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With environmental concerns becoming increasingly important within specifications, designers need to make sure that every aspect of a building is carefully considered and adheres to a project’s sustainability goals. Dulux Decorator Centre is committed to upholding sustainable standards and supporting its partners to reduce environmental impact. In this article, its commercial sustainability manager, Duncan Lochhead, discusses how sustainability can be achieved with the right paints and coatings.

The built environment is responsible for more than a quarter of the UK’s total greenhouse gas emissions, and this must be reduced if the UK is to reach net zero by 2050. To do this, low-carbon building materials must be selected across every aspect of a building, right down to the paint used on the walls.

What does sustainable paint look like?

One of the biggest environmental concerns in the paint industry is the use of solvents and the emission of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). VOCs are chemical vapours that are greenhouse gases – and therefore contribute to global warming, as well as impacting ground level pollution.

While emissions from VOCs in decorative paint represents a small percentage of the UK’s overall pollutants (1% in the UK), they still increase environmental impact and negatively affect indoor air quality. To avoid this, it is recommended that water-based paints and coatings are used- such as the beautifully aesthetic Dulux Trade Diamond Satinwood for wood and metal surfaces and ultra-low VOC content paint for walls and ceilings – to achieve a professional finish and improve sustainability.

Recent innovations like the reformulated Dulux Trade Diamond Matt are a perfect example. This product provides the industry with a durable solution that is also 99.9% VOC free (based on in-can VOC content, measured in accordance with ISO 11890-2:2013). It therefore has lower impact on indoor air quality and the overall carbon footprint of a project when compared with the previous formulation. For added reassurance that it delivers sustainability benefits, Dulux Trade Diamond Matt is compliant with green building accreditations BREEAM and LEED.

Dulux Trade

Reducing environmental impact over a building’s lifetime

Paints and coatings play a vital role in cutting carbon emissions over a building’s lifetime thanks to their ability to preserve buildings and prevent the need for regular redecoration work. Opting for durable products like Dulux Trade Diamond Matt and Dulux Trade Scuffshield Matt will therefore extend maintenance cycles thanks to their ability to withstand daily wear and tear.

Dulux Trade Scuffshield Matt is a tough, water-based matt emulsion paint that contains ultimate scuff resistant technology. It is perfect for use in high traffic areas such as corridors, stairwells and hallways, and busy commercial spaces and is designed to protect walls against scuff marks left behind from items such as shoes and bags, to help keep surfaces looking good for longer. It is also cleanable and offers good stain resistance.

In addition, Dulux Trade Diamond Matt is compliant with BS EN ISO 11998 Class 1 and BS 7719 Class C and can withstand 10,000 scrubs (the equivalent of five hours non-stop scrubbing). It also resists water-based stains like red wine and coffee, as well as oil-based stains such as food or cosmetics. It can be repeatedly cleaned and scrubbed, ensuring that unwanted stains can be easily removed without damaging the paint film on the wall, making the professional finish last even longer.

Products like Dulux Trade Evolve Matt that are made using recycled content are also worth considering. Dulux Trade Evolve Matt contains 35% recycled content and does not compromise on coverage or finish. It is available in white, making it the ideal choice for ceilings or to create neutral backdrops.

Choosing the right supplier

In addition to product, designers should also think about the additional benefits offered by a supplier. Partnering with Dulux Decorator Centre, for example, will ensure a dedicated team is assigned to provide expert advice from the specification stage. They are also able to look at the carbon footprint of a painting project or programme over its lifecycle and provide insight on alternative options to support more sustainable decisions. In addition, the Dulux Decorator Centre team will work closely with the Dulux Trade Colour Consultants who can provide bespoke palettes that meet the needs of building occupants.

To help with the sustainable disposal of empty paint cans at the end of a project, Dulux Decorator Centre offers a can recycling scheme. It can also help to facilitate the donation of leftover paint to good causes like Community RePaint, so nothing goes to waste.

To find out more about how Dulux Decorator Centre can support on your next project, click here.

About Dulux Trade

Dulux is the UK’s leading paint brand, with a wealth of products and services designed to help you find the colours that will suit your project, and give you the expert knowledge you’ll need to achieve great results.

If you’d like to feature your news or stories on SBID.org, get in touch to find out more. 

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Dulux has announced its Colour of the Year for 2024, Sweet Embrace. In this article, Dawn Scott, Senior Colour Designer at Dulux explains more about the research behind the colour, introduces its complementary colour palettes and explains how to use the shades across different sectors.

