The culmination of an annual gathering by the world’s foremost creative design, architecture and fashion experts, ColourFutures™ serves to predict key trends for the coming year.

These insights are then translated into colour pallets and images, which are brought together in the ColourFutures™ almanac designed to inspire customers on an annual basis. “This year, the annual ColourFutures™ meeting was staged in the Netherlands at Noordwyk’s museum of Paint. Here we analysed social and economic factors that determine how people across the globe view their world. Once a conclusion had been reached, we translated our findings into colours that reflect these moods,” explains Dulux colour expert, Sonica Bucksteg.

In addition to the colour of the year, ColourFutures™ also serves to identify five key trends that will drive the coming year. According to Bucksteg the five colour trends for 2013 are not contrived or forced, but rather have evolved from our demanding and fast paced lifestyle. The palette for 2013 is mature, elegant and sophisticated and has been defined as Collective Passion; Switching Off; The Art of Understanding; Home Factory; and Visual Solace.

“Social media has created new possibilities to connect and share ideas. As a result, trends which used to develop slowly now spread like wildfire. With the same energy and enthusiasm, this colour pallet swoops from one colour cloud to the next, with distinct colour groups flowing together. These attention-grabbing fluro and pastel shades express joy, creativity and purpose,” clarifies Bucksteg.

Bucksteg goes on to outline that the simple joy of doing nothing is what inspired the trend known as “Switching Off”. “Every now and again we need to hit the pause button to catch up with ourselves and reconnect with our hopes and dreams. For this reason, we have created a pallet of silent colours and ethereal hues including harmonising tones of burgundy and blue tinted blacks that can create a restful and tranquil space in which to slow down.”

The age-old fascination with taking things apart and laying them out to understand their inner workings has inspired this pallet of ice-cream colours. With a link to the perfection of the fifties, vintage inspired candy tones have been paired with laid back neutrals or deep teal and brown for a stylish combination with a twinkle in its eye. “To achieve this look, simply highlight key areas and the functions of a space with ice-cream shades to simplify the complex and achieve satisfaction from the resulting sense of order,” says Bucksteg.

“Self-reliance is a growing trend that is seeing many a city dweller take to their sewing machines, brew their own beer, start a vegetable patch or cure their own meat. For many who long for a return to the more traditional way of doing things, home has become something of a factory where off-the-shelf products are being hand-made. The colours in this pallet are inspired by nature’s dyes. Think reds from beetroots and summer berries, a warm burnt orange of carrot juice or baked clay and the indigo of denims that speak of factories of old and you’ll have a good idea of the colour pallet that subscribes to this trend,” adds Bucksteg.

“The fifth and final pallet has been termed ‘Visual Solace’ and is derived from the inexplicable link between art and nature. The beauty of art is that it has the power to move people deeply because it speaks to us on levels that can’t be put into words. The same solace and comfort can be found in the natural beauty that surrounds us. Degraded mauve and floral pinks meet golden and bronze hues, as well as linen and hessian tones. The overall impression is gentle, soothing and feminine,” concludes Bucksteg.

To download a free copy of the new ColourFutures™, visit www.colourfutures.com.