INTERNATIONAL COLOUR TRENDS 2012

12 COLOUR FUTURES

WORLD OF

Looking at the world

different perspectives

opens up

from

POSSIBILITIES

WELCOME

AKZONOBEL IS THE WORLDS LARGEST PAINT AND COATINGS MANUFACTURER. OUR MISSION IS TO ADD COLOUR TO PEOPLES LIVES.

We understand the power of colour and the positive effect it has on our mood. Colour is all around us and influences all aspects of our lives. Uplifting, soothing, inspiring, chall-enging or intriguing, colour can change the way we view our surroundings. Being the largest colour manufacturer world-wide, it is AkzoNobels responsibility to know all there is to know about how colour works.

We pride ourselves on our knowledge of colour formulas and design principles. Knowledge collected, researched and interpreted on an ongoing basis by AkzoNobels Aesthetic Center, enables ColourFuturesTM to showcase colour forecasts and collections that inspire our customers.

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ONCE A YEAR, THE GLOBAL AESTHETIC CENTER INVITES AN INTERNATIONAL GROUP OF CREATIVE EXPERTS FROM THE FIELDS OF DESIGN, ARCHITECTURE AND FASHION TO DETERMINE THE KEY COLOUR TRENDS FOR THE NEXT YEAR.

OUR EXPERTS COME FROM DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE WORLD AND DRAW ON A VARIETY OF CULTURAL SOURCES AND INFLUENCES, FROM FINE ART TO TECHNOLOGY AND FROM NATURE TO POP CULTURE. THEIR VIEWS, INSIGHTS AND FINDINGS ON TRENDS ARE TRANSLATED INTO COLOUR PALETTES AND IMAGES, AND CAPTURED IN THIS ANNUAL EDITION OF COLOURFUTURES. TM CONSIDER IT YOUR INSTANT UPDATE TO ALL THINGS INSPIRATIONAL.

TRENDS TEAM

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POSSIBILITIES

EVERY YEAR, COLOURFUTURES TM PRESENTS ONE DOMI-NANT TREND, ONE ESSENTIAL VALUE. FIVE RELATED TRENDS STEM FROM THAT DOMINANT IDEA, WHICH ARE ALL TRANSLATED INTO COLOUR PALETTES. FROM THESE, A SINGLE COLOUR OF THE YEAR IS SELECTED, THE COLOUR THAT BEST SUMS UP THE PREVAILING MOOD.

This years driving influence logically follows from those that set the mood in the last few years. 2010 was about Reclaiming what we knew to be true and solid, about relying on our indiv-idual strength and our capability to regroup, in the hope of moving forward.

2011 had Appreciation as the common denominator, hinting at our new-found appreciation for simplicity and purity, find-ing joy in everyday things we had been taking for granted for so long, and treasuring them.

The concept of Possibilities builds on this. It offers the exhila-rating and inspiritional idea that new options are waiting to be uncovered inside all those things we have recently reclaimed and have come to appreciate for what they are.

Because although appreciation is wonderful and much-needed, it holds an element of acceptance, which is by nature complacent. That is why the concept of Possibilities is one step up: it moves towards the pro-active. It spurs us on to mine our newly-appreciated familiar world for hidden raw materials. Stuff to combine in new, unsuspected and very satisfying ways. Imagine us awakening to the fact that the world both the physical one outside and the imaginary world inside us still has so much to offer, so much that only needs to be found.

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08

12

68-85 Different Worlds

112-128 Colour transitions

104-111 Colour of the year

32-49 ONE SMALL SEED

14-31 Delicate Mix

50-67 living scrapbook

REDISCOVERED HEROES86-103

CREATING BALANCE IN DESIGN

14

Delicate

Mix

IN TIMES OF TURBULENCE, WE ARE ATTRACTED TO DESIGN THAT OFFERS SILENCE AND VISUAL STILL- NESS. THIS ETHOS ENGAGES THE MIND WHILE SOOTH-ING THE SOUL. IT IS DELIVERED WITH A LIGHTNESS OF TOUCH AND GIVES A LEVEL OF REFINEMENT THAT WE EXPERIENCE AS LUXURY.

Consumers now understand and appreciate design, a subject once the domain of artists and architects. They grasp the idea behind highly conceptualized, magnificently executed objects, appreciating the thought and attention that went into their creation.