The story behind Sweet Embrace

For the last 21 years, Dulux has been using trend forecasting to identify a Colour of the Year that reflects the current state of the world and needs of building occupants. Every year, Dulux colour experts and international design professionals come together for a Trend Forecast brainstorm and share insights about where the world is heading.

This year’s discussions found that although we’re better informed than ever before, we’re still searching for peace of mind, clarity and moments of joy. In a world that feels fragile and complicated, people are seeking a space where they belong.

The Colour of the Year 2024, Sweet Embrace, is a reflection of this insight. Named by Dulux for its ‘arm around the shoulder’ quality, it can be used for projects across all sectors to create a sense of belonging for building occupants.

In addition to Sweet Embrace, interior designers can also draw inspiration from the three complementary colour palettes: Warm, Calm and Uplifting. Each palette can be used alongside Sweet Embrace to support the end use of a space and evoke emotion in building occupants.

Sweet Embrace - Dulux

Using the Dulux Colour of the Year across sectors

Sweet Embrace and its complementary colour palettes are incredibly versatile and can be used across any sector:

Education

The key to designing education settings is making students, staff and visitors feel welcomed and motivated. Whilst Sweet Embrace provides a neutral backdrop that is perfect for the main walls of a classroom, the more saturated tones in the Uplifting palette like High Summer can be used to draw pupils’ attention to the teaching wall.

These bolder tones and the soft pastels such as Fragrant Peony can also be used to bring joy to education spaces, without being too overstimulating. This is key for supporting neurodiversity and making the environment comfortable for everyone.

For areas such as libraries or time-out spaces, the Calm palette is recommended. The sage greens and sea blues, which provide that subtle link to nature, will help students to unwind and feel at ease.

Sweet Embrace - Dulux

Hospitals

Across the healthcare sector, designs are moving away from industrial, sterile aesthetics. To support the softer and more comforting designs that are now becoming the norm in hospital settings, the Calm palette is recommended. Its links to nature make the colours feel restorative and soothing, which is ideal for creating positive environments for staff, patients and visitors.

Care homes (and dementia care)

For care homes, one of the top priorities is ensuring designs aid wayfinding and help residents maintain their independence. To do this, it is recommended to use softer hues like Sweet Embrace on the main walls and more saturated tones from the Warm palette, like Peanut Butter or Winter Pumpkin, for doorways and feature walls to make these elements stand out.

Sweet Embrace - Dulux

Offices

To create spaces that improve focus and boost productivity – whilst also offsetting high-intensity and stress – use the Calm palette. These colours bring the outdoors in and help people to relax, improving wellbeing in the work area.

However, to boost people’s mood and provide an upbeat welcome to those entering the building we suggest the Uplifting palette’s brighter yellows like High Summer and Ochre Sands for lobbies and entrance ways.

Hospitality and leisure

Hotels and restaurants can really benefit from the tones in the Warm palette, as they can be used to create a home-from-home feeling and make people comfortable. On the contrary, to encourage playfulness in leisure spaces, use the Uplifting palette.

Sweet Embrace - Dulux

Social housing

For social housing, it is important to make residents feel at home as soon as they enter the building. The Warm palette is ideal for this, as the tones can create a sense of belonging and connectedness. The colours chosen for communal spaces are also incredibly important and should bring joy and imply friendliness – which can be achieved with the Uplifting palette.

Selecting the right paint for the sector

Sweet Embrace and the Colour Futures palettes can be selected across a wide range of Dulux Trade products. For education environments, we recommend highly durably paints like Dulux Trade Scuffshield Matt. This tough, water-based emulsion contains ultimate scuff resistant technology that is designed to protect walls against scuff marks being left behind from items such as shoes and bags, to help keep walls looking good for longer.

Sweet Embrace - Dulux

To further support hospital specifications, a tough, scrubbable anti-bacterial paint like Dulux Trade Sterishield is an ideal hygeine solution as it inhibits bacterial growth, preventing the spread of germs.

Finally, for busy hospitality, commercial and housing projects we suggest using durable paints that can be easily cleaned. For example, Dulux Trade Diamond Matt can withstand 10,000 scrubs (which is the equivalent of five hours non-stop scrubbing) so it can be repeatedly cleaned, ensuring that unwanted stains are easily removed without damaging the paint film on the wall – making the professional finish last even longer. This product also supports sustainability goals as it is 99.9% VOC free.

