Fifty Shades of Grey… A Tale of Economic Uncertainty, not S&M…

With pervasive uncertainty and continuing market volatility for the foreseeable future, it is not surprising that with this ongoing grim economic outlook that grey continues to feature heavily in the coming year – however, on a more upbeat note, it’s now in the form of dependable grey neutrals alongside an injection of something a bit more special. Fortunately there is still a desire to be a little bit distracted from the realities of life and to make our homes feel safe and secure and for there to be an overwhelming sense of well being – and, in short, vivid colours make us feel good. As a consequence, in addition to lots of conservative neutral tones, there are a range of joyous and uplifting complementary colours that are a key element of this years palette.

For example, blues are making a huge resurgence in 2013 – although, in keeping with our grumpy outlook this time around and (for the most part) they’re in the form of grey based blues – that said, these colour ranges add an element of oceanic tranquility and well being to our homes… The illustrations below also highlight that texture will play a vital role in making these broadly neutral schemes work really effectively…

(Image from Petra Bindel) 

(Image from Design Traveler) 

Getting away from the various shades of grey, this year pink is also the new hot impact colour – not girly (and sickening) pink, but dusty and more muted shades of pink. The image below illustrates how effectively these shades can be mixed with yellow. Although yellow is taking a bit of a step back from its huge popularity last year, it still features strongly – always adding an element of freshness to a scheme.

(Image from 10rooms.blogspot.co.uk)

I personally love grey (but not necessarily all the Shades of Grey…) and the idea of using neutral tones as the base of the room and then incorporating these more vivid colours to create a sanctuary where you can feel safe and secure – something that makes a bit of a statement.