With Dulux revealing their infamous colour of the year for 2021, it’s only right that this blog post is written… For those who read my posts regularly, or follow my Instagram account, you will already know how much I love the colour “greige”. I have been writing for a while now about how totally grey interiors are no longer on trend.
Dulux’s Colour of the Year 2021 has been revealed as “Brave Ground”, which re-enforces all of my previous statements about bringing griege and warmer tones into the home.
A lot of people are now writing off this year completely… And to an extent I can completely understand. Our whole lives have been turned upside down a few times and adjusting to this “new normal” hasn’t exactly been a walk in the park.
That being said, we must remain as positive as we can and focus our thoughts to the future. We should focus on what we do have (a roof over our heads, food, clean water… etc) and take this as an opportunity to re-identify what we truly want our lives to be like. I am sure that once all of this is over (the global pandemic I mean), we will all have a huge sense of gratitude for the things we previously took for granted (like going to the cinema, coffee dates and drinking bars dry post-10pm curfew).
This may seem daunting because some of this year has been somewhat “overshadowed”, shall we say, looking ahead to new and exciting prospects of next year has never seemed more thrilling. And that’s what Dulux have endeavoured to achieve with their Colour of the Year 2021.
So what is “Greige”, and how does Brave Ground fit into this category?
By definition, “greige” (like the name itself suggests), is a combination of grey and beige mixed together. It is a warm and balancing colour that can easily be paired with other, brighter colours to create a truly inviting and homely interior.
According to Dulux, Brave Ground is “a warm, natural neutral, that brings a bolstering, balancing feeling to any room.” – and I couldn’t be in more agreement if I tried!!! It is the perfect blend of grey and beige, with more emphasis on brown undertones.
Let’s take a closer look at why greige is becoming on trend, what this means for interior design and how you can use Brave Ground at home.
Why “Griege” and Brave Ground
The grey interiors you see across all social media platforms tend to be on the much colder side, with undertones of blue. You can achieve a warm grey by looking for tones with red undertones. Go one step further though, and you encounter the colour greige.
Being totally honest (and probably speaking more from my personal opinion than my designer head), other than seeing grey as a light monochrome base for interiors, I’m not entirely sure how the colour became so popular in the first place.
Personally, I just can’t see it. Many totally grey interiors feel cold and dull with no life to them… Which doesn’t feel inviting or homely. Grey was originally used throughout offices and commercial interior design so that’s perhaps why I rarely speak fondly of the colour itself!
Greige on the other hand, with its mix of beige, adds a welcoming and truly warming tone to an otherwise dull grey. It is an extremely warming neutral colour which is undoubtedly going to overtake shades of grey in the coming months and years.
In addition to this, many interior design trends around colour and pattern originates from previous fashion trends. Take a look at the fashion from a couple of years ago and you’ll recognise some of those colour and pattern ways have now translated into interiors. With the surge in camel, nude tones and browns being worn in the fashion world, there is no surprise that a colour like Brave Ground is Dulux’s Colour of the Year 2021.
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What Does This Mean for Interior Design?
As you may have already guessed it, we’re going to continue seeing the shift from grey interiors to more beige, cream and warm tones in interior design. Due to seeing these shades being used in the fashion world, there is no doubt that this shift will be made.
Instead of using shades of grey as neutral tones in interiors, there will be a shift and swap of this to much warmer, beige and even brown tones.
How to Use Brave Ground at Home
Brave Ground and other greige colours are extremely straightforward to implement into the home. Even if a full redecoration isn’t within your budget, there are economical ways of merging these tones into your interior spaces.
Greige is similar to grey in that it will work with almost any other colour. This is what makes it such a versatile neutral colour to use throughout the home. Consider using different tones or shades of the colour in key living areas to create a truly cohesive feel throughout. You can accessorise and use key accent colours to add more interest and character if you prefer.
For minimalistic lovers, use Greige tones with cream, white, darker browns or black to achieve a contemporary and timeless interior.
To help you visualise and understand which colours work well with the Dulux Colour of the Year 2021 Brave Ground, I have created a number of mood boards to illustrate this.
What do you think of the shift to Greige in interior design? Do you love Brave Ground as much as I do? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
You can read more about Brave Ground on Dulux’s website HERE.
Are you interested in making the shift to Greige in your home but unsure on how to create an interior you love with it? We now offer virtual e-design solutions, so get in touch with us today to arrange a complimentary consultation call!