Dulux Trade Colour of the Year 2024, Sweet Embrace, and the palettes are available to specify from 12 September 2023. For additional guidance on the use of these colours refer to the Dulux Trade Colour of the Year 2024 Specifier Brochure here.

About Dulux Trade

Dulux is the UK’s leading paint brand, with a wealth of products and services designed to help you find the colours that will suit your project, and give you the expert knowledge you’ll need to achieve great results.

If you’d like to feature your news or stories on SBID.org, get in touch to find out more. 

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Curated shapes for hyper-personalised flooring. A reshaped Bolon concept, now with endless possibilities.

“Our relaunched Bolon Studio is creativity at its best. Playful, and clever! Introducing new shapes – making this concept a designer’s tool with endless possibilities for hyper-personalised flooring. Very Bolonish as we say”, says Klara Persson, Head of Product Management.

Simple shapes at first glance… But when put together these curated tiles build mind-blowing immersive expressions, by mixing and matching textures and colours from the Bolon collections! A woven flooring renaissance making use of the direction of the weft and warp to reflect light while playing with spatial intelligence.

Bolon Studio is stepping onto eternal geometry. At Bolon dreamers and innovators come together to reinvent – big bangs are ever only created when worlds collide. This time geometric, graphic, and organic shapes resurface as super creative flooring.

“In reality, all shapes already exist out there in the universe. Creativity is the ability to combine existing ideas and make new ones. What we have created with the Bolon Studio concept is a tool to reshape the world of flooring”, says Lisa Jarhult, Product Developer and Designer at Bolon.

New dimensions to shape things up and make any floor a fantasy-come-true. See for yourself!

About Bolon

Bolon is a Swedish design company specialising in innovative and sustainable flooring and rug solutions for public spaces. Under the leadership of sisters Annica and Marie Eklund, the third-generation family business has transformed from a traditional weaving mill into an international design brand with clients such as Armani, Google, Four Seasons Hotels, Chanel, Adidas, Apple and Missoni Home. With a strong commitment to sustainability, Bolon designs and manufactures all products in its facility using only renewable energy. The company has gained worldwide recognition for their award-winning design, superior quality, and collaborations with some of the world’s most acclaimed innovators and creatives.

If you’d like to feature your news or stories on SBID.org, get in touch to find out more. 

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The subject matter of elaboration was interior design of Barbara’s Apartment located in Warsaw, Poland. The scope of the design service included interior design of the entrance hall with open reception with study place and open kitchen area together with the bedroom. The background of the design service was interior partly built with architectural design solution already implemented, as well as the bathrooms. The main goal of the assignment was to create amazing the most important areas and bring soul to this place, 80 sqm apartment on the 14th floor in residential building in Warsaw.

The realisation of this project was a multi-level challenge, in particular the incorporation and neutralisation of the found elements in the project which, as it turned out, were contrary to the owner’s expectations and expression. Following the dream of our client Barbara, we immersed ourselves in the postmodernism of the Italian group “Memphis” and, on the other hand, in the Popart aesthetics of the 1960’s and 1970’s. It was quite a difficult and unconventional combination, but it turned out to be a platform for a lot of interesting ideas: full of intensity, colours and details mostly ending up in very individual furniture designs and patterns.

The architectural base of graphite and beige structures, which existed here before, was complemented by the client’s favourite combination of grant-green-purple-carmine, which introduced a visible boldness of colour, evoking associations and an atmosphere like in the world of Almodovar, whom she has appreciated while inspired this place.

This combination, intense and variable in intensity and proportion, became the main basis for material and colour choices. Thus, within this framework, shades of these colours appear in the form of varied and contrasting textures, shiny blue and green mirrors contrast with silk and velvet wallpapers, furry gradient fabrics are combined with nubuck matte leather, patterned fabric ornaments with an intense, almost ethnic expression are juxtaposed with glossy anthracite wood.

The intensity of the colours is combined with the finesse of the shapes of the sophisticated and designed furniture. As a tribute to the style of the Memphis group, Robert Majkut has designed a dedicated collection of furniture inspired by them, such as a console in the entrance, a TV cabinet and table in the living room and a chest of drawers in the bedroom. This coherent and bold collection of sculptures-objects fulfils its concentrating, colour-sculptural role, giving a distinct character and unambiguity to this effusion of intensity. A number of distinctive forms and juxtapositions were used in the design of the console located in the lobby, including the most popular Memphis pattern – the squiggle, otherwise known as ‘bacterio’. A table and TV cabinet using ornaments typical of the style were also designed in the convention of the Italian group. The collection was created in collaboration with the Dawidczyk Brothers carpentry workshop.