Visitors of the yearly Salone del Mobile increasingly flock to the exhibi-tions by Dutch designers like Studio Job, Droog Design and students of the Design Academy Eindhoven. Its because they know what to expect: a unique level of refinement and insightfulness, expressed in beautiful objects.

Design is a process of refinement. Whether a designer makes jewellery, furniture, clothing or industrial objects, the objective to get it even better next time is always there. Designing objects as we know it now, is the outcome of a slow but steady development. It started in the late 19th century, when artisans and cabinet makers felt the need to step away from traditionalism and create new shapes. The turn of the century saw the rise of a new creative class that embraced the notion of novelty, and started highly influential movements like Arts and Crafts, Wiener Werksttte and Bauhaus. Design theory entered a new stage. Thinking about the shape of furniture, buildings, fashion and decoration went beyond a mere need for beauty and incorporated philosophy and even politics.

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A century ago, it was quite common to be a multidisciplinarian in the creative field of your choice. Ren Lalique, these days mostly known for his priceless lead crystal statuettes, started out as a jewellery designer and also created beautiful windows and church interiors. De Stijls top furniture designer and architect, Gerrit Rietveld, was widely admired for the book covers he made as a graphic designer. Due to their forays into various fields, many artists and designers of the day knew each other. They discussed the relevance of their work extensively and examined it bravely. The socialist movement inspired many to theorize on the need for democratic design low-cost furniture available to every household to elevate the minds and spirits of the workforce. Rietveld in particular tried to design furniture that was easy to mass-produce and assemble, at a minimal investment.

His efforts did pay off but only to a certain extent. Anyone who owns a Rietveld chair or has ever been in one of his buildings, will have discovered that his designs leave a lot to be desired in terms of comfort and main-tenance. The valuable lesson here was that purity of form may seem like the ultimate goal, but it is only the first step.

Mid-Century modern designers like Charles and Ray Eames, Arne Jacobsen, George Nelson and Isamo Noguchi made a conscious effort to combine beauty, style and comfort. Modern manufacturing and new materials turned out to be key in this process. Inspired by Rietvelds Zigzag chair, Danish designer Verner Panton dreamed up his famous Panton Chair as early as 1957. But it took almost 10 years of experimenting before Vitra finally found a way to mass-produce a model that did not buckle under its own weight or disintegrate in sunlight.

All of this led up to the more recent focus on the cultural value of shapes and materials, and how these speak to us. Playing with our sensibilities and challenging traditional concepts, designers have developed new, subtle ways to communicate with us.

The colours that go with this theme are largely based on an subtle approach of luxury. Here, luxury means harmony, modesty and refine-ment. It whispers of elegance and intellect, and is all about the juxta-position of materials and meaningful shapes, about artistic composition. Fully appreciating the beauty of an unobtrusive object requires some understanding of the design process, of manufacturing. KNOWING THAT AN OBJECT WAS A LONG TIME IN THE MAKING AND THAT A LOT OF FINE-TUNING AND RESEARCH WENT INTO IT, EVEN BEFORE IT EVER REACHED THE DRAWING TABLE STAGE, WILL MAKE YOU APPRECIATE A PORCELAIN LAMPSHADE WITH THE SENSIBILITY OF AN EGGSHELL OR AN IMPECCABLY WOVEN CASHMERE THROW AS MUCH AS AN ANTIQUES AFICIONADO WOULD ADMIRE A GILDED MIRROR. Its about a new type of luxury that doesnt aspire to express wealth. Instead, it expresses cognition and a discerning taste.

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A new type of

and elegance

that aspires to express vision

LUXURY

CONTEMPORARY

POETIC

This colour theme revolves around subtlety. Here, simplicity is a deliberate choice in the search for perfect balance, the result of careful reduction and attention to detail, and smoothness is a key element. The materials contemporary designers prefer concrete, metal, wood, stoneware, wool, new plastics may be pure, but they are never raw. Surfaces are honed carefully and professionally, making good use of industrial processes, to reveal the intrinsic beauty of the material. Which is quite the opposite of leaving them unpolished, the way a craftsman would.

All of this is reflected in the palette: cool, elegant neutrals, luxurious warm camels, blushy coral and nude pinks, paired with nuances of forged iron, steel, polished concrete and anodised aluminium, wood, copper and oiled leathers.

