As we come out of the drab winter months, for many spring is the time for a makeover at home. Whether it's one wall or a whole house, it is the perfect time to decorate. indulge asked the experts at Resene and local interior designer John Darke for the inside scoop on trends for the 2015/16 summer.
Karen Warman, Resene marketing manager
1 What are the main colour trends for this summer season and why?
A new colour trend coming through at present are the new fashion pastels. Soft pastel colours have been swirling around our homes for a few years now, with icy gelato tones and lolly colours. This season pastels are growing up. They've moved from those watery looks to a more muddied, dusky style. It's a more grown-up, sophisticated palette. And we're using a variety of them in one room, not just a touch here and there. With this new approach to pastel schemes, soft neutrals have a strong role to play, sitting happily alongside pastels.
We're seeing paint colours making their way into flooring so that becomes a part of the paint palette. Ceilings are also becoming a popular canvas for colour. Traditional ceilings have been white but there is a trend to continuing the wall colour on to the ceiling for a cocoon of colour or a striking, bold contrast. Ceilings tend to be expansive, uncluttered spaces and are often an easier choice for a feature space than the feature walls of the past. Many rooms don't suit feature walls because there is so much furniture, artwork and other obstructions that the feature wall has to compete with. In those spaces more decorators are opting to take the colour to the ceiling instead.
Outside, the black story is still strong, with black wood stains a particular favourite, often complemented by a striking bold front door or garden feature. And "greige" (grey beige) is the new beige inside and out. Exterior neutrals are tending towards greys and blackened off-whites, away from the beiges and the creams that preceded them.