The whole is complemented by the owner’s furniture and meticulously selected additions in the form of Casina armchairs, Minotti sofa, or other furniture from companies such as Porada, Ekstorm, Bosa, Pouenat, Takeushi, Kundalini.

The living room and bedroom interiors are dominated by fleshy fabrics with thick weaves and colours from well-known and respected brands Kirkby Design, Zimmer+Rohde professionally stitched and upholstered to order in collaboration with Ardeco Studio and silk and velour textile wallpapers of high quality by Vescom, Phillip Jeffries, individually selected and made colourful mirrors, shades and carpets made to order by CS rugs factory from the Cameleon Collection. Finally, the highlight of the project is a kitchen ceramic wall made based on inspiration from a selected painting by a Canadian artist, whose transcriptions into the language of ceramics were first precisely designed and then crafted. It is an expressive dominant feature of the interior created by means of traditionally fired, sophisticated colours, realised in collaboration with Ardea.

The hand-formed work has been transferred into the kitchen space providing an artistic respite, but also a backdrop to the urban life of the house, blending in with furnishing details such as the Gessi kitchen tap with its ceramic stem in the colour of carmine certainly.

Robert Majkut appreciates the sensitivity and artistry of other artists and seeks out original and unobvious works that complement his vision of a place, which was the case in his collaboration with the OAK Gallery in Paris. For this project, an Art Object – Mirror by Christophe Gaignon/Signature Collection was created with a special dedication to the owner of the interior.

From the Author:

“This beautiful living space came out as an intense mixture of colors, bold forms, a tribute to the joyful, colorful times of artistic design – it was and it is all about playing with conventions and joy liberated from the obvious. Just like the person who lives here! Thank you, Barbara.”

About Robert Majkut Design Ltd

RMD is a repeatedly awarded, international design practice in interior design, branding architecture & design strategy, focusing on highly creative and quality solutions for private and commercial investors. For more than 25 years we have been working for courageous people and strong brands, generating new market standards with them, creating sustainable values, embracing our insight and experience. During the design process, we always look for authenticity, we want to narrate real stories. The core is the power of art to create beauty, we use creativity to move forward and experience to fulfil. The company is featured best numerous editorials in consumer and trade magazines. Robert Majkut Design Ltd is based in London and has a representative office in Warsaw.

If you’d like to feature your project news here, get in touch to find out more. 

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Discover Tektura’s 10 new designs: smooth surfaces and delicate patterns complement raw silks and woven raffia. Inspired by traditional crafts, tie-dye and decoupage sit alongside blockprints and stencil effects. The ever present connection with nature is found with silhouetted leaves and shadow prints.

Brushed Smooth

With 100 colours to select from, you’ll find cool whites, soft greys and pale pastels moving through to warm clay pinks and shades of plum. Deepest charcoal, indigo and dark olive bring depth and drama. Surface textures are embellished with bronze, copper and gold. Delicate metallised threads run through raw silks and woven grass.

Brushed Layers
Brushed Layers

Above: Abstract print on smooth ground. Metallic details in selected colours. Co-ordinates with Brushed Smooth.

Shadow Damask
Shadow Damask

Above: A contemporary take on a traditional silk damask. Contrasting bands of colour run horizontally. Coordinates with Shadow Silk.

Mudmee
Mudmee

Above: Inspired by ancient weaving with a contemporary twist. Co-ordinates with Enigma.

Coast
Coast

Above: Glistening interwoven silk strands create a moire effect.

Seastone

Above: Grainy stone effect featuring glistening fragments in selected colours.

Cover image: Botanical Grassweave

About Tektura

Tektura are specialists in contract wallcoverings. Our life is colour, pattern and texture. We believe wallcovering can transform a space and we’re dedicated to delivering outstanding product and service.

If you’d like to feature your product news here, get in touch to find out more. 

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The annual unveiling of the Dulux Colour of the Year is a culmination of months of trend analysis from visiting exhibitions and design fairs, as well as keeping an eye on the social, cultural and economic trends to decipher the tones that capture the moment. We caught up with Heleen Van Gent, Creative Director Global of AkzoNobel’s Aesthetic Centre that is responsible for coming up with the Colour of the Year, to find out more about her role and the process behind choosing the famous Dulux Colour of the Year.

What is The AkzoNobel Global Aesthetic Centre?

