Earthy tones are the colours of 2021

Those tenants thinking of accessorising their rental homes and landlords considering redecorating, will be interested to learn natural, earthy tones look set to remain popular.

Indeed, Dulux has announced that its colour for next year will be Brave Ground, part of its new Earth palette.

Colour designers, trend forecasters, design specialists, architects and editors from around the world came together at the AkzoNobel Global Aesthetic Centre to define one colour that encapsulated the moment.

Heleen van Gent, head of the centre, says: “It’s been challenging this year to transform the key global trends into inspiring colour palettes.

“We’ve seen unprecedented global change, with all of us facing experiences that feel out of kilter with the modern world.

“At the same time, we’ve rediscovered more positive things: solidarity in communities, strangers’ generosity, and the realisation that together we can do extraordinary things.

“We’re finding the courage to pick ourselves up and move forward. Our homes provide a sanctuary: a place to restore, repair and recalibrate ourselves on the road to recovery.”

To support the launch of the shade, various partners of Dulux have created matching products in the warm hue.

DFS, for example, has added Brave Ground as a colour option for its Zinc range, part of its French Connection collection.

Stoves is for the first time launching an appliance in the colour of the year shade and Brave Ground will feature in its Richmond Deluxe range cookers.

And accessories, including rugs, cushions and throws, are likely to appear in Brave Ground shades across many home and interiors stores through 2021.

This year has already seen people turning towards natural shades for their interiors in what is perceived to be a reaction to the current uncertainty caused by the pandemic.

For Dulux, the experts identified the warm and grounding neutral shade as the colour that would enable people to draw upon the strength of nature to help them embrace the future.

Marianne Shillingford, creative director, Dulux UK, says: “In 2021, the warm and grounding tones of Brave Ground will allow us to find certainty in the strength from the very ground beneath our feet, emboldening us to go forward and begin to live again and giving us the flex to adapt to the ever changing circumstances we face.”

Alongside the colour of the year, the experts identified four complementary colour palettes – to Earth, Trust, Timeless and Expressive – to make it easy to bring the colour into home and workspaces.