Trend Watch Colour Trends 2008

Date Published:

11/06/2008

What colours should design-conscious homeowners be splashing around their homes? We caught up with the top names in palette prediction - the Dulux Creative Board - to find out which shades are hot, and where to put them...

By Lucy Searle

The Colour Experts

Orla Kiely

Orla is famous for her must-have handbags and accessories, but is also winning new fans with her ready-to-wear ranges. She's recently branched out into interiors.

Daniel Hopwood

Daniel is an interior designer, who is credited with the interiors of a number of restaurants and hotels, including The Berkeley in Knightsbridge. He also lectures in interior design.

Louise Smith

Louise is a colour specialist and Dulux Colour & Design manager. As such, she has been behind new developments in colour since 2005.

Go into any DIY store, and you'll be confronted by literally thousands of paint colours. Great, if you're looking for inspiration for your home and know what you want; daunting if you haven't quite made up your mind or have no idea at all where to start.

So, why not start here, with 2008's hottest colour trends? There are 2008's trendiest looks, as named by the Dulux Creative Board - Hope, Envy, Reinvent and Nurture.

Each is very different from the rest, and you're guaranteed to find at least one that will suit the room you're decorating and complement the style of your house.

We've asked each of the experts to tell us why each particular palette is a must-have, then we dispense some advice about where and how to use it in bucket loads, where to limit it to accessories, and where to steer clear of it completely.

Please note when you buy, though, these palettes are 'looks' not range names, so when you go into your local DIY store to buy paint, ask for the paint shade names mentioned below. Also, if your local store doesn't have a colour mixing service, don't forget there are hundreds of other paint colours from other companies you can match these to.