Colour picks for the new year should embody the changing times and the home where they are used
In the disarray of the year gone by,mixed bags of hopes and fears have been delivered to our doorsteps.Uncertainty,complexity,clutter and chaos.Situations change quickly,and there is a need to grasp and adapt swiftly to the new circumstance.Our lives are increasingly complex even though aided by more sensory appliances,savvy electronics,streaming information;we still need more navigation.
In the midst of this,there is a search for a singular element that stands out as a directional beacon.If that element had to be a colour (since those are the matters we discuss !),then it has to perform an augmented role in our lives.What will be the qualities this colour will deliver Choosing the colour that fits all these requirements can't be a stereotypical choice or a knee-jerk reaction.It needs to be a considered choice.With the world gripped in change - economic,technological and cultural - this colour must encapsulate a mood of clarity,direction and,above all,optimism.It should be a signal,defining who we are and help us navigate where we are going.It would enhance and define space;both internal and external,physical and sensorial.
A colour that can span time;a reconnection to ancestry and values of the past.Bridging cultures,it needs to have meaning for many people and figure emotively in our collective imagination.A colour that can take us in transition to a future that is rapidly morphing and accelerating.It has to deal with the information age,with digital technologies;with superstructures and mega cities.
To take us into the 21st century,the colour has to be moving in more ways than one.It would be dynamic,having speed and velocity.On the other hand,it has to move people with a charisma and pull that are centripetal,drawing us irresistibly.Enveloping us with a promise of a confident future,while compassionately making the present more comfortable.
As we move from knowledge economies to more creative economies,a colour that would set our minds free,enabling us to provide solutions for utopia ever out of reach.A bridge between art and design;a colour that is provocative and interrogative to question the here and now,to upturn established predictable good taste!
Symbolic of celestial light and earthly fire,YELLOW,the elixir of life,is the colour! The hue has always been associated with joy,radiance and intellect.Its mineral associations are with a metal most treasured by humans,gold;and its abstract qualities lead us to creative paths.
Two other colours stand out as trend colours in the new year.A brilliant cobalt blue;that is like a bolt of brilliance from the huddle of safe blues.A cerulean,innocent and clear as the skies.To match this mood of optimism and get us out of grey,a delicious coral pink is peeping out as a stunning surprise!
AS GOOD AS GOLD
In homes,yellow is glowing and welcoming.It immediately takes us into its reassuring embrace.Occasional furniture and cushions are a great way to add colour accents.Chests and boxes bring with them stories of journeys made and secrets stored.Crossing cultures,yellow in Indo-China accents wends its way to the eclectic collector's home.These accent pieces can fit into ethnic homes easily,but are also a talking point in a modern interior.
CLEARLY OPTIMISTIC
Strangely,being optimistic inherently implies being courageous in the face of odds.Effervescent and bubbly,cheerful spaces call out to us.Be the kids' play areas,dining rooms where the family gathers or gyms and high-activity areas.Yellow,pink or cerulean energize spaces with a positive and carefree get-up-and-go attitude.There is a lightness of spirit combined with gentle informality.
GRAPHIC PROVOCATION
A taste for change and transition needs a strong signal colour to call it out.The great thing about trend colors are the proportions they can be used in.In the smallest proportion;as product accents,nut bowls and vases or a lamp.In larger proportions as a bedspread,a dhurrie and even one whole wall.The trick is to keep yellow graphic and cerebral with charcoal black and white;or kinetic with strong greens and blue.These key colours sit beautifully with cool neutrals creating a refreshing makeover.
Hues should run across product lines for ease of co-ordination in finding the right lampshade or dinnerware or dhurrie to give that quick colour shock to the space.
Find a yellow that encapsulates a mood of graphic print design and appeals to masculine and feminine sensibilities.The forms on vivid textile prints can be liquid and organic,and the arrangements and scale of designshould follow a simple formality.
It is Pablo Picasso who said,"There are painters who transform the sun into a yellow spot,but there are others who,thanks to their art and intelligence,transform a yellow spot into the sun."
ART IT UP
Popular art that makes an instant connect with the viewer is surfacing on all items within the home today.DEEPIKA MITAL finds out moreDo you like Jai and Veeru or Basanti in Sholay Chances are that you will be able to have them in your home - on a lamp or cushion cover for posterity,and most probably to the ultimate disgust of your children! Such is the draw of Pop Art - those who connect with it love it,and those who cannot relate to it wonder...
Popular art or Pop Art is that which draws on imagery that the viewer has an instant connect with.Using block colours and simple lines,pop art can generate vibrancy and bring up local influences extremely well.The Bollywood or Mumbai collections of leading designers and lifestyle stores are some examples of this kind of art making an impact in India too.The most iconic (or the first of its kind) was the Bombay collection done by Krsna Mehta for The Bombay Store.Now of course,the images of autowallahs and dabbawallahs have all been exploited on all surfaces,since they typify Mumbai easily.
Bollywood is also proving to be a font of inspiration for designers,with the posters and icons of the 70's emblazoned on cushion covers,lamps,chairs and knick knacks.Takers for this 'memorabilia' are also the generation that is buying for their homes today - the ones who grew up seeing these movies and posters.
Nidhi Karnavat Chopra,Designer and beall of Pop Goes the Art,an online store that also retails in various real time stores across Mumbai and India,says,"When I started in'08 the demand was not as great as my need to express myself.I started with home dcor items like cushion covers,boxes and clocks,but soon expanded to include things like trays and am now contemplating curtains and even bed sheets."Chopra has an interesting statistic,based on her experience;she says,"As a general rule,the slightly older and more sophisticated age group goes in for the Buddha or even western influenced art and the younger,brasher lot go in for the Bollywood themes.Western themed pop art is the best seller all round."As a design influence,she feels that Bollywood has been done to death,but then again,till it reaches the mass market,it will continue to be welcome to buyers.So whether it is Amitabh Bacchan or Marilyn Monroe,the Indian home can now be decked out in complete and utter pop art style - from the curtains to the cushion covers,from coasters to placemats - it is all available!