Delicate Mix Colours

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SUBTLE

UNDERSTATED

ELEGANT

LUXURIOUS

SMOOTH

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ONE SMALL SEED

Personalised N A Rt eu

ONE LESSON LEARNED: WE CANT SAVE THE WORLD ON OUR OWN. BUT WE CAN CREATE SMALL WONDERS ON OUR OWN, LIKE SOWING A SEED IN A POT AND WATERING IT EVERY DAY TO CREATE NEW LIFE. RIGHT THERE, IN OUR OWN LIVING ROOM.

The focus of this theme is our personal bond with nature and how that bond relates to our general view on nature. Its about the seemingly mundane, but on second inspection delightful fact that a whole plant can grow from a single seed.

John Fu, associate professor of industrial design at Shanghais School for Media & Design, recently noticed many of his students had taken up growing plants from scratch, either in a small jar or pot on their desks or in front of a well-lit window. The process of sowing a seed, watering it, watching it germinate into a tiny green sprout and making sure it gets all the nutrients necessary to turn it into an actual plant completely fascinates them, he reports. Its as if they see life happening for the first time.

At the same time in India, Ayurvedic practitioners prescribe plants with medicinal properties instead of industrial medicines for patients. The point is to take the plant home, take care of it and make it thrive. By doing so, you grow your own medicine healing the body while nourishing the soul. It allows patients to be actively in control of the healing process, as opposed to simply being on the receiving end of what the doctor prescribes. Having something pretty to look at is an added bonus.

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Taking matters into our own hands plays an important part in the new way people surround themselves with plants. Larger-scale events threatening our well-being make us rethink the extent to which we are in control of our own health, and how our interaction with nature relates to that. What logically follows is the need for better, personal understanding of nature, and manageable, low-tech proportions to interact with it.

The concept of self-sufficiency and the notion that nature help us if we help it, is fundamental to many of these initiatives. More and more people are drawn to the idea of creating clean water by filtering used water from their own households through an ingenious natural system that uses plants and a series of rock pools, positioned on a slope to create a cascading stream. It works like a charm as long as you have the garden space, and offers visually interesting landscaping at the same time.

In a similar vein, growing your own vegetables has become popular with a whole new crowd since the seventies, and not just with owners of hip, organic restaurants. In Detroit, neighborhood groups have taken it upon themselves to clean empty factory lots and turn them into collective gardens where organic produce is grown. Most of the work is done by volunteers. The fruits of their labour are sold for cost-covering prices that every low-income household can afford, allowing families with small children to eat healthy amounts of fruit and vegetables. As a side effect, the dreariest parts of town have become much better looking, creating a better living environment for all. A win-win-win situation for everyone involved, and living proof that from small acorns mighty oaks do actually grow, as our grandmothers used to say.

The idea of one small seed represents so much that is valuable to humans. Inviting nature into your home on a small scale and surrounding yourself with its offerings allows you to enjoy the beauty of tender leaves, the pattern of twigs and stems, the surprise of a sudden bloom and the scent of fresh earth, even if larger-scale nature is out of reach. A major departure from the days when plants were simply decorative. It is an ode to the power that one small seed holds.

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The world needs

but m

ost of all, dream

ers who do

DREA

MER

S AN

D DOERS

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The basic principle of photosynthesis is the inspiration for this colour theme, and the need to acknowledge and protect our interconnection with nature. Water, sun, earth and clay are all featured, with an emphasis on a feeling of early morning, or early spring, and the tenderness of saplings and sprouts. Watery greens, rain clouds and pale, fresh pastels and neutrals set the mood, with dark soil and bright blossom colours as counterweights. Together they form an indoor garden of delight.

ONE SMALL SEED COLOURS

TENDER

PRECIOUS

SMALL SCALE

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LOCAL

DELICATE

HOPEFUL

HEALTHY

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living

scrapbook

Sharing

my story

MUCH HAS BEEN SAID ABOUT THE EFFECTS OF FACEBOOK, MYSPACE AND BLOGS LIKE TUMBLR ON WHAT PRIVACY MEANS TO US. LESS HAS BEEN SAID ABOUT HOW THESE ALSO CREATE A GIANT WAVE OF CREATIVITY AND FRESH THOUGHT. YET THAT IS WHAT MATTERS MOST RIGHT NOW.

LATELY, DOCUMENTING THE SELF HAS BECOME A MULTIPURPOSED, MULTIFACETED THING OF BEAUTY. NOT SO LONG AGO, WE HAD ONLY A FEW OPTIONS...

If we wanted to record our thoughts and experiences for our own benefit, we kept a diary.

