{"id":53046,"date":"2025-08-08T14:09:15","date_gmt":"2025-08-08T14:09:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/53046\/"},"modified":"2025-08-08T14:09:15","modified_gmt":"2025-08-08T14:09:15","slug":"interior-design-paint-colour-trends-for-australian-homes-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/53046\/","title":{"rendered":"Interior design paint colour trends for Australian homes"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of Lucena-Orr\u2019s first tasks when she transferred to the newly created role \u2013 she previously worked in IT and finance in the parent company \u2013 was updating the Dulux colour palette, known as the atlas.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we first brought out the specifier we had a few whites in it but not that many,\u201d she says. \u201cThen when we did the second edition, we incorporated a lot of whites because in the \u201990s going into the 2000s whites became a much more popular main colour.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt expanded exponentially, not just into the warm whites which we had been using for a number of years \u2013 people were using other whites going into the latter part of the 2000s into those greyer whites.\u201d<\/p>\n

As every shade of grey dominated walls both inside and out well into the 2010s, Lucena-Orr says the ground shifted away <\/a>from whites and pale greys towards more colourful palettes. And not just for walls.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not saying the whites are not still the biggest thing we make, because they certainly are, but people are getting a bit more adventurous in the way they use colour, especially colour drenching,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\"Whites<\/p>\n

Whites and warm neutrals are still popular, as this room from the 2020 colour forecast demonstrates. Styling: Bree BanfieldCredit: Lisa Cohen\/Dulux<\/p>\n

The rising popularity of colour drenching<\/a>, in which the same or similar colour is used on the walls and ceiling, is a sign of the times, says Lucena-Orr.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou would never think of doing ceilings and walls in the same colour even 10 years ago,\u201d she says. \u201cThat would have been quite a risqu\u00e9 approach, whereas now I would not hesitate recommending that to people because it envelops you and cocoons you in a space.\u201d<\/p>\n

In contrast to the 2010s when the international outlook was one of general optimism and stability, Lucena-Orr says our concerns about the state of world affairs, exacerbated during COVID-19, have fuelled a desire to be \u201cnurtured\u201d by our homes<\/a> leading to a stronger interest in warm, inviting spaces in natural tones.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt is always around consumer sentiment. A lot of our research is around macro and micro trends and certainly looking at the zeitgeist and how people are feeling overseas, but also the cost-of-living crisis and what is affecting people globally, that uncertainty does make us crave those more nurturing hues,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that is why brown came back as a base three or fours years ago. It was the start of that period. We started to see that in the trends just prior to COVID and COVID increased that massively overnight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whatever the design trends or theories about the role of different colours, Lucena-Orr says the way each of us responds to various shades is very personal.<\/p>\n

\u201cOften we are drawn to colours that have given us some positive interaction when we were a child but that also tells us what we don\u2019t like. If we lived in a home we don\u2019t have fond memories of, often the colour will be part of the trauma. It goes very deep.\u201d<\/p>\n

In terms of choosing your own colours, Lucena-Orr says there are a couple of rules to follow. First, choose something you love and, wherever possible, look at the colour swatch in the room where it will be used. Indoor and outdoor light can have a significant effect on colour. Secondly, make sure your swatch is vertical, not horizontal.<\/p>\n

\"Expect<\/p>\n

Expect to see a lot more spaces in warm browns. Styling: Bree BanfieldCredit: Lisa Cohen\/Dulux<\/p>\n

\u201cHave it on a vertical axis \u2013 that\u2019s something a lot of people get wrong,\u201d she says. \u201cThey put colour on a flat surface like their dining table or their coffee table and look at all the other elements they might be placing, but walls tend to be on a vertical axis.\u201d<\/p>\n

And if you want to know what a colour expert\u2019s favourite colour is, prepare for disappointment.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is like asking who is my favourite child,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Press a little further and a preference presents itself.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is very hard for me to have a favourite colour, but I am certainly drawn towards more natural colours \u2013 greens, those beautiful mushroom pink colours.\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u2019s your safe bet.<\/p>\n

Make the most of your health, relationships, fitness and nutrition with our Live Well newsletter. Get it in your inbox<\/a> every Monday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"One of Lucena-Orr\u2019s first tasks when she transferred to the newly created role \u2013 she previously worked in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":53047,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[449,458,459,64,63,460,134],"class_list":["post-53046","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-design","tag-entertainment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53046","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53046"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53046\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53047"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53046"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53046"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53046"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}