Setting the Tone

The 15th edition of Asian Paints Colour Next has revealed colour and decor trends for 2018, with Passion Flower as the Colour of the Year. Additionally, Busy Cool, Alchemy of Memories, Humane and Untamed are the four trends that will guide design language for this year.

Compiled by: BI Staff
Photographs: courtesy Asian Paints

For the last seven decades, Asian Paints has been at the forefront as professional creators and curators of colours and design that inspire myriad industries in the way they relate to hues, finishes, textures and materials. As part of Colour Next 2018, its annual colour and decor trends forecast, Asian Paints has revealed the Colour of the Year and four colour and decor trends that will inspire the design industry for 2018.

“Colour Next 2018 is a fascinating process of mapping societal currents and decor trends. We make it as interpretative as it is intuitive and as diverse as the designers and cultural influencers that contribute to what has become the country’s most definitive decor forecast. It is in its essence, not a monolithic design diktat, but a fountainhead of inspiration, rich with all colours of opinion, emotion and experience,” says Amit Syngle, COO, Asian Paints Ltd.

The Colour of the Year 2018 is Passion Flower along with the fascinating Busy Cool, Alchemy of Memories, Humane and Untamed as the four trends. This forecast is a result of a year-round scientific study, carried out by an expert panel of India’s top designers, architects, noted sociologists and advertising professionals. It involves thoughtful consideration and trend analysis while combing the world for
new influences.

Passion Flower is a colour that signifies hope. It exudes an amber glow with warmth and openness and elicits a feeling of positivity. It is quietly receptive during the day and reflective in the shade.

The first trend of Colour Next 2018 is Alchemy of Memories, which is about documentation of art, history and culture through people as a medium. It includes moody mauve and aqua punctuated by fresh green and pale grey. A faded sheen of velvet and the natural tan of cedar wood indicate a surface that has evolved with time.

The second trend is Busy Cool that is all about today’s busy professionals showcasing their work on social media. This trendy palette brings together a plush purple for the pride in what the ‘busy cool’ does, and a flamboyant red that their social media image is sometimes tinged with. A self-assured mauve is the anchor that tends to walk the thin line in between. Smart, efficient, dynamic and stylishly Instagrammable, this trend is supported by solid surfaces and innovative textiles; something the ‘busy cool’ unquestionably can’t do without.

With the technology all around us, people are yearning for more human interaction. The third trend, Humane, is inspired by this very need for touch and warmth. Comprising a grounded colour palette that features shades of the earth, sand and soil, the colours in it reflect a longing to reconnect to our roots. It is inspired by materials that invite touch, like white oak which feels alive with its natural grain and texture. Polished copper and marble with organic patterns, familiar checks and irregular patterns embrace the wabi sabi aesthetic to create a space one can warmly sink into.

The common man’s acceptance of absurd and extreme mechanisms to convey a message form is the fourth trend, Untamed. Right from art and fashion to news and social protest, the unabashedly untamed has become a powerful medium of expression. The colour scheme can be mixed and matched across walls, furnishings and accessories. With bold and over the top fluorescents clashing, absurd juxtapositions take centerstage, lit up by the psychedelic. Polished surfaces reflect light like mirrors, as fibreglass meets dichroic film and faux fur meets onyx. This trend is a maximalist dream. Love it or hate it, you cannot ignore it.

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