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 will focus on a colour of the month, taken from the Mix Trends forecast, which will bring relevant information to manufacturers, interior designers and any professional within the design industry. This month, Hannah Malein presents April’s colour, teal green…
Grouped with an array of urban-inspired hues, this intense teal green creates the ultimate eclectic aesthetic in our spring-summer 2013 story, Crowd. Exploring the visual effects of globalisation, Crowd celebrates the density and diversity of our multi-cultural societies. This initiates new design approaches to mass consumption, addressing concerns over the lifespan of our everyday commodities.
“This colour – often associated with purity and wellbeing – brings a sense of balance when used in interior spaces”
Building emotional links between product and user helps to tackle issues of waste, landfill, and our diminishing natural resources. With the global population growing and cities becoming even more condensed, we must become more contained and be prepared to use less space for living.
A cultural kaleidoscope of colour, we look to the visual richness of global cityscapes for inspiration. These hues express a rich urban scene typical of any major city – ideal for creating impact and grabbing attention. Bright and saturated shades are mixed with softer pastels of yellow and lilac. An urban concrete grey brings balance to the teal green, a rich maroon red and punchy orange bring warmth, whilst a flat white grounds the overall palette.
A new approach is taken to storage, with smart multifunctional solutions, and space-saving pieces in modular forms. Designers re-consider manufacturing processes, experimenting with alternative material choices and new applications. Collections and multiples of everyday objects inspire design, where collaged objects and numerous repeats are key – tiling mosaics and hard surfaces that incorporate recycled materials create a blend of synthetic and natural materials.
This teal green shade channels an instantly positive vibe – its vitality uplifts and refreshes, the blue base helps to clear the mind and aid communication, whilst the green opens us to creative thought and expression. This colour – often associated with purity and wellbeing – brings a sense of balance when used in interior spaces.
Teal green – and indeed many other of the Crowd hues – can be found in the furniture world for 2013. Pictured is the Bento chair collection for One Nordic Furniture Company, which features a teal highlight amongst a deep grey and flat white. Rolf Benz have also used this popular hue in the latest addition to the Colors of Rolf Benz collection, with the laid-back style sofa Grata.
Balance April’s colour, teal green, with grey, white, and a flash of orange, for a contemporary urban palette. For the full colour story and ideas for its application, see a presentation of the Crowd trend in Mix Trends’ spring-summer 2013 issue.
Hannah Malein is a colour trend consultant with Global Color Research, the company behind Mix Publications. Mix Trends and Mix magazine can advise of similar trend predictions up to two years ahead of the season. Sign up to the company’s monthly newsletter to receive the latest information on colour, trend and design. This article was originally published in Furniture News, issue 289.
