News

Subterms

    More stories

    • 138 Shares119 Views

      in Rooms

      One week to go until entries for Dezeen Awards 2021 open

      by

      Dezeen Awards 2021 will open for entries on 2 February, with the discounted early-entry period running until 31 March. Enter your project or studio from next week on and sign up to the Dezeen Awards newsletter to receive more information!Now in its fourth year, Dezeen Awards celebrates the world’s best architecture, interiors and design and has become the benchmark for international design excellence and the ultimate accolade for architects and designers everywhere.
      The low entry prices are designed to attract smaller studios and avoid categories being dominated by large companies that can afford to enter multiple categories, making Dezeen Awards one of the most affordable programmes in the industry.

      Every longlisted and shortlisted project gets its own page on the site, and shortlisted projects will be given full editorial coverage on Dezeen.
      Shortlisted entries are also automatically entered into the Dezeen Awards public vote, where the projects and studios that are most popular with or readers will win a special certificate.
      All Dezeen Awards winners receive a bespoke hand-made trophy designed by Atelier NL and a certificate.
      Interested? Below is a reminder of our key dates so you don’t miss your chance to enter this year:
      2 February 2021
      Dezeen Awards 2021 opens for entries. Make sure you’re subscribed to the Dezeen Awards newsletter to receive updates!
      31 March 2021
      Early entry deadline. If you want to save money, submit your entry before this date.
      2 June 2021
      Standard entry deadline. This is your last chance to enter at the standard entry price!
      9 June 2021
      Late entry deadline. If you can’t get your entry in by the standard entry, don’t worry! But the entry fees will be higher.
      August 2021
      This is when we’ll publish the architecture, interiors and design longlists. Every longlisted project gets its own page on the Dezeen Awards website.
      See the 2020 longlists ›
      Early September 2021
      This is when you’ll find out if your project or product made it onto the shortlist. Every shortlisted project gets its own page on the Dezeen Awards website and also gets a dedicated write-up on Dezeen.
      See the 2020 shortlists ›
      Late September 2021
      The public vote opens. Which projects do Dezeen’s readers think are the best?
      October 2021
      We unveil the winners of the public vote.
      See the 2020 public vote winners ›
      November 2021
      Time to celebrate the best architecture, interiors and design projects and studios of the year! We announce the winners of Dezeen Awards 2021.
      See the 2020 winners ›
      Questions?
      If you have any questions about Dezeen Awards 2021 you can contact the team by emailing awards@dezeen.com. And don’t forget to subscribe to the Dezeen Awards newsletter to be sure of getting regular updates. More

    • 175 Shares189 Views

      in Rooms

      David Chipperfield, Yinka Ilori and Ilse Crawford recognised in Queen's New Year Honours list

      by

      Architect David Chipperfield has been given one of the highest awards available to a British citizen while designers including Yinka Ilori, Ilse Crawford and 6a Architects have received honours in the 2021 New Year Honours list.Chipperfield was added to the elite Order of the Companions of Honour in the annual list of awards given for achievements by British citizens.
      Interior designer Crawford has been awarded a CBE, 6a Architects co-founders Thomas Emerson and Stephanie Macdonald OBEs and London designer Ilori an MBE.

      David Chipperfield has designed numerous cultural buildings including the renovation of the Neues Museum. photo is by Joerg von Buchhausen

      British architect Chipperfield joins Richard Rogers in the order Order of the Companions of Honour, which is limited to 65 members and is awarded “for having a major contribution to the arts, science, medicine, or government lasting over a long period of time”.
      RIBA Gold Medal-winner Chipperfield established his studio David Chipperfield Architects in 1985.
      He has designed numerous significant cultural buildings in the UK including the River and Rowing Museum in Henley-on-Thames and Hepworth Wakefield in Wakefield, which were both shortlisted for the Stirling Prize, as well as the Turner Contemporary in Margate.

      Chipperfield designed the Hepworth Wakefield in Yorkshire. Photo is by Iwan Baan
      Chipperfield, who has an office in Berlin, also completed numerous cultural buildings in Germany including the Museum of Modern Literature in Marbach, Germany, which won the RIBA Stirling Prize in 2007.

      “I feel like a bit of a fake” says David Chipperfield in Dezeen’s latest podcast

      A further four buildings designed by the studio in the country have been shortlisted for the Stirling Prize with the prestigious renovation of the Neues Museum in central Berlin being nominated in 2010. The building won the EU Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award in 2011.

      Yinka Ilori was made an MBE
      Alongside Chipperfield, several other architects and designers were recognised on the New Year Honours list.
      Rising star Ilori has been made a Member of the British Empire (MBE) for his services to design. Known for his colourful style, the designer began making furniture and has more recently creating larger installations including a summer pavilion in Dulwich and the renovating an underpass in Battersea.

      Yinka Ilori designed the Colour Palace in Dulwich with architecture studio Pricegore
      Writing on Instagram after receiving the award, Illori revealed that he almost gave up being a designer five years ago.
      “In 2015 there were sometimes thoughts of giving up designing due to the frustration and feeling people didn’t understand the designer I wanted to be,” he wrote.
      “The driving force behind me to continue and push through was always the desire to make my parents proud,” he continued. “They had given up so much of their own lives to make sure me and my siblings had the best in life
      “No matter what situation you are in it is never permanent. Keep pushing because if a young kid like me from Islington can do it so can you.”
      This year, Ilori won the Design Museum’s Emerging Design Medal, designed a colourful skatepark in France and created a message of hope in support of the UK’s National Health Service.

      Ilse Crawford has been awarded a CBE
      British interior designer Crawford has been made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE). Crawford, who was made a Member of the British Empire in the 2014 New Year Honours list, runs multidisciplinary design studio Studioilse and was the founder of the Man and Wellbeing department at Design Academy Eindhoven.
      She was recently profiled in Netflix’s Abstract: The Art of Design series and spoke to Dezeen during Virtual Design Festival.

      6a Architects designed the MK Gallery
      Also honoured on the list were 6a Architects co-founders Thomas Emerson and Stephanie Macdonald, who both were given the Order of the British Empire.
      Emerson and Macdonald founded 6a Architects, which is best-known for designing cultural buildings in the UK, in 2001. The studio recently extended the MK Gallery in Milton Keynes and previously renovated the Raven Row contemporary art gallery in east London and expanded the South London Gallery.
      Its design for a photography studio for Juergen Teller was shortlisted for the Stirling Prize 2017.
      The Queen’s New Year Honours are awarded each year in December. Together with the Birthday Honours given out on the Queen’s birthday in June they make up part of the British honours system.
      In last year’s New Year Honour list, architect Jamie Fobert and graphic designer Peter Saville received CBEs, while designer Sadie Morgan received an OBE.

      Read more: More

    • 100 Shares149 Views

      in Rooms

      This week we looked at 30 architect-designed kitchens

      by

      This week on Dezeen, we continued our series of pieces focused on visual inspiration for the home, with a roundup of 30 architect-designed kitchens.

      The roundup includes a huge variety of kitchens designed by architects including John Pawson, Amin Taha, Ryue Nishizawa, John Wardle Architects and Note Design Studio.
      Previous pieces in the series focused on design for the home include 30 bathrooms designed by architects and seven bedrooms with statement walls and 10 colourful kitchen interiors.

      Demolition of Tadao Ando-designed wall in Manchester begins

      In architecture news, this week saw demolition begin on part of Japanese architect Tadao Ando’s only building in the UK. The six-metre-long concrete wall in Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester, forms part of a pavilion, which will remain.
      In Barcelona, the city council announced its plans to create numerous squares by transforming a third of the street in its central Eixample district into green car-free public spaces.