If we wanted to share them, we wrote memoirs.

If we wanted to create an image of ourselves as seen through our own eyes and minds, we made a selfportrait.

Anything that didnt fit a known art category, was a hobby.

Collections were about amassing stuff.

Everything was clear, and in all its clarity, limited. Diaries were not only personal, but meant to be kept private.Documen-taries and selfportraits, on the other hand, were intended to be seen. You started a collection to complete, then sell it.

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These days, documenting the self is about diary-keeping and self-expression and documentation and collecting and inviting people into your personal experience, but its implications go much further. Facebook, myspace and a myriad of blogs allow people to create a personal envir-onment or a personal impression of themselves, then show it to the world. Sometimes as a means of communication, but definitely not always. The same goes for the new type of collecting that has become the staple of many stylists and designers lives. A collection of things that have no specific value, to please and inspire you and only you is a new thing. Maybe its just for fun. Maybe its a conscious exercise in deliberate randomness. Maybe its creating a scrapbook that looks like a tag cloud of things that mean something to you. But whatever it is, its highly personal. At the same time, we are fully aware of the fact that no one may care. And thats fine, too. The practice of broadcasting yourself with-out the specific intention to be found, circumnavigates the ego and by doing so, creates this incredible freedom to play. And so, the internet has become a living, breathing scrapbook filled with millions of notions and creations, views, interpretations and reactions. Singer/songwriters, stop-motion filmmakers, backyard wildlife photogra-phers, cupcake-baking geniuses, inspired young writers and designers specializing in socks for dogs all revel in the wide array of possibilities they now have. Whats more, the ability to share and modify everything through state-of-the-art applications has inspired new art forms, aesthe-tics, opinions and means of self-expression and creativity. Not only can we create whatever we like, however eclectic and idiosyncratic it may be, we can also do with it as we please. We have become our own authors. In the wake of all these possibilities, we find ourselves free to enjoy other peoples creations too, whatever they may be. The worlds of high and low culture have been blending together for some time now, creating a platform for work that didnt fit anywhere before. Criticism is no longer the domain of the expert, just as finding like-minded people is no longer a matter of geography. People like Scott Schuman, a fashion photographer who runs a blog with nothing but pictures of people he considers well-dressed, can attest to that. His blog, thesartorialist.com, is immensely popular among fashion lovers and fashion professionals alike, and the great thing is that Scott and nobody but Scott gets to decide whats on it. As a side-effect, The Sartorialist has altered many peoples perceptions of what personal style is supposed to be. Its not about head-to-toe designer, its about wearing what you fancy. Reason enough to take another look at the contents of our own wardrobes, and maybe even develop some new fashion aesthetics of our own. Being fully in charge of our self-created environment kick-starts our creativity. If you want to showcase your collection of pastel Dinky Toys from the sixties and give in to the need to build miniature garages for them, without a doubt, someone will love you for being your unstoppable, inimitable self. Or not, in which case you can still have fun on your own.

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a new way to express the selfCREATING FOR ITS OWN SAKE

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The colour palette reflects the aesthetics of blogs and social media, and the quirkiness that is the product of highly personal tastes and predilections. Its also a perfect palette, balanced, warm and charming, but not particularly nostalgic. There are hints of craftpaper and cardboard and a lot of happy, yet mature pastels. The colours beloved by Ray and Charles Eames: modern, but ever so slightly degraded and non-mainstream.

living scrapbook COLOURS

AUTHENTIC

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MICRO CHAOS

JUST FOR FUN

THE STORY OF ME

CREATIVE

RANDOM PL AY

JOYOUS

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Exploring

fantasyand

reality

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Different W

orld

s

STATE-OF-THE-ART TECH ALLOWS US TO BE IN DIFF-ERENT WORLDS OR REALITIES AT THE SAME TIME, WITH VERY LITTLE EFFORT. ONE MINUTE WE ARE SKYPING WITH AN AUNT IN BRAZIL OR JAPAN, THE NEXT WE ARE PLAYING WORLD OF WARCRAFT WITH FRIENDS FROM FINLAND AND AT NIGHT WE PUT ON OUR 3D-SHADES TO MEET UP WITH ALICE.

Could it be that our modern-day concept of virtual reality came about when Alice first dropped down a rabbit hole. In Lewis Carrolls Alice in Wonderland were presented with a different world that is at once remarkably familiar and somewhat strange. Ruled by dream logic, this world offers as many adorable characters as it does dangerous ones. But while Alice based on Carrolls real-life ten-year old family friend Alice Liddell forges ahead undaunted, like the intrepid girl scientist that Carroll sees in her, the reader really wants her to find a way back home, back into reality as we know it. Which in the end she does, thankfully.

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Book genres like science fiction and fantasy have been exploring the concept of reality perception for years, as have artists. Not only surrealists like Ren Magritte, in whose famous paintings visual illusion and the meaning of words find themselves at a crossroads, but also modern sculptors like Anish Kapoor and James Turrell. Both create spatial insta-llations that make you wonder what you are looking at and whether your mind is fooling you.

Humans seem to have an inner need to stimulate the mind with illusionary images. Luckily, we live in an age where the level of technical refinement meets that need, providing us with everything from computer games to animated movies.

A good example is Monsters Inc. In the story, we meet scary monsters going about their daily lives and doing their job scaring children. The film presents us with a delightful, brightly coloured depiction of how to move between worlds. To get from monster reality to human reality, the monsters step through a door that is not attached to a wall, but hangs on a rail. You can walk around it and nothing happens, but once you step through it, the door opens and you find yourself a childs room. Seen from that room, it is simply the door to a dark cupboard.

Of course, the idea behind it isnt new. It is, in fact, very familiar to British culture, where generations of children have been brought up with Dr. Who, who travels through time in a telephone box and ends up somewhere else everytime he opens the door, Roald Dahls Willy Wonka in his amazingly mobile glass elevator and C.S. Lewiss Narnia books. In the first Narnia story, a little girl playing hide-and-seek hides in a big old wardrobe in the attic. As she moves through a jungle of coats to reach the back wall in an attempt to remain uncaught, the coats turn into trees and the wood underfoot into snow. Suddenly, she notices a lamp post in the distance and she steps out into the twinkling icy magic of Narnia.

The virtual and the surreal have become an intregral part of our lives, and living in an age with more reality than we bargained for, we aspire to have more control over both. Recent films reflect that. In Inception, Leonardo DiCaprio leads a group of trained dream specialists through layers of other peoples dreams, navigating through amazing cityscapes and architectural environments where the rules of physics dont apply. In the 3D animation miracle Avatar, scientists immerse themselves in a magical, jaw-drop-beautiful world of blue people, light-emitting trees and floating islands. Recent Hollywood history even saw the 3D-return of our beloved Alice, a little more mature but no less brave or intrepid, who finds herself invited to Wonderland once more just a less Victorian, brighter, even more surreal version of it.

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Humans seem to have

an inner need to stimulate the mind

WITH ILLUSIONARY IMAGES.

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Luckily, we live in an age

where the level of technical refinement meets that need

From a visual and graphical point of view, some ingredients turn up time and again. Trompe loeil, an age-old technique to fool the eye, is something that never fails to delight. The concept of layered worlds or parallel universes is by now generally understood. The colour palette chosen for this theme reflects the extremes: it swings from the dreamy and surreal to the solid and super real. Lush, velvety bright blues, greens and reds are played off against ethereal and translucent pastels.

Different Worlds COLOURS

ALTERED PERCEPTIONS

POETRY

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MIND STRETCH

ILLUSION

SURREAL

WHIMSY

ESCAPE

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THE GENIUS OF EVERYDAY THINGS

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REDISCOVERED

HEROES

COMING TO AN ECONOMIC STANDSTILL HAS ITS ADVANTAGES: IT ALLOWS US TO TAKE A LOOK AROUND AT WHAT IS ALREADY THERE AND DISCOVER NEW POSSIBILITIES IN THE MOST UNLIKELY PLACES LIKE ABANDONED OLD BUILDINGS THAT ARE NOT EVEN PICTURESQUE.

We are surrounded by things we never notice. Things so ordinary, we become oblivious to their existence. As a rule, things like these serve very simple and unromantic purposes. And yet, on closer inspection, they reveal their own beauty and value.

Take a look around in a hardware store, a garage, an office or a factory. Spaces filled with useful, reliable materials, tools and equipment, stacked in the most logical way. Buckets, paintbrushes, wood, plaster. Paper, paperclips, pencils and folders. But also tiny objects like nails and screws in all shapes and sizes, gleaming at us from behind convenient little windows that allow us to pick the exact right type for what we set out to do. Most of those spaces are literally built from ordinary things as well, with concrete, glass, metal beams, wood and nails all doing their unassuming, trusted jobs. And yet the Vitra Design Museum in Germany devoted a whole exhition to them in 2010. A sign of our times.

