Art has often inspired interiors and vice versa. Recently the trend towards bolder and more interesting wallpapers, brought on by platforms such as Pinterest making people more brave and design curious, has resulted in a decline in paint sales in the domestic market. Deluxe is fighting back by presenting new and interesting ways to decorate with paint. And it appeals – it’s cheaper and more durable than wallpaper, plus if you don’t like it it’s easy to change and if you scuff it you can simply repaint patches and eventually return it to white when you come to sell.
When presenting Colour Futures and Colour of the Year, Akzo Nobel, the company that owns Dulux, kitted out an entire London Townhouse with themed rooms to provide inspiration for designers and showcase their new tones. It was all about creating interesting and character simply with paint, such as using it to reintroduce past features, such as dado rails, picture rails or to create new features such as study areas or abstract patination.
We particularly liked this room, which reminded me of the Geometric Futurists work. All blocks of interspersing colour and sharp borders. The colours also appeared more muted in person, rather than the ultra bright tones in the photo.
The work of prominent Futurists such as Popova, Malevich and Nicholson
We often use rugs or flooring to create zones within an open plan space. We love the idea of doing this vertically on a wall, such as the desk area here:
To give you an idea of how powerful this simple trick can be (masking tape, a spirit level and a few tins of paint) here’s a before and after example:
I’ll admit that with the bright colours coming through it looks more like a Camille Walala piece. There’s no doubt it feels fresh and modern and I suspect we’ll be seeing a lot more adventurous paintwork in the years to come.
So if you’re not a fan of wallpaper, are in rented accommodation or like changing your look every few years, why not consider some stylish colour blocking. We now do design consultations by the hour, so give Kia a call and together we’ll reinvigorate your home!
