Sara Garanty on Rockfon’s Colours of Wellbeing

You had to choose 34 colours, where did you start?

It’s been a one-and-a-half year process, starting with some intense work alongside three forecasters to predict future design trends. Following that process we painted 400 potential colours onto A3 sheets and started the challenging process of selecting just 34 colours that would both match emerging trends and create a sense of wellbeing. We’re extremely proud to present the final trend collections, which we named Uncluttered Wabi-Sabi, Calm Enclosure, Biophilic Awareness and Technology.

What is the thinking behind the four interior colour trends you identified?

Uncluttered Wabi-Sabi is a prominent trend from Japan. It’s all about taking a step back into simplicity and celebrating imperfection. The colours that encapsulate the beauty of uncertainty are browns, beiges and light greys.

Calm Enclosure reflects a retreat into reassuring and enveloping interiors in the face of global uncertainty. It’s one of my favourite trends because it has the most vibrant Colours, like warm yellows and rich reds. When you want to emphasise or show something off, you can use Calm Enclosure colours in a way that is not overstated. They empower, uplift and energise you without being loud or forceful.

Biophilic Awareness is all about reconnecting to nature. It expresses itself by ‘bringing the outside in’ – incorporating stone, timber, plants, natural light, sometimes even water, into interior design. It uses the colours of nature including blues and greens.

Technology is a trend that’s inspired by the merger of human and artificial intelligence. It’s reflected in subtle futuristic designs, juxtaposing regular and irregular forms, hard and soft materials, glossy and matt surfaces. It’s portrayed through our palette of clean, chromatic blues, darks and silver.

Why is the ceiling is the ‘fifth’ wall?

I recommend that when you’re deciding on ceiling colours you hold them above you to envisage how they will look in place. I also believe that the ceiling should be considered as a ‘fifth wall’ that’s as significant as the walls and flooring – not just a feature that we put colour on at the end of the process. As a rule, colour needs to be factored into the design process much earlier and considered to be just as important as the floor or section plan. The mood or feeling you want to create can often be achieved with colours, even at a subconscious level.

Good architecture combined with good colour can immediately convey the intention and feel of a room – relaxing, inspiring, comforting and so on.

If you want to be inspired by Rockfon’s beautiful Colours of Wellbeing for acoustic ceilings and how these can be used in your next interior design, visit https://rockfoncolours.com/asia/