Colour is a serious business. Just ask Heleen van Gent, creative director of the Global Aesthetic Centre in Amsterdam. Each year, she and her team undertake wide-ranging research and trend monitoring which they then translate into a Colour of the Year to match the mood of the moment. “We’ve seen a dramatic shift from a concentration on brighter tones to an emphasis on neutrals. This year, however, vibrant colours and light tones are re-emerging – a reflection, perhaps of our need for positivity and a fresh approach.” Van Gent has named “Bright Skies” as the Dulux Colour for 2022. Gent explains: “After a spell of feeling shut in – both literally and metaphorically – we crave expansion, the great outdoors, the open air, a sweep of limitless skies.”

“Larkspur” is a similar soft powder blue, one of the paints in the Colourtrend Historic Collection, inspired by Irish artisan craftsmen. The colours in this collection bring balance and depth to any home.

Heleen van Gent, creative director of the Global Aesthetic Centre in Amsterdam.

Other paint companies have likewise looked to nature, favouring “viridescent” shades. At Little Greene, “Bone China Blue” and “Garden” are two of its chosen colours. Benjamin Moore has plumped for “October Mist” – “a gently shaded sage that quietly anchors while encouraging creative expression through colour”. “Evergreen Fog” from US paint company Sherwin-Williams is described as a “nostalgic” green which pairs perfectly with natural materials. These choices chime with a recent Harris poll which showed that online searches for green paint colours have more than doubled since 2020.

Colours have the power to evoke a range of feelings and can affect heart rate, blood pressure and breathing. Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute says: “Green is known to have a soothing, refreshing effect, especially in interiors, which is so important as we emerge from the pandemic. Green is Mother Nature’s most ubiquitous neutral colour, working in tandem with every other colour in the spectrum.”

“Larkspur” from the Colourtrend Historic Collection.

According to Dr Charles Spence, a professor of experimental psychology at Somerville College, Oxford, whose work focuses on how a better understanding of the human mind can lead to better design, the trend is likely linked to the “green and blue gym effect.” This suggests that exposure to colours with shorter wavelengths such as green and blue brings about feelings of tranquility. Apparently, exercising in spaces painted in those hues is more relaxing and enjoyable too.

Arlene McIntyre, creative director of Ventura, concurs with these findings. “While neutral colours including grey tones will never date, I do pay attention to the Pantone colour choices each year as they reflect the times we are in. People on the whole tend to crave earth tones, perhaps unknowingly. I believe 2022 will be about reconnecting with our love of nature and bringing the outside in. That may not mean repainting the entire house but definitely one striking room, or through painting joinery. This is something we had in mind when we created the Ventura Collection with Fleetwood Prestige [a collection of 60 contemporary and 14 colours].”

Farrow and Ball’s “Breakfast Room Green” and “Stone Blue”

Farrow & Ball’s colour curator, Joa Studholme, explains the collective quest for bright colours as heralding a return to normality and has nominated a palette of five key colours including “Breakfast Room Green” and “Stone Blue”. “They are an eclectic mix of the pure and the humble, evoking the warmth and the harmony of a more innocent age while celebrating life today. Function goes hand in hand with ