Nine must-try colour ideas for the home in 2021

Fresh from Metricon’s recent Colour Trends Masterclass comes nine must-try approaches to colour for the home in 2021.

Having heard from Metricon’s Senior Interior Designer Tracey Noonan at the event, along with Dulux Colour & Communications Manager Andrea Lucena-Orr, attendees got across the three main colour palettes we’ll be embracing in the year ahead.

Here are the top nine ideas from the event and how you can execute them at your place.

The Retreat colour palette

The Dulux Retreat colour palette is a soft and homely one. Comprising 12 colours starting at neutrals and ranging right through to red, you can pick and choose which of the colours you want to use in your space. Dabble in neutrals alone, pair them with a pop of colour, or design a room showcasing every single shade in the series.

Here are some great examples of how it can be done.

Embrace the organic

In this image, you’ll find perfect example of using the neutrals in the Retreat colour palette with a hint of green; Dulux Mangrove. With Retreat, each room can feel unique but is ultimately connected through the repetition of the soft green alongside warm neutral tones of Dulux Mysterious Grove, Vintage Linen and Whisper White.

Make it moody

The rooms in this home feel richer and more sumptuous, and that’s because the moodier colours from the Retreat Palette have been utilised in the spaces. Colours like Dulux Winter Sea and Five Fingers Peninsula play alongside Burnished Bark to create a feel that’s distinctly deeper and more luxurious.

Go all in

The good news is that you can include every colour from the Retreat palette in a room. The Freedom by Metricon Davenport display in Victoria is the perfect illustration of this approach, letting neutrals like Dulux Diffused Grey play with cool greens like Mangrove and warm browns like Meerkat. Just showcase some tones on a larger scale and let others appear as smaller accents and you can’t go wrong.

The Nourish colour palette

The Dulux Nourish colour palette celebrates soothing earthy tones, wiping away the stress of modern life while helping to calm the mind. The 12 soft shades here, though all quite easy on the eye, can be used in different ways to create very distinct moods in a space. From vibrant and enveloping through to light and bright, the Nourish palette proves a versatile option for your home in 2021.

Here are some successful examples of the Nourish palette in action.

Let one shade shine

The Freedom by Metricon Fintona display in NSW adopts the approach of selecting one main colour from the Retreat palette and building the room around it. Here, Dulux Burnside is splashed so successful across the bedroom wall, with crisp tones of White Exchange Half providing some visual rest.

Balance it out

A sense of balance in a room is a great way to make it feel resolved; neither too warm or too cold when it comes to colour. The Designer by Metricon Botanica display in Victoria achieves this perfectly by contrasting warm tones like Dulux Buff It with cooler shades like Olive Blend in this striking and contemporary kitchen.

Keep it light

Mixing a medley of neutrals from the Nourish palette together is a greatway to make the rooms of your home feel crisp but not cold. This kitchen showcases this approach. Colours like Dulux White Exchange Half and Pale Tendril Quarter mix with warmer tones like Balsa Stone, resulting in a space that feels so visually calm but not at all boring.

The Reset colour palette

Saturated colour is at the forefront of the Dulux Reset colour palette. The 12 tones here are definitely the most daring of the lot. But by executing each one in a measured way, you not only get to enjoy a brightened outlook in the rooms of your home in 2021, but you also inject some much-needed energy and play into your spaces too. Here are three ways to get the Reset palette right in the rooms of your home.

Mix neutrals on walls

Gone are the days of one coloured feature wall sitting alongside a crisp white one. The Reset palette encourages you to splash a neutral like Dulux Ecru on one wall, and have it meet another soothing shade like Aura on an adjoining plane. The above living room executes this idea exceptionally well.

Rock complementary colours

Colour balance is key to having a room feel right, but by no means do you have to have equal measures of two tones. Instead use one main colour, like a deep green paint, and then include a complementary tone on a smaller scale, like a pop of orange in a scatter cushion.

Think muddy and muted

Neutral rooms aren’t all white. In fact, the best neutral spaces are packed with colour. It’s just that the colours are muddier, less vivid or less pure. The Freedom by Metricon Delta display illustrates how using Dulux Treeless and Ecru from the Reset palette can make a room read as calm and neutral without needing to include white en masse.

If you'd like to watch the recent Colour Design Trends Masterclass and learn more insights, follow the link below.

Watch the Colour Design Trends Masterclass