Based in the Netherlands, the AkzoNobel Global Aesthetic Centre is our hub for colour trend analysis, colour research and design and art direction. For the past 30 years, the team has worked year-round, translating social trends into colour trends for the 150 countries where AkzoNobel operates.

How long have you worked at AkzoNobel and what was your path to your current role?

I have worked at AkzoNobel for just over 13 years and I am the Creative Director of the Global Aesthetic Centre.

My journey started in the magazine industry in the Netherlands. I had worked in partnership with AkzoNobel on a project and this gave me my first glimpse of the Global Aesthetic Centre. From then on, I knew that this was the job for me.

I have always had an interest in making the everyday beautiful and helping people introduce wonderful things into their living environment. I think the effect colour can have on your mood and emotions is often underestimated. A lick of paint is an excellent and relatively inexpensive way to make a tremendous impact on our lives.

Who was involved in choosing this year’s colour?

Aside from our team at the Global Aesthetic Centre, we bring together a panel of design experts from across the globe. Each member brings with them insights from their culture, way of living and how they see the year ahead.

To ensure objectivity, we look to design experts who are connected to AkzoNobel in some way but are not key customers. This is important as we need to obtain their honest professional opinions and insights to ensure that the colour chosen works in all the countries we operate in.

Why is ColourFutures such an important part of the AkzoNobel calendar?

When designing the Colour of the Year we try to capture the moment in just one colour, which, as you can imagine, isn’t a simple task. It takes almost a whole year to design the final colour, with input from all global outposts of AkzoNobel before a final decision is made. While the process is largely confined to the Global Aesthetic Centre, we do see it as a team effort for the whole company and professional panel.

What is the process for choosing the Dulux Colour of the Year?

The process of choosing the Colour of the Year is constant. Our in-house team and the design experts we work with are out visiting exhibitions and design fairs, as well as keeping an eye on the social, cultural, and economic trends. We then come together for a three-day session where we discuss what we’ve seen and share what we believe will be influential over the coming year.

We start the three-day process by asking the team questions like what keeps them awake at night or what makes them happy (since they are just as much consumers as anyone else).

This helps us to get to the root of the issues that the world is facing today. This year, we were inspired by Mother Nature fighting back – with floods and drought featuring heavily in current affairs and nature being used to inspire popular interior designs.

The discussions also led us to see that yellow was dominating. We therefore knew that this would be the base of our Colour of the Year 2023 – we just didn’t know the exact shade. Based on this insight, we came up with Wild WonderTM: a positive, glowing natural tone that connects us with nature. We see this colour as a soft gold with hints of green inspired by fresh seed pods and harvest grain.

Our discussions also help us create the four colour palettes that we launch alongside the Colour of the Year – identifying complementary shades that are all inspired by the same insight and behavioural trends. This year our four colour stories are:

  • Lush palette – has a mental health focus with colours inspired by plant-filled habitats of gardens, forests and woodlands
  • Buzz palette – inspired by collective thinking, celebrating diversity and adding joy, unity, and connectivity
  • Raw palette – draws from bio-inspiration and what nature can teach us and reflects on the richness of resources that nature offers
  • Flow palette – focuses on the cycles of life and brings a feeling of fluidity, freshness and equilibrium

Where do you see the colour being used in practice?

We make sure that the Colour of the Year and its complementary palettes can be used in any setting – from the domestic home through to commercial premises across education, healthcare, hospitality, office and residential sectors. For example, this year’s Buzz palette with its rich, diverse and joyful colours is perfectly suited for the hospitality sector. We think a hotel room or lobby painted in this bright palette will be sure to bring a smile to someone’s face.

Flow on the other hand has more subtle and timeless colours that perform well in the education sector. Both early year education settings, up to teenagers and university students can benefit from this palette thanks to its roundness and friendliness.

What was your favourite moment from this year’s Colour of the Year process?

This answer is twofold. The first moment is when we’ve settled on a story. This is no mean feat, as we have to make sure that everyone is on board and aligned with the vision.

The second moment is our “country call” where we present our new colour palette, way of thinking and messaging map to our AkzoNobel colleagues around the world. This is an opportunity for them to push back if they think the colour might not work in their region which always makes me nervous. However, when I saw everyone nodding their head and buying into the colour story, I knew we’d cracked it and found something that resonates with everyone.

For more information about Dulux’s Colour of the Year, please visit: www.duluxtrade.co.uk/COTY23

To download the ColourFutures™ 2023 Specifier Brochure, click here.

