The colours of 2016 are rose quartz, peach echo,
serenity, snorkel blue, buttercup, limpet shell, lilac gray, fiesta, iced
coffee and green flash according to Pantone, an US based corporation which
announces the colour palette annually. These colours are primarily used by
fashion designers, florists and other consumer products companies.
The colours are selected after
much deliberations and research by experts from various countries. According to
Pantone, this year’s colours are influenced by “the world of art, new global
doors opening and the desire to disconnect from technology and unwind.” The
colours pay homage to the beauty of nature and are basically soothing and
relaxing. Taking a cue from this, this year’s home décor trends should lean
more towards making the home a place where the entire family can relax and
unwind.
Living
Room: The living room or hall, as it is popularly known in
India, definitely needs a revamp. If you have decided to repaint your walls
look at one on the bright colours on the palette such as buttercup. You can
contrast it with colours like green or iced coffee for the fabric used for
furnishing, such as sofa covers, cushions and curtains.
One eye sore that need a new look
is the shoe rack, a ubiquitous bit of furniture in every Indian middle class
home. Covered shoe racks are available but make sure that there are ventilators
on the sides or else the smell would be unbearable.
If you have the space for it, the
TV needs to be moved into another area to enable conversation without any
distractions. People learnt a valuable lesson during natural calamities such as
the floods in Chennai when power was switched off that there is a need to talk
and communicate with other members of the family. Sofas and chairs should be
comfortable and easy on the eye. Vertical strips and heavily printed fabric is
not in.
Dining
Room: The formal dining table has regained its rightful place
in the family. If you have been using this table for official work or where the
children do their homework or to park your laptop, sorry, the time has come to
give back its original purpose. But given the Indian context, dining tables
will always be used also for things other than dining; so the compromise
solution is to clear the table of other things and sit around it for your
family meals. Table cloths, napkins, mats are all available in lovely matching
ethnic prints and colours. So make each meal memorable with lovely settings.
Create an amiable ambience.
Bedroom: Once again move the TV out of the room. This is important
as most young people work long and late. Sleep is the most important ingredient
in the rejuvenation; sleeping with the TV on is not a good idea, nor is it a
good one for one partner to watch TV while the other sleeps. It’s also time to
put a small desk in the bedroom and move the laptop on to it. The days of
working on the laptop in bed are passé. Some of the colours of 2016 are ideal
for a cool, refreshing look in your bedroom.
Kitchen: It is back to the basics. No more pre-cooked or ready to
eat meals. So plenty of elbow room is required; if you are designing or
remodeling remember this. Kitchen islands both for the hob and as a place for
the family meal are very in. Colours for appliances such as the fridge are back
to stainless steel. Make sure you have two bins for garbage and that you
segregate your garbage. Recycling is in and so is composting. Make use of
terraces and balconies to grow your veggies and herbs. Reuse old plastic
containers for this.
Indoor
plants: Nothing
like a bit of greenery to make your home look restful. Make sure that the
plants are not just decorative but also purify the air. Once again, plants
de-stress and help in the relaxation process. Some of the plants which can be
used for this purpose are the rubber tree, the mother’s tongue or snake plant,
bamboo, Philodendron and the spider plant.
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