injecting colour into interior design

Spring has arrived and nature is ablaze with resplendent colours. The sight of blossoming trees and plants brightens our mood and helps us feel more balanced. Colour is also increasingly breaking new ground in the field of interior design. However, at imm cologne this trend was visible not only in the area of upholstered furnishings, but across the whole interior design landscape.

Interior designers may generally go for darker colours – from dark green and blue to black – but our homes are becoming increasingly colourful and that in an increasingly intensive way. A number of pieces of upholstered furniture premiered at this year’s imm cologne, for example, the futuristic, purple Absent modular sofa system by Prostoria and the Rego sofa landscape by Leolux in mustard yellow or baby blue – all these come in strong, plain colours. Patterns are more common on walls and floors. That’s because combinations of strong single colours – even without floral patterns – bring warmth and life into the design of our living rooms. Particularly popular combinations include a cool blue or a warm rosé to brick red with warm, neutral brown tones. Green and yellow are also in fashion, and produce pleasant optical light play that bring the best out of living spaces, and exude warmth and friendliness.

However, this new fascination with colour in interior design has little to do with loud colour contrasts: the focus is more on combining pastel and earthy colours in intense tones, which together yield one base colour, while at the same time creating a distinct contrast to the rest of the furnishing. A number of the latest furniture collections also feature striking colours. This new colourfulness in furnishing is also always accompanied with interesting textures; for example, the classic 1970s material corduroy is currently enjoying quite a comeback.

Be it green, pink or brown – colour not only injects more warmth and cosiness, but also more glamour into our living spaces. When combined with dark wood tones reminiscent of art deco or the Danish modern style, and with gold, brass or other metallic accents, it is possible to use these colours to create a luxurious ambience that is attractive precisely because of that exciting contrast. You can see how exhibitors at this year’s imm cologne implemented this commitment to more colour in the “New Moments” new product portal. In the run-up to the trade fair, the companies had already had the opportunity to present teasers for their new products on the portal.