Proving the transformative power of colour yet again, the latest Dulux makeover is a bright, bold confection designed to showcase this summer’s hottest paint trends. A predominantly white lounge room and tween bedroom were overhauled using the Revive palette – one of three palettes from the Dulux Colour Forecast 2023.
“As our world opens up and we adapt to new ways of doing things, we’re looking for lightness and joy in our surroundings. This is a time for reconnecting with the ones we love, and we want guests to walk into our homes and feel a sense of happiness and celebration. At the same time, after two years of restrictions, many of us are yearning for fun, freedom and the chance to try new things,” says Andrea Lucena-Orr, Dulux colour and communications manager.
The formerly all-white lounge room was overhauled with Dulux Paper Brown paint on the walls and Dulux Breezy Half on the ceiling. “The brown instantly added warmth and character while the soft blue ceiling really brightens up the space. “Taking the ceilng colour part-way down on the wall, as we’ve done here, is a design trick to make the ceiling feel higher,” says Dulux colour forecaster and stylist Bree Leech.
The Revive palette perfectly captures the mood with vibrant hues including a rich blue (Dulux Integra), lively green (Dulux Diorite) and a whimsical lilac (Dulux Perplexed) paired with over-scaled patterns, voluptuous furniture and bold, abstract artworks inside the renovated lounge room. “If you’ve never swayed from whites and neutrals before, using saturated colours like these can feel daunting, but there’s really nothing to fear,” says Bree.
Bree styled the room with a mash-up of futuristic and retro influences including curvy, statement seating in 80’s inspired electric blue paired with a 70’s inspired textural feature chair and foot stool in mustard. A powder blue sideboard topped with a bright green vessel completes the scene. “Design trends today are heavily influenced by the idea of ‘creating a moment,’ whether it’s the perfect Instagrammable photo or a great Zoom backdrop,” says Bree of the inspiration behind the room.
In the nearby tween bedroom, Bree balanced calm with a sense of fun. “As a sleep space, we wanted this bedroom to feel restful, so we painted the walls in soothing and immersive Dulux Integra. For something a little unexpected, we used Dulux Diorite on the skirting boards, window trims and door, rather than traditional white.”
Bree’s summer styling tips
- Add colour in unexpected spots: The element of surprise can be a powerful decorating tool; consider adding colour to your ceiling, timber window frames, door edges or the back of shelves.
- Exaggerated curves: Whether it’s a curvaceous sofa, a chubby accent chair or rounded coffee table, this look calls for curves.
- Be bold with pattern: Forget the so-called rules on mixing patterns – have fun combining thick or thin stripes, geometrics, over-sized floral prints and more, all in the one space.
- Keep artworks casual: Think unframed, abstracts and digital artworks casually propped, even overlapping, on a shelf or sideboard.
- Textural contrast: Add depth and interest to your rooms décor by mixing different textures, such as boucle armchairs, thick woven rugs, imperfect ceramics, matte finish joinery and touches of high-shine metallics in furniture legs.
- Highlight interesting furniture shapes: Having a backdrop in a contrasting colour allows pieces like curvy, statement seating to shine.
- Scheming: The Dulux curated palettes are designed to be used as schemes for paint, as well as soft furnishings, artwork and décor – to ensure all colour references work cohesively.
Photography: Lisa Cohen | Styling: Bree Leech
Dulux latest: 2023 colour forecast reflects a post-pandemic shift
