Just incase you’re wondering what’s the deal with yellow being everywhere lately, here’s why - Ultimate Gray and Illuminating Yellow are Pantones colours of the year! The marriage of Ultimate Grey & Illuminating Yellow make for a strong team, representing endurance & inspiration, stability & optimism, dependability & hope. In the words of Laurie Pressman (vice president of the Pantone Color Institute), this year one color simply couldn’t shoulder “the meaning of the moment.”
Here are some ways in which you can incorporate this dynamic duo into your home.
If you are looking to create a living space that is welcoming and nurturing, but want to avoid making any major commitments to either color, we suggest starting small. Accent pillows, throws or blankets, pottery, drapery, artwork and rugs are all great places to start, laying it up as you go along with different textures and materials to create visual interest. Our personal favorite is using accent chairs, upholstered in a plush velvet or featuring a botanical print, to give a space some life - Illuminating Yellow is the perfect color for this. If you like the way the spaces now look with those tones or are generally feeling a bit braver, definitely go ahead and paint accent walls with either color. A word of caution - grey can sometimes feel a bit melancholy or make a space dull/darker, so it's all about pairing it with the right uplifting accents. Yellow, on the other hand, can become rather overwhelming, especially in smaller spaces. Abstract color blocking is a great in-trend solution for this, where you can incorporate highlights of color without having to paint entire walls.
If you’re looking to avoid the paint route, here’s another tip. In this part of the world most of us live in rental houses and generally avoid making any big renovations or changes to spaces like bathrooms and kitchens. Imagine, however, having an entire row of your upper or lower kitchen cabinetry (or even your countertops) in vibrant yellow or calming grey - such a game changer! Thankfully there are now companies in the UAE, such as Totally Wrapped and Creative Wrap Solutions, that enable you to make such changes without damaging the base build at all (meaning your landlord won’t be mad and your deposit won’t be affected!).
A final tip - using a splash of either color in an often forgotten area, such as your entrance way or a dark & boring corner in your living room, and highlighting it with a beautiful vase, some greenery, artwork or other styling accessories, can really help add the right finishing touches or je ne sais quoi to your home.
Write to us on hello@theinteriorcurators.me – with questions, suggestions or simply to tell us what you’d like to see on our blog.