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If there is any colour to be found at all, its usually there for a reason. Paint is applied to protect materials that are at risk from corrosion, like metal equipment or machine parts. Materials less at risk, such as concret walls, tend to be left the way they are. If its something a factory worker stares at all day long, like a sewing machine or a drill, it usually is neutral in colour grey, tan or a muted green. On the other hand, if an object or piece of equipment needs to stand out, a bright colour is administered. When it comes to utility, form follows function even extends to colour choices. That is how we regard the fabric that holds our physical world together, the material reality that makes it possible for us to get on with our lives.

The problem with simple, useful objects and even buildings is that they are easily discarded once their use runs out. All cities around the world have areas with old factories, offices and other edifices that once provided workplaces for thousands of breadwinners. These days, many stand abandoned, our appreciation for them evaporated since the day the company relocated and the janitor switched the light off for the very last time.

But our appreciation for buildings like these has grown over the years. Perhaps it always takes a while before we understand the true cultural meaning and value of anything we create. Increasingly, people recognize that abandoned industrial buildings, although not built for beauty, are part of our architectural heritage and deserve a place in our lives.

In New York, people started repurposing former factory lofts during the years after the Second World War, simply leaving the brick walls and steel pillars as they were to create living and working spaces for artists, who didnt need much except low rent, big windows, running tap water and a roof over their heads. During the eighties, the London Docklands famously followed suit, when rows upon rows of old warehouses on the south bank of the Thames River were renovated to become apartments, businesses and smart restaurants. Shanghai in its turn decided not to tear down the old empty villas along the Bund, but to turn them into clubs, hotels and restaurants.

The general idea is that a lack of space on the one hand, and an abundance of delapidated old buildings on the other equals a brilliant opportunity, with the added benefit of preserving cultural history. And in turn they inspire us to rediscover the functional simplicity that was there all along. It doesnt take a repurposed factory to grasp the idea: even the common garden shed offers its own brand of humble genius to contemplate.

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we start seeing them as the forgotten treasures that they are

Once we acknowledge the functional value

of even the simplest items

LIKE NAILS AND PAPERCLIPS,

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Once we acknowledge the history of specific structures, or even the simplest of office supplies, we start seeing them as the forgotten treasures that they are, which changes the context of what they represent.

In other words, by acknowledging their function, we automatically re-evaluate and revalue their form. This colour theme is inspired by the down-to-earth qualities of our industrial heritage, and the masculine aesthetics that have always accom-panied them denim blue, industrial neutrals, rusty metal tones, sewing machine green, the signal-bright hues of wire, metal doors and pipework and last but not not least, engine and concrete greys.

REDISCOVERED HEROES COLOURS

REVITALISE

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CULTURAL LEGACY

PUSHPIN LOGIC

HONEST

STURDY

HUMBLE

INDUSTRIAL

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102

COLOUR OF THE YEAR 2012

The colour of the year is a blushy, lively, juicy red. Unusual, but also a solid statement. The reason why it encompasses all 2012 trends is because it spans a whole new spectrum of possibilities. It is at once whimsical and serious, perfect for a tiny accent or for a feature wall. A colour that reminds us not to look for simple solutions, but to put our minds out there, to venture into the unknown where new ideas are waiting to be discovered.

Red is a powerful mood-modifier. Its held in high regard around the world for its many symbolic purposes. In China, red is associated with good fortune; in India it signals marital bliss and insightfulness. In many western societies it is the colour of passion, power and festivity. Children prefer it to other colours, grown-ups feel attracted to those who dare to wear red in public. Red is the perfect tool to convey value and meaning. And since we cannot ignore it, its also used to alert us to danger.

In a colour palette, a hue like this offers many possibilities; offsetting one colour, bringing out a certain depth or cool quality in the next, allowing a third to recede. Like the jester in a deck of cards, it can change the game in an instant, brightening your outlook in unpredictable ways.

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KEY ELEMENT

glowing

new horizon

STATEMENT

daring

tropical

COLOUR TRANSITION FOR 2012

2011 was clean, fresh, joyful and charming, with playful, zingy pastels riding the crest of the wave.

