Decorators 'seeing red' for '08

If next year's colour palette is any indication, the world is getting smaller. From Asian reds, Indian golds, and deep Oriental purples, to Turkish coppers and cobalt blues, and Middle Eastern clay browns and khakis, global colours are the trend-setting style for 2008 and a top choice for interior decorating.

"With the increase in globalization, the world is shrinking and its colours are merging," says Melanie Rice, colour adviser for PARA Paints and a member of the Virginia-based international colour forecaster, Color Marketing Group (CMG). 

For nearly 40 years, CMG, the leading international organization of colour and design professionals, has been ahead of the colour curve - predicting with remarkable accuracy the colours that will look fresh and new and "now" each season.

(Blame CMG for the avocado greens of the 1970s and aubergine of the late 1990s.)

This information is used by clothes designers and interior decorators, as well as florists, appliance makers and companies that make home accessories.

The 2008 hues are diverse and provide extreme looks from different ends of the colour spectrum - from soft grays and neutrals to dark blues and purples, which look almost black. Think shimmering golden temples, luxurious Dubai sand, exotic spices, clay pottery, regal red robes, and deep navy piers.

Earth tones will continue to be popular with brown in the number one spot in this category, particularly medium browns infused with red, green or yellow - which are lighter and more earthy-looking than the dark browns of previous years.

Making a comeback is gray, now cooler and more complex than the office gray of past years, and expected to be a strong seller in 2008. Oranges, which are becoming more earth-based and terra cotta-toned, taking on a 'clay-mixed-with-copper' look, are also gaining increased global appeal, largely due to the rising interest in Bollywood.

Reds - a hot colour for the year - are present in every major culture, symbolizing strength and durability.

Topping the list of PARA Paints colours for 2008 are red Fan the Flame (P287-8) and Mexican Spice (P413-5), orange Earthenware Tint 3 (P2043-3), browns Mushroom (P2611-1) and My Bungalow (P431-1), blues Blue Suede Shoes (P1910-5) and Blue Blazes (P14-5), purple Purple Sage (P1893-5), greens Herb Garden Tint 3 (P2071-3) and Chopped Chives (P1162-3), yellows Robertson House Gold Tint 1 (P2058-1) and Cheverie (P805-7), and grays Shadow Mountain (P1574-2), Cobblestone (P2203-4) and Rice Paper (P2225-4).

Rice says, "More and more, the future will be viewed from a world perspective, and colour is no exception. Cross-culturalism is here to stay, and our homes will increasingly reflect this reality."

This article was supplied by PARA Paints.