Questions answered by Heleen Van Gent, Creative Director, AkzoNobel’s Global Aesthetic Centre.

About AkzoNobel

AkzoNobel deliver the sustainable and innovative solutions that our customers, communities – and the planet – are increasingly relying on. As experts in making coatings, chances are you’re only ever a few meters from one of their products. Active in over 150 countries, they’ve set their sights on becoming the global industry leader. It’s what you’d expect from the most sustainable paints company, which has been inventing the future for more than two centuries.

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Sustainable Swedish design company, Bolon, has expanded its long-standing and best-selling collections, Artisan and Botanic, with new colourways, which were unveiled at the brand’s Clerkenwell showroom for London Design Festival.

Inspired by traditional craftsmanship, yet produced using innovative fibres, Artisan is a fusion of old and new. Designed for high-traffic areas, such as offices and hospitality spaces, the collection has been selected for use in a diverse range of projects, both in the UK and internationally.

Bolon has now expanded the collection with ten new dynamic and lively colourways, that complement the existing collection’s vibrant and expressive energy and add to the brand’s portfolio.

Bolon Botanic: Blanche, Rain, Library, Tilia tiles

The Artisan collection

Play is a summery and vivid orange that looks stunning on a larger scale. Love is an intensely warm red. Alive and happy, it is bursting with energy. Fresh is a cool, almost transparent green that appears new and thrilling when paired with natural tones. A deep green, Wild, has the capacity to soften other hues. The one-of-a-kind, yellow toned green shade, Spring, shines and brings other colours to life. True is a noble blue that complements the red options within the Artisan collection. Water is a brave colour that appears youthful and energising. Ink is a deep blue, nearly black tone, that appears neither sharp nor silky when combined with other colours. A powerful and assured black, Noir, can stand alone or be styled with neutrals or brights. The collection is completed with Chalky, a shade between beige and grey, that is nearly white with a feather-like sensation.

Bolon Artisan: Play

Inspired by the natural world, the Botanic collection consists of a varied range of soft, warm and intelligent tones. Having proved popular since its launch, Bolon has now expanded the collection’s colour palette with eight new shades that transcend what first meets the eye.

Bolon Botanic Blanche: Canyon, Honey, Vintage, Spearmint, Chestnut tiles

The Botanic collection

Blanche is creamy and mild and brings a sophisticated softness that belongs to a new kind of luxury. Caramel and golden, Honey, is thoughtful with a natural warmth. It is a new type of beige with its own identity. Rich and dreamy, Chestnut is an intriguing kind of brown and an elegant evolution of colour. Inspired by the desert, Canyon is a heated terracotta. The reddish-brown tone adds timelessness to any room. Attractive and compelling, Vintage is both soft and dark and is the colour of the full moon. Rain is a refined blue tone with a hint of purple, which reflects how rainwater can shimmer. Fresh and nourishing, Spearmint, is a brightening colour, which can work like a white tone, as it contrasts and enhances. Library is supreme and luxurious. Just as the name suggests, it is a classic green.

Bolon Botanic Blanche: Rain, Library, Tilia tiles
Bolon Botanic Blanche: Honey, Vintage, Spearmint, Chestnut tiles

Throughout LDF, the new Artisan and Botanic colour palettes were displayed at Bolon’s Clerkenwell showroom, as part of a collaborative installation of furniture, flooring and lighting, created in partnership with Moooi.

Cathrine Ahlenius, Head of Research and Design at Bolon commented, “Artisan and Botanic each have their own identity. Artisan is a lively and expressive collection and the Botanic range is soft and warm with intelligent tones. We want to highlight those characteristics with new colours that provide more combination possibilities, both within the collections and with other items in Bolon’s product portfolio.”

Bolon Circle, Ivory, Garnet, Quartz
Bolon Artisan: Chalky, Play, Water, Wild, True

Sarah Herman, Marketing Director at Bolon UK, added, “We are delighted to introduce the new colourways for these popular collections.”

Headquartered in Sweden but globally renowned, Bolon is passionate about sustainability which is woven into the brand’s DNA. Botanic is made in Sweden, only with renewable energy and using a mixture of recycled and new material. The designs are available in roll, 50x50cm tiles and as Bolon Studio tiles.

