Each year, global paint experts Dulux gathers the world’s best trend forecasters, design specialists, architects and editors with the sole aim of choosing a colour which will encapsulate an era. The Colour of the Year is chosen to represent how we will live and feel in both residential and commercial spaces in the year to come.
In an exclusive partnership, the National Design Academy is pleased to announce to our students and followers, that the Dulux Colour of the Year for 2021 is…..
Brave Ground™ has been developed in response to the trying circumstances of 2020. A warm, comforting and natural shade, Brave Ground™ will help us to harness the strength found in nature, to find our feet and the courage to express ourselves in new ways.
To help us to incorporate the Dulux Colour of the Year, the panel of design experts has also identified four complementary colour palettes which we’ll be introducing on social media in the coming days. These palettes – Earth, Trust, Timeless and Expressive – will help us to incorporate Brave Ground™ in our day to day lives, benefitting from the adaptive nature of the shade. Each palette will provide the opportunity to use Brave Ground™ as a stand-alone colour or as an accent within a more vibrant scheme.
The Colour of the Year 2021 colour palettes will be released over the next 6 months and will help designers and homestyle enthusiasts to come up with new ways to embrace Brave Ground as the seasons change.
A Word from the Experts About the Colour of the Year for 2021
Marianne Shillingford
Marianne Shillingford, Creative Director of Dulux UK and the first ever NDA tutor says: “The colours on our walls are the backdrop to how we live our life. For many of us, lockdown has served to emphasise how important our home environment has become, it has been the place where we work, learn, relax. It can lift us up, nurture us, comfort us.
“We continue to live through uncertain times. In 2021, the warm and grounding tones of Brave Ground™ will allow us to find certainty in the strength from the very ground beneath our feet, emboldening us to go forward and begin to live again and giving us the flex to adapt to the ever changing circumstances we face.”
Alison Grace-Gahan - Senior NDA Tutor
“I am currently working on a cocoon inspired design proposal and 2021’s Colour of the Year, Brave Ground’ is a non-obtrusive colour that surrounds you without being overpowering.
The colour feels stable and grounded like the name suggests. The colour is neutral, supportive and balanced. This colour would look great in commercial spaces such as yoga studios, or wellness centres as well as in hotel rooms and communal areas.
In the home the colour would protect, comfort and give you a giant big hug so great for living rooms and bedrooms. I think the colour will be a huge hit in residential interiors and will be accepted by the general public and it is a safe and secure new direction on colour.
Anthony Rayworth - NDA Director of Design Studies
“I really like the colour but the floor tiles are vile, the lighting is bland and the styling is dull beyond words.”
Amy Payler-Carpenter - Senior NDA Tutor
“‘Brave Ground’ is aptly titled, as a brown shade is not everyone’s cup of tea. However, as a base colour, mixed with a few bolder choices this colour would help create a sophisticated interior.
I would personally be drawn to accessories when implementing this into a space, especially in the cooler months when we are all looking for a little more comfort in our surroundings.”