      Hack Care is an IKEA-style catalogue of DIY adjustments for dementia-friendly homes
      In design news, Lekker Architects and Lanzavecchia + Wai created a manual filled with tips on how to hack IKEA products to better serve people living with dementia.
      Also focused on the home, Zaha Hadid Design released a range of door handles that can bring the studio’s characteristically sinuous style into interiors.

      The Crown costumes move “from forensic accuracy to flights of fancy” says Amy Roberts
      We interviewed The Crown costume designer, Amy Roberts, who explained how she used the wardrobes of Princess Diana and Margaret Thatcher to reflect their complex relationships with the Queen in the latest series of the television show.
      Roberts achieved this by creating costumes that combined “forensic accuracy” with “flights of fancy”.

      LG Display and Dezeen launch €46,000 OLEDs Go! design competition
      This week also saw Dezeen team up with LG Display to launch a  global design competition called OLEDS Go!
      The contest, which has a prize fund of €46,000, challenges contestants to create beautiful designs that make innovative use of OLED technology.

      Century-old Japanese dwelling transformed into minimalist guesthouse
      Popular projects on Dezeen this week include a 100-year-old townhouse in Kyoto that was converted into a moody and tranquil guesthouse, a bakery in Copenhagen with off-white walls and terrazzo floors and five terraces of brick housing in London designed by Peter Barber Architects.
      This week on Dezeen is our regular roundup of the week’s top news stories. Subscribe to our newsletters to be sure you don’t miss anything.

      Read more: More

    • 175 Shares199 Views

      in Rooms

      David Adjaye and Aston Martin design five residences in New York skyscraper 130 William

      by

      David Adjaye has partnered with luxury carmaker Aston Martin to design homes and limited edition SUVs for five residents who will live in the British-Ghanaian architect’s first New York skyscraper.Five Aston Martin Residences will be located on the 59th and 60th floors of 130 William – Adjaye’s 244-metre-tall residential tower under construction in Manhattan. Each resident will also receive a limited-edition, Adjaye-designed Aston Martin DBX.

      Above image: crosshatched bronze, an emblem of Aston Martin, will cover Adjaye-design wallpaper. Top image: residences will have outdoor loggias
      “The 130 William Aston Martin homes have been touched in a very particular way that merges our design sensibilities,” said Adjaye.
      “Together with the limited edition SUVs that come with these units, we’ve created a truly unique signature that blends our two disciplines.”
      Differing from the other homes in the 242-unit tower, these five will be decorated with materials, textiles and furniture sourced from the Aston Martin Home Collection by the Italian manufacturer Formitalia, with additional touches by Adjaye.

      The living and dining room will feature items from Aston Martin’s home collection

      The entry hallway will be covered with a bronze cross-hatch, a signature of the Aston Martin brand, that will cover over dark Adjaye-designed wallpaper. A large arched smoked-glass mirror by Aston Martin’s design team will hang on the wall, as a reference to the arched windows of the skyscraper.
      Renderings show these windows will flood daylight into the lounge and dining room, whose furnishings will include leather, metal and fabric chairs that are intended to draw on the aesthetic of Astin Martin car interiors.

      Residents can customise a bedroom into a study
      An open-plan kitchen adjoining the living room will have rich materials like blackened-oak Italian cabinetry, marble countertops from Italy’s Apuan Alps and a cantilevered Nero Marquina marble top.
      In the main bathroom, meanwhile, dark Italian Salvtori will be carved into a bathtub and double vanity sinks. Design details in the main bedroom will include Formitalia furniture and a custom cashmere headboard.

      The spare room can also be turned into a racing simulator
      Residents will also be able to turn one of the rooms in the two- or three-bedroom homes into a racing simulator, an office and library space or a bedroom. The racing simulator will be made in partnership with British technology company Curv Racing Simulators.
      Each residence will also have an expansive outdoor space with bespoke slatted screens to divide up lounging areas.

