How colour and design adapt with us over time

10 Jun 2024

We all know that colour trends change, but what does colour mean during different times of the year and how can it influence our lives?  Resene has been part of the Color Marketing Group (CMG) for many years, working with their colour forecasts meshed with our local knowledge of the market and trends to bring you up to date colour inspiration.

We’re bringing you the latest CMG colour alerts each month, along with ideas how you can use these hues in your next project. To start, we head back to the new year and take a look at what colours defined the end of one year and the beginning of another.

December 2023:

Emerging from Latin America Color Marketing meetings for 2023, Inspiración, a pure blue symbolising light diffusion through healing and the life-sustaining flow of water represents regeneration and forward movement. Its nourishing water-like quality makes it ideal for health and wellness, maintaining energy while remaining calming.

Inspiración enhances décor, balancing neutral greys and beiges while complementing olive green, mustard yellow, and sun-bleached terracotta. Versatile for paint and wallcoverings, it’s perfect for welcoming front doors, office spaces and beyond.

Here are two ideas using this colour trend in hues of Resene Astral and Resene Watermark that you can try for your next project:

Clearly defining this booth, Resene Astral makes this space a calm area to sit and meet with colleagues and is a striking contrast against the exposed beams painted in Resene Nero and walls and ceiling in Resene Black White. Design by Brooke Browne and Litiana Harding from Studio Soul, image by Litiana Harding.

The painted circle motif and slate blue add a unique and personalised touch to this office space while connecting it to the lighter tones in the adjacent room. The main walls are painted in Resene Watermark with circles in Resene Quarter Albescent White, left wall in Resene Indian Ink, right wall (through doorway) in Resene Duck Egg Blue, floor in Resene Foundation with Resene FX Paint Effects Medium mixed with Resene Otter applied on top, desk in Resene Double Duck Egg Blue, pendant lamp in Resene Kia Kaha, DIY artwork in Resene Double Duck Egg Blue, Resene Exactly and Resene Indian Ink, large vase in Resene Foundation, bowl in Resene Watermark and small vase in Resene Indian Ink. Chair from Cintesi. Project by Kate Alexander, image by Bryce Carleton.

January 2024:

2024 began with Busco! a fresh light purple symbolising the quest for new beginnings. Named from the Spanish "I search," Busco! combines hope and energy, emerging as the key colour for Latin America. Its balance of red and blue with lightness makes it airy and welcoming, yet boldly assertive.

This multi-faceted hue pairs well with acid yellow, navy blue, grey, beige and deep green brown. Appearing in interiors Busco! is a versatile and energising colour for a burst of colour in commercial and retail settings.

Here are two other ideas using similar colourways, Resene Marionette and Resene Ghost, which you can try in an upcoming project:

Gentle purple toned pink works great with pastoral greens. This back wall is painted in Resene Tom Thumb, with the shelf, bowl and pot in the playful mauve of Resene Marionette. Project by Amber Armitage, image by Wendy Fenwick.

Try a night mauve for something closer to a neutral. Thanks to their rich grey-meets-taupe-meets-indigo undertones that shift and change throughout the day and night, these hues are infinitely more interesting than a true neutral. This wall is painted in Resene Ghost, battens in Resene Santas Grey, floor in Resene Colorwood Rock Salt, DIY Cloud artwork painted in Resene Gumboot, Resene Matakana, Resene Zulu, Resene Jimmy Dean, Resene Santas Grey, Resene Ghost, Resene In The Mauve and Resene Sea Fog with frame in Resene Sea Fog. Rug and glass from Freedom, Chaise and side table from Nood, throw from H&M Home. Project by Laura Lynn Johnston, image by Melanie Jenkins.

For more advice on choosing colours for your next project, Ask a Resene Colour Expert online or talk to your Resene Representative.

Published: 10 Jun 2024