When Dulux announced its Colour of the Year as Spiced-Honey it took me a moment to decide. As a stand-alone colour this brown hue wouldn’t be my choice, but then once you use it as a base colour to create a (surprisingly) large number of stunning palettes, the beauty of this unassuming brown becomes clear.  Decision made, I love it.

Dulux have done most of the hard work for us by matching up Spiced Honey with 4 complimentary palettes – Think, Dream, Love & Act – all of which illustrate the versatility of this colour.

The Love Palette, my personal favourite, highlights the amazing variety of colour that can be matched and enhanced by using Spiced Honey. The jewelled colours that make up this palette are rich and inviting and are already being used all over interiors and fashion.

By using the colour as a base it allows you to really explore other colour options. The real bonus of this colour is its links to nature – it can be brought in using stone, wood, linen textures, all building up a perfectly warm, homely palette.

These beautiful shots from Soho House show just how to incorporate this palette into your interiors. Spot on as always. They have demonstrated just how versatile adding Spiced Honey shades can be when used as base.

The Act Palette, another I love, is really energising. The colours are bright and vibrant and perfect for bringing a room to life, full of energy. I think this would be a go to for a child’s room and the ideal vibe for a kitchen. It’s bold, but by using it with Spiced Honey you can add depth without being too garish. It is also perfect for monochrome lovers. The extremely talented Suzy Hoodless has created this stunning room using a very similar palette and you can see just how the warm brown allows those bright punches of colour to really sing.

For  those still keen on keeping it neutral, The Think palette is for you. Spiced Honey is an incredibly warm colour and is a complete switch up from the grey that we have all been surrounded by (knowingly or otherwise). The comfort that just a small shift in neutrals along the yellow scale away from the greys will, I’ve no doubt, have a huge impact across the interior’s world.  If you are a committed neutral lover, I fear even this palette might be a bit too varied, but it’s so beautiful I think the jump would be at least worth consideration!

Dream would be my suggestion if you err on the side of neutrals but want to push the boundaries and perhaps introduce a gentle pastel into your home. The whole palette is very relaxing and would work beautifully in a living room or bedroom for the ultimate romantic space.

FEARNE COTTON: Spiced Honey Ambassador

I was incredibly excited to discover that the wonderful Fearne Cotton is Dulux’s ambassador for Spiced Honey. Having worked on a project with Fearne last summer,  I know how genuinely passionate about interiors she is and we had quite lengthy (some may think excessively lengthy) conversations about colour and their impact on the way we live.

I have been a colour lover since forever and working in a profession where I can explore and learn more about it brings me much joy.  Helping my clients find the right colours for their home has the biggest impact out of all the services I offer.  The colours you surround yourself with in your homes can make a huge difference to your day to day life. It will affect your mood, it can bring you joy, it can calm you down – the positive (and consequently) the negative impact of colour is ignored at your peril.

It is interesting to see how Fearne resonates with the Dream palette (the powder pinks and pale blues) and how perfectly that goes with her message: “Having colour in our homes is a really lovely way to re-connect. It can alter our moods or enhance the feeling we want to have when we step into a room”.

Fearne goes on to explain in her interview with Dulux why, from a mindfulness perspective, colour is so important in her home.

Q: Why do you think people need to be more mindful and conscious of their wellbeing?

“In the modern world, with so much confusion and complication, many of us are going back to basics. This means simple acts like getting outside, getting air, appreciating colours, how we feel in the moment and our reaction to things around us. When we’re staring at our phones, we forget to see the blue of the sky, the sunlight hitting the pavement and even the colour on the walls. It’s so obvious, but something so many of us overlook”.

I think 2019 is going to see a pivotal shift in interiors. I’ve been banging the drum about colour for what feels like forever, and now I think people across the spectrum are beginning to embrace it. Colour offers a way to express yourself and effect change.  Perhaps the grey era is finally coming to an end?  Although fear not grey lovers, the future is bright and one of my favourite sayings is “fortune favours the brave”.