2012 is full of take-charge optimism. As you will discover, this translates into full-bodied hues with lots of character and meaning, but also into tender, hushed pastels, chic neutrals and edgy brights, complementing each other in stimulating new ways. The complete palette for 2012 can be found on the next few pages. It visually represents the worlds new understanding of our need for diversity of concepts, of viewpoints, of approaches.

2011 WAS CLEAN, FRESH, JOYFUL AND CHARMING

2012 IS FULL OF TAKE-CHARGE OPTIMISM

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REDS TRANSITION

The intense fiery quality of 2011s red is toned down by a misty, dusky veil, making this new red slightly more enigmatic and versatile.

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2007

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2012

ORANGES TRANSITION

Orange has steadily been cooling off over the years. Moving away from the ochre-based, reassuring pumpkin tones via citrus and coral, it now matures into an rustier hue.

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20112012

Stepping away from its traditional task to represent easy simplicity, yellow moves out from the sunny, buttery and lemonade-like center and nudges towards green, but also towards tans and warm neutrals.

YELLOWS TRANSITION

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2012

Green had a very influencial army moment a few years ago, which paled, then suddenly transitioned into an bright absinthe green tinged with blue. This year, natural is the buzzword.

GREENS TRANSITION

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2012

Apart from a temporary venture into airy pale, blue on the whole is on a prolongued greenish streak. Last years brighter teal dives down into a even more mysterious underwater depth.

BLUES TRANSITION

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2012

Violet is growing darker and bluer by the year and has not been in burgundy territory for a while. This years deep, austere violet is very much like last years, with a hint of slate.

VIOLETS TRANSITION

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2012

Key warm neutrals tend to darken and lighten along with the mood of the moment. Last years oyster shell taupe now settles into a lighter, warmer hue.

WARM NEUTRALS TRANSITION

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2012

Last years modern, industrial grey had a lilac tinge. This hue looks almost green in comparison, and downy soft, like the undercoat of a rabbit.

COOL NEUTRALS TRANSITION

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ConceptAkzoNobel Global Aesthetic Center

WITH THANKS TO...

Colour expertsCho-yun ChenKrim DanzingerJohn FuCatherine FilocheHeleen van GentEsther van HoudtWilleke JongejanLatika KoshlaJenni LittleChristiane MullerPer NimerLouise SmithPaola VieiraUte WegenerStephanie Zhu

Graphic & design supportMarieke van der BruggenMarieke Wielinga

StylingKamer 465 www.kamer465.nl pages 14, 17, 32, 36, 37, 38, 46, 56, 58, 72, 82, 84, 108Hannah Simmons hannahsimmons.com pages 18, 20, 30, 35, 36, 44, 48, 50, 54, 55, 64, 80, 90, 92, 100, 111 Model concept Maaike Koorman pages Cover, 6, 8, 9,18, 36, 72, 107, Back cover

Artists Architecture www.rocha.tombal.nl page 22Building www.oth.nl page 98 Ceramics www.sarahderuijter.nl page 17 Cushions www.brunklaus.nl page 72 Foodconcepts www.proefamsterdam.nl pages 36, 94 Illustration www.ons-adres.nl page 55 Interior Jaime Hayon for info center Groninger Museum www.jaimehayon.com page 76 Objects www.grondvormen.nl page 38 Tiles www.pommevanhoof.nl page 14

PhotographyProef Amsterdam www.proefamsterdam.nl pages 36, 90, 94Roel Backaert www.roelbackaert.com page 22Arjan Benning www.arjanbenning.com pages 6, 8, 14, 17, 18, 19, 26, 32, 36, 37, 38, 46, 53, 54, 56, 58, 62, 71, 72, 82, 84, 89, 90, 98, 102, 108James Gardiner www.jamesgardiner.co.uk pages 48, 50, 64, 90, 92Heleen van Gent pages 36, 40Mark Melling www.stillandmovingpictures.co.uk pages IFC, 3, 18, 28, 35, 36,44, 50, 54, 55, 80, 86, 90, 100, 111, IBCPeter Tahl www.tahl.nl page 76Anya van de Wetering, Kamer 465 www.kamer465.nl page 68

LocationsB&B Lieve Nachten page 53NDSM-werf Amsterdam pages 89, 91, 98Ijburg District Amsterdam pages 19, 53, 54, 71Info Center Groninger Museum www.groningermuseum.nl page 76www.lloydhotel.com pages 32, 36, 58, 62, 84Loods 6, Amsterdam pages 26, 102Proef Amsterdam www.proefamsterdam.nl page 90

Text Christine van der Hoff

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