      The main bathrooms with have a bathtub carved from marble
      The Adjaye-designed Aston Martin DBX that will accompany the purchase of each residence will feature rich materials to mirror the homes – including marble, walnut wood and hand-stitched leather with green trim.
      The five Aston Martin Residences include two penthouses for sale at $11,500,000 and $10,500,000, and three loggia residences priced from $3,985,000, $5,985,000 and $10,000,000.

      130 William skyscraper for New York will be “great for drones” says David Adjaye

      First unveiled in 2017, 130 William is a 66-storey skyscraper in Downtown Manhattan that Adjaye has designed with local firm Hill West Architects for developer Lightstone.
      It will have a textural hand-cast concrete exterior to complement the materiality of the surrounding historic, brick commercial buildings, which Adjaye has previously said will make it ideal for close-up drone photography.

      Each resident of the five homes will get an Adjaye-designed Aston Martin DBX luxury car
      The partnership with Aston Martin is not the first time the car marker has turned its hand to architecture and design.
      “This is a fascinating project for the Aston Martin design team to work on and a great opportunity to collaborate with David,” Aston Martin CCO Marek Reichman said.

      Rich materials inside the SUV are intended to reference the homes
      “It is our first real estate project in New York City but our second collaboration in real estate design after the Aston Martin Residences in Miami,” he added. “We can apply what we have learnt in Miami and also bring our unique automotive design skills to these beautiful luxury homes.’
      Last year, the brand also launched an architectural design service called Automotive Galleries and Lairs to design homes around the resident’s cars. It has since teamed up with US studio S3 Architecture to create Sylvan Rock, an angular black-cedar home in Hudson Valley, New York.
      Renderings are courtesy of Aston Martin.

      Read more: More

    • 188 Shares149 Views

      Interiors by Esrawe Studio, Adjaye Associates and Freitag among Dezeen Awards 2020 public vote winners

      by

      Projects by Adjaye Associates, OHLAB and 10 other studios have been chosen by Dezeen readers as winners of the Dezeen Awards 2020 public vote for interiors.Other winners include Robbert de Goede for a former gymnasium that has been converted into an apartment, Koning Eizenberg Architecture for a museum that offers experimental art and technology programs for youth and Eric J Smith for a poet’s studio on a forested Connecticut property.
      A total of 62,447 votes were cast and verified across all categories. The results of the public votes for the Dezeen Awards 2020 interiors categories are listed below.
      All public vote winners announced this week
      Dezeen Awards 2020 public vote winners in the architecture categories were announced yesterday. Design winners will be announced tomorrow followed by the studio winners on Thursday.
      Dezeen Awards winners announced in November
      The public vote is separate from the main Dezeen Awards 2020 judging process, in which entries are assessed by professional judges. We’ll be announcing the Dezeen Awards 2020 winners online at the end of November.
      Subscribe for updates
      To receive regular updates about Dezeen Awards, including details of how to enter next year, subscribe to our newsletter.
      Below are the public vote results for interiors:

      Breezeway House by David Boyle Architect has won the Dezeen Awards 2020 public vote for house interior
      House interior

      28% – Breezeway House by David Boyle Architect (winner)27% – Kew Residence by John Wardle Architects19% – Art villa, Puntarenas by Formafatal18% – House in Kyoto by 07BEACH8% – Bismarck House by Andrew Burges Architects

      The Gymnasium by Robbert de Goede won the Dezeen Awards 2020 public vote for apartment interior
      Apartment interior
      39% – The Gymnasium by Robbert de Goede (winner)28% – Jaffa House 4 by Pitsou Kedem Architects16% – The Melburnian Apartment by Edition Office11% – La Nave by NOMOS6% – Apartment Block by Coffey Architects

      Tori Tori Santa Fe, a Japanese restaurant in Mexico, won the public vote for restaurant interior
      Restaurant interior
      41% – Tori Tori Santa Fe by Esrawe Studio (winner)22% – Voisin Organique by Various Associates13% – DooSooGoBang by Studio Lim12% – %Arabica Coffee by B.L.U.E. Architecture Studio12% – Embers Restaurant by Curvink Architects

