mix Publications, Global Color Research, to talk about a key colour for the current season each month. Although the company forecasts colour trends two years ahead of the season, this series of articles focuses on a colour each month, taken from the Mix Trends forecast, which brings relevant information to manufacturers, interior designers, and any professional within the design industry. This month, Hannah Malein presents November’s colour, misted green …
Swirling clouds and flashes of electricity form the basis of this month’s colour story. A reflection of traditional weather systems and their growing lack of predictability, we conjure up images of alien landscapes and explore the unknown in a surreal sense of drama for the autumn/winter 2013/14 trend, Storm.
Hinting at our insecurities for the future, we now look on with wonder and positivity as opposed to fear. Storm is an amalgamation of change – changing light, changing structures and changing terrain, from sci-fi surrealism to the sudden darkening of the skies, and the way light plays on surfaces.
This turbulent trend expresses a dynamic colour palette. A dramatic combination of hot and cold colours accentuated with a purple metallic, while misted green hits the mid-tone and highlights the palette with a fresh and icy quality. Transient tones of blue and midnight black conjure up the backdrop of moody skies. Bright flashes of fiery red and twilight orange add a new dimension to the smoky greys, whilst sandy beige grounds this contrasting palette.
Ethereal semi-transparent layers add an elegance to this edgy trend, while open structures reflect a sense of instability through monofilament weaves and linear and wire frameworks. Blurred effects are inspired by a chaotic environment, echoing the natural world in synthetic materials. Holographic and metallic touches add reflective qualities and a sense of mysticism to surfaces.
"Ethereal semi-transparent layers add an elegance to this edgy trend, while open structures reflect a sense of instability through monofilament weaves and linear and wire frameworks"
This misted green has a grey base, which, although it appears a thoroughly modern colour, can actually be found as a traditional heritage hue, perfect for interior decoration. This dusted tone is cool and calming, conveying a sophisticated edge on furniture pieces and home accessories. Bring this colour to life by pairing it with flashes of hot tones such as red and orange for a dramatic contrast – a modern twist ideal for both home environments and hospitality spaces.
November’s key colour – misted green – and the rest of the Storm palette has come to life in many furniture forms this season. Pictured is a selection of the Enoki side tables by e15, who chose to use orange and hot red with this cool grey-green for a high-contrast combination. Benjamin Hubert for ClassicCon has also selected this misted hue for the textile mesh covering the red wire framework, which perfectly reflects Storm’s aesthetics.
Pair misted green with natural sand, punch red and black for the perfect hot and cool palette. For the full colour story and ideas for its application, see a full presentation of the Storm trend in Mix Trends Autumn Winter 2014/15 issue 25.
Hannah Malein is a colour trend consultant with Global Color Research. Mix Trends and Mix magazine can advise of trend predictions up to two years ahead of the season – sign up to the monthly newsletter to receive the latest information on colour, trend and design.