Cover image: Bolon Circle, Ivory, Garnet, Quartz

About Bolon

Bolon is a Swedish design company specialising in innovative and sustainable flooring and rug solutions for public spaces. Under the leadership of sisters Annica and Marie Eklund, the third-generation family business has transformed from a traditional weaving mill into an international design brand with clients such as Armani, Google, Four Seasons Hotels, Chanel, Adidas, Apple and Missoni Home. With a strong commitment to sustainability, Bolon designs and manufactures all products in its facility using only renewable energy. The company has gained worldwide recognition for their award-winning design, superior quality, and collaborations with some of the world’s most acclaimed innovators and creatives.

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Dulux is celebrating two decades of Colour of the Year and has just launched its colour for 2023: Wild WonderTM  – and four complementary, versatile colour palettes that can be used to create stunning spaces across all sectors.

Wild WonderTM – a soft gold with hints of green inspired by fresh seed pods and harvest grain – is Dulux’s Colour of the Year 2023. Its upbeat glow connects us with nature, creating a sense of energy and positivity.

As people search for support, connection, inspiration and balance in the world today, they’re diving into the wonders of the natural world to find it. Extensive research conducted by Dulux colour experts and international design professionals found that even with so many challenges ahead, there was hope at the heart of global social, design and consumer trends.

Marianne Shillingford, Creative Director of Dulux UK, says: “Our relationship with the natural world feels more precious and precarious than ever. As well as understanding the value of nature more keenly, with climate change becoming a reality for all of us, we also feel the urgency of reconnecting with nature and the necessity of working with rather than against it.

“The earth and its materials have been inspiring humanity for centuries. Now is the time to put them centre stage and bring the outside, in.

“We’re re-evaluating our relationship with nature and sensing the importance of learning from it not just about it. Were understanding afresh that nature is the source of everything, bringing us solace, inspiration, materials and a myriad of blueprints for living. That’s why, this year, we’ve put the wonder of nature at the heart of our colour story.”

“Wild WonderTM speaks to us in a language we instinctively understand,” says Heleen van Gent, Creative Director of AkzoNobel’s Global Aesthetic Centre, which chooses the colour. “Nature is what inspires us and makes us feel better in our lives and in our homes. That’s why, for the first time in 20 years, our entire colour palette is inspired by the rhythms of nature.”

The name Wild WonderTM was created on the basis that ‘wild’ conjures up the freedom of nature and ‘wonder’ conveys the natural magic we see all around us. Wild WonderTM is a positive, natural tone that, by connecting us with the natural world, can help us feel better in our homes.

Four decorative paint colour palettes have been designed around Wild WonderTM:

  • Lush Colours – beautiful forest hues that are inspired by the plant-filled habitats of gardens and woodlands
  • Buzz Colours – upbeat tones of pinks and ochres that capture the bustling biodiversity of a wildflower field or grassland
  • Raw Colours – harvest shades that mimic nature’s raw materials
  • Flow Colours – warm neutrals and deeper seashore tones that bring a sense of fluidity and momentum

Lisa Pilley, Dulux Trade Commercial Colour Consultant, adds: “Wild WonderTM and its four versatile colour palettes reflect the natural world and intuitively connect with nature’s supply of substrates and materials – whether structural or aesthetic. As the world strives to re-use, rescue and build sustainably within commercial design programmes, placing humanity and environment at the heart of design is becoming increasingly essential.

“Colour can be transformational and guide occupants’ feelings and emotions. This year’s Colour of the Year and associated palettes open opportunities to connect the natural world with our everyday lives in the built environment.”

The year 2023 brings two major milestones to the Global Aesthetic Centre. Its ColourFuturesTM trend forecast will celebrate its 20th anniversary, while the team also reaches three decades of trend analysis, colour research, colour design and art direction at AkzoNobel.

The launch of Wild WonderTM is supported by the Dulux Trade Colour of the Year 2023 Specifier brochure, designed to inspire commercial design professionals working in all sectors, from hospitality to healthcare.

This brochure is part of Dulux Trade’s ongoing dedication to supporting specifiers with their latest projects, and is part of a wider package of ColourFuturesTM content. The package includes design mood boards and advice videos that can be harnessed by professionals looking to create the perfect space – in any setting – using Wild WonderTM.

To download the Dulux Trade Colour of the Year 2023 Specifier Brochure and for more information visit www.duluxtrade.co.uk/COTY23 and follow #CF23 on social media.

About AkzoNobel

We supply the sustainable and innovative paints and coatings that our customers, communities – and the environment – are increasingly relying on. That’s why everything we do starts with People. Planet. Paint. Our world class portfolio of brands – including Dulux, International, Sikkens and Interpon – is trusted by customers around the globe. We’re active in more than 150 countries and have set our sights on becoming the global industry leader. It’s what you’d expect from a pioneering paints company that’s committed to science-based targets and is taking genuine action to address globally relevant challenges and protect future generations.