      Dongshang by Imafuku Architects won the Dezeen Awards 2020 public vote for bar interior
      Bar interior
      35% – Dongshang by Imafuku Architects (winner)27% – The Berkeley Bar & Terrace by Bryan O’Sullivan Studio15% – The Flow of Ecstatic by Daosheng Design13% – Mercantile Wine Bar by Islyn Studio10% – A secret bar by Atelier Xy

      Casa Palerm by OHLAB won the Dezeen Awards public vote for hotel and short-stay interior
      Hotel and short-stay interior
      42% – Casa Palerm by OHLAB (winner)22% – Maana Kamo by Maana Homes17% – Capsule hostel in a rural library by Atelier Tao+C13% – Escondido Oaxaca Hotel by Decada Muebles6% – Trunk House by Trunk

      Office In Cardboard by Studio_VDGA has won the Dezeen Awards 2020 public vote for large workspace interior
      Large workspace interior
      32% – Office In Cardboard by Studio_VDGA (winner)30% – Les Capucins by ATELIER L221% – Weinmanufaktur Clemens Strobl by Destilat Design Studio13% – The Audo by Norm Architects4% – KCC Office by KCC – Design

      Grain loft studio by Richard Parr Associates has won the Dezeen Awards 2020 public vote for small workspace interior
      Small workspace interior
      47% – Grain loft studio by Richard Parr Associates (winner)18% – Tiny Offices by Dutch Invertuals14% – 12 by ORTRAUM Architects12% – Office for creative advertising agency DDB Prague  by B² Architecture9% – CODO by Loftwork and Shuhei Goto Architects

      The Webster, a flagship store in Los Angeles by Adjaye Associates, has won the Dezeen Awards 2020 public vote for large retail interior
      Large retail interior
      36% – The Webster by Adjaye Associates (winner)23% – Grupo Arca Design Center by Esrawe Studio17% – Supreme San Francisco by Brinkworth16% – PSLab London by PSLab5% – Reigning Champ by Peter Cardew Architects3% – Issey Miyake Semba by NOMA

      FREITAG Sweat-Yourself-Shop by FREITAG lab won the public vote for small retail interior
      Small retail interior
      38% –FREITAG Sweat-Yourself-Shop by FREITAG lab (winner)30% –Glossier Seattle by Glossier13% – AESOP Shinjuku by CASE-REAL12% – small ICON by I IN7% – FREITAG Store Kyoto by FREITAG lab

      Vikasa by Enter Projects Asia won the public vote for leisure and wellness interior
      Leisure and wellness interior
      36% – Vikasa by Enter Projects Asia (winner)35% – En skincare by ARCHIEE16% – EKH Children’s Hospital by IF9% – Bathhouse by Verona Carpenter Architects4% – Domstate Zorghotel by Van Eijk & Van der Lubbe

      MuseumLab by Koning Eizenberg Architecture won the Dezeen Awards 2020 public vote for civic and cultural interior
      Civic and cultural interior
      32% – MuseumLab by Koning Eizenberg Architecture (winner)25% – Church of Pope John Paul II by Robert Gutowski Architects18% – Coca-Cola Stage at the Alliance Theatre by Trahan Architects14% – Crematorium Siesegem by KAAN Architecten11% – Models in Model by Wutopia Lab

      Writer’s Studio by Eric J Smith Architect has won the Dezeen Awards 2020 public vote for small interior
      Small interior
      35% – Writer’s Studio by Eric J Smith Architect (winner)18% – Basic Coffee by Office AIO17% – Single Person Gallery by Offhand Practice17% – PROJECT #13 by Studio Wills + Architects13% – Smart Zendo by Sim-Plex Design Studio More

