Colour of the Year

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Colour of the Year 2021

Colour of the Year 2021

PANTONE 17-5104 Ultimate Gray & PANTONE 13-0647 Illuminating

For the second time in its 20 year history, PANTONE have chosen two hues for a single year. They decided that the unprecedented circumstances of the times we are living in merited more than one: a buttercup yellow called Illuminating to spell optimism and sunshine, and a grey tone known as Ultimate Grey to evoke composure, resilience and steadiness. A chromatic coupling designed to bring us happiness and strength in equal measure during 2021.

I have used this colour combination occasionally in my projects, such as in the living-dining room below.

Pantone 2021 Living room

Yellow is excellent for uplifting the mood of contemporary rooms with a predominance of marble, mirrored glass, chrome and greys. I deliberately added splashes of pineapple and lemon in this otherwise clinical space using cushions, a bright coloured vase and yellow spring flowers. Bright yellow helps to brighten up ambiances, placed in different areas of a room, whether in the shape of a contemporary table lamp or a custom-made wooden sideboard.

Yellow Lamp Yellow Sideboard

On the other hand, grey is a highly versatile tone, which I often use to tone down ultra-colourful décor. For instance, a contemporary chair upholstered in steel grey can be used as a dining chair or as a spare standing unobtrusively in a corner of the room.
And, as Pantone proposes, these two colours can work well together too. Combining nicely in upholstery, where the same geometric pattern is matched in gold and charcoal.

Grey Chair Geometric Armchair and Cushion

Here a version of the attractive grey and yellow honeycombed wallpaper is used in a project featuring a flaxen yellow sofa.

Sofa in Set Wallpaper
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