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Leading supplier of solid surface materials and complementary products, CDUK, has launched sustainable material PaperStone® to the UK and Ireland markets.

PaperStone® is a new generation sustainable material, made from recycled paper with natural resin, the surface has a unique, textured effect creating an organic warmth, which can be specified in a range of natural hues and tones. Selected colours are produced from 100% FSC recycled paper and cardboard.

Application and use

This environmentally friendly product is ideal for architects and designers looking for a sustainable solution and is well suited to interiors across the commercial, office, space, hospitality, residential and healthcare sectors. PaperStone® offers specifiers the opportunity to reconnect people with the natural world through design, with its tactile warmth and hint of texture this surface material is beautifully unique.

Its composition delivers high performance across a range of applications. These include but are not limited to bars and tabletops, furniture, vertical decorative wall panels, washrooms, kitchen worksurfaces and cabinet doors, and washrooms.

Andy Noble, Divisional Managing Director, CDUK, commented: “We are thrilled to be the sole supplier of PaperStone® to the UK and Ireland market. At CDUK we have seen a real shift in the market with customers becoming more environmentally conscious. PaperStone® offers our clients a sustainable solution to their design needs. At CDUK we are constantly looking at ways to innovate and expand our offer and grow with our customers. The launch of PaperStone® marks a significant stage in our development and we are excited to help our customers make the most of this unique product.”

Manufacturing process and specifications

The surface material is manufactured using FSC certified recycled paper and natural petroleum free phenolic resin with natural pigments and has obtained important environmental certifications from the Forest Stewardship Council and qualifies for bio-building use and assignment of LEED® credits.

PaperStone® is impact resistant and hard wearing, resisting temperatures up to180° without showing any superficial changes while being water and stain resistant and easy to clean. The versatile nature of the material makes it a cost-efficient solution for a range of interior applications and can be cut and engraved depending on customers’ needs.

PaperStone® colours are warm and rich, reflecting nature often with a soft and subtle variegated finish, with eleven colours across two ranges. The Solid Colour Series includes five deep, rich organic colours. Some of these colours ‘evolve’ over time mellowing and growing with their environment to become more intense and warmer. The Designer Series has more of a geological than organic finish, with 6 lighter colours.

PaperStone® is available exclusively from CDUK in the UK and Ireland from 4th October 2021. The range includes 11 colours in a range of thicknesses selected based on our understanding of our key markets and knowledge of latest colour, texture and design trends.

About CDUK

CDUK is a supplier of surface materials and complementary products to the specification market in the UK and Ireland, including architects, interiors designers, kitchen designers, fabricators and contractors. Having built a strong reputation as the exclusive distributor of Corian® Solid Surface in the UK and Ireland, CDUK now offers an extended range of services as well as products from a number of leading brands.
We are a family owned business with over 40 years’ experience. We support our customers through a journey, as their design partner, from sourcing the best products and materials to helping them unlock their full potential through expert advice and technical knowledge. Our team of industry experts also provides technical advice, sampling and bespoke training courses for designers, manufacturers and fabricators.

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Kata Lips takes inspiration from Japanese culture and designs. Discover 3 new designs, created with oils, watercolours, pastels and acrylics. As her colours flow across the canvas, Zen-like landscapes and imaginary scenes emerge.

Nature is ever-present in Kata’s work: tall trees, bamboo forests, bark, grasses and leaves are integral to each artwork. Her colour palette however varies from soft grey, green, blue and yellow to hyperreal bright.

Tanbo in Clay

Each design can be scaled up to fill a wall 3m tall x 5m wide. All can be repeated for longer walls. Colours can be adjusted, and all designs are available as wallcovering, window fill, or printed onto Zintra acoustic panels.

Fire rating: Euroclass B

Cleaning: Washable, wipeable. Can be cleaned with diluted bleach.

Contains mildew inhibitor.

Aloe in Acid
Inaka in Firecracker
Kigi in Charcoal
Inaka in Pebble
Inaka in Lotus
Inaka in Seabreeze
Aloe in Firefly

Cover image: Inaka in Lotus

About Tektura

Tektura are specialists in contract wallcoverings. Our life is colour, pattern and texture. We believe wallcovering can transform a space and we’re dedicated to delivering outstanding product and service.

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