    • 113 Shares99 Views

      Outdoor dining on New York City streets becomes permanent

      by

      New York City mayor Bill de Blasio has made the Open Restaurants Program, which allows restaurants in the city to extend seating onto streets, sidewalks and public spaces, permanent following the coronavirus pandemic.First temporarily initiated in June to allow restaurants to continue doing business while adhering to social distancing restrictions, the programme will now be a year-round fixture, De Blasio announced on 25 September.
      The Open Restaurants Program, which has seen outdoor dining spaces pop up across the city, will boost the capacity of restaurants as they open indoor dining at 50 per cent capacity as New York gradually reopens after the coronavirus lockdown.
      Restaurants allowed to heat outdoor spaces and build tents
      Under the scheme, eateries are allowed to extend seating onto sidewalks and roadways, or onto adjacent outdoor spaces with their neighbours’ consent. Establishments must follow a list of requirements for an Open Restaurant design, which include a clear path on the pavement, a maximum distance from the curb and a required height of enclosing barriers.
      De Blasio’s extension will also introduce guidelines for restaurants to heat outdoor areas during the colder winter months, which will be released by the end of September.

      David Rockwell unveils kit to build restaurants on streets following pandemic

      These regulations will allow the installation of electrical heaters on both sidewalks and roadways, and propane and natural gas heaters only on pavements. Propane will require a permit from New York City Fire Department.
      Restaurants will also be able to build tents, ranging from partial to full enclosures, in order to keep diners warm.
      Outdoor seating enables safe dining amid pandemic
      Food establishments will have to apply online for permission to become an Open Restaurant. Three or more restaurants on a street that is closed to traffic can also apply together to expand outdoors in another option known as Open Streets: Restaurants.
      Following the city lockdown, more than 10,300 restaurants citywide reopened with activities outdoors over summer, according to the New York Times, allowing them to stay afloat amid the coronavirus pandemic.
      A number of architects and designers also came up with creative ways for restaurants to allow safe dining post-Covid-19. In May, ahead of New York’s outdoor dining programme, designer David Rockwell created a kit of parts to turn the city’s streets into outdoor restaurants with socially distanced dining.
      His firm, Rockwell Group, later built a pro-bono DineOut NYC project (pictured top) comprising 120 seats for restaurants on Mott Street in Chinatown.
      Arts centre Mediamatic also developed a socially distanced dining experience in Amsterdam where guests sit in their own greenhouse and hosts wear face shields.
      Photograph of DineOut NYC is by Emily Andrews for Rockwell Group.

      Read more: More

    • 100 Shares109 Views

      French interior designer Christian Liaigre dies aged 77

      by

      Christian Liaigre, who fashioned homes for the likes of Karl Lagerfeld and Calvin Klein, has passed away at the age of 77.The French creative and founder of design studio Liaigre, died on Wednesday 2 September. As an interior designer, he was revered for his restrained aesthetic approach.
      Employing clean lines and natural materials throughout each of his projects, Liaigre’s style was seen as particularly unusual when he emerged in the 1980s.
      “Christian Liaigre preferred to let his designs speak for themselves,” said Liaigre’s studio in a statement.
      “He created furniture and objects that reflected his dedication to beauty, a search for balance, an accuracy for proportions and perfection in the detail,” added the studio.
      “His luxurious no-frill designs impressed a demanding international clientele on a quest for authenticity.”
      Liaigre had few public-facing projects
      Born in 1943 in the French coastal city of La Rochelle, Liaigre started developing his knowledge of the design sphere when he enrolled in art school Beaux-Arts de Paris at age 17, before going on to study at L’ecole des Arts Décoratifs.
      Liaigre established his eponymous studio in 1985 and opened the doors to his first showroom on Rue de Varenne in Paris’ seventh arrondissement.

      Five luxury villas around the world by French interiors studio Liaigre

      Initially, the late designer only made furnishings but soon went on to develop entire interiors for residences, holiday homes, offices, as well as the cabins of jets and yachts.
      His rare public projects – such as the 1990 overhaul of Paris’ Hotel Montalembert, and 1997 revamp of New York’s Mercer Hotel – meant that Liaigre was known on both sides of the Atlantic, yet he largely preferred to work with a roster of private clients.
      “Surrounded by the best craftsmen, he imagined and delivered spaces that expressed simplicity, sincerity, a modern and timeless style, alongside a natural attention to wellbeing,” said his studio.
      Liaigre eventually stepped down from his studio in 2016, handing over the position of creative director to long-term collaborator Frauke Meyer.
      “His taste and style was unmatched”
      When studio Liaigre announced their founder’s death over Instagram, tributes poured in from notable industry figures. Designer Ronan Bouroullec recalled meeting Liaigre at L’ecole des Arts Décoratifs and him showing interest in one of Bouroullec’s early furniture models.
      “He was so gentle, so simple and nice with me. Someone formidable,” Bouroullec wrote in a comment.
      Hotelier Ian Schrager also commented, “there is only Christian [Liaigre] and no one else”.
      “The world is less without him. To me, he was the best and most talented designer in the world.” Schrager continued. “His taste and style was unmatched and his refined simplicity and elegance stood above everybody else.”
      Belgian architect Vincent Van Duysen additionally took to Instagram to celebrate the life of Liaigre, revealing he had been a fan of the late designer’s work since the end of the 1980s: “Since then, he’s been a great source of inspiration to me, not only as a creative mind but also as an overall stylish yet humble human being.”
      Liaigre continued to design luxury homes in countries around the world after its founder retired in 2016.

      Read more: More

    • 113 Shares179 Views

      Brave Ground named Colour of the Year for 2021

      by

      Paint brand Dulux has unveiled a “reassuring” earthy beige hue called Brave Ground as its colour of the year for 2021.Brave Ground was selected as an “elemental” hue that reflects “the strength we can draw from nature, our growing desire to align more with the planet and looking towards the future” – particularly in a world still dealing with the challenges of the coronavirus crisis.
      Dulux decided on the shade after months of working with paint company AkzoNobel, and a roster of trend forecasters, design specialists, editors and architects from across the globe.

      “As a result of the global pandemic many people’s priorities are shifting significantly, to focus much more on their well-being,” explained creative director of Dulux UK Marianne Shillingford.

      “Colour can play a significant role in this – and with the calming, restorative and natural tones of our ColourFutures 2021 palettes we hope to empower professionals to create spaces where occupants can reflect, recharge and recalibrate.”

      “The past year has seen how we live and work utterly transformed,” added Heleen van Gen, head of AkzoNobel’s Global Aesthetic Centre in the Netherlands.
      “We have gone through the most uncertain of times, so it’s understandable that we see reassuring, natural tones returning, which can be used to create the calm and sanctuary people require.”

      As well as offering a sense of tranquillity, Brave Ground is also intended to be a versatile colour that can be applied to a variety of different settings. Shifting in tone throughout the day, the colour creates what Dulux and AkzoNobel describe as “subtly responsive environments”.

      “Could all things ‘green’ be the glue that sticks us back together?”

      The two companies have additionally developed a handful of complementary colour palettes that can “sit comfortably” alongside Brave Ground – among them is Expressive, a collection of striking reds and pinks, and Timeless, a warm group of yellows and ochres.

      Brave Ground is slightly more muted in appearance than Tranquil Dawn, a cool-green shade that Dulux selected as its colour of the year for 2020.
      At the time of its unveiling, interiors writer and former ELLE Decor editor-in-chief Michelle Ogundehin said in an opinion piece for Dezeen that the paint brand “could have been bolder” and opted for a stronger hue that more acutely reflected mounting global unrest.
      American company Pantone is yet to announce its 2021 colour of the year – last year it chose Classic Blue, a “universal favourite” hue that is meant to “brings a sense of peace and tranquillity to the human spirit”.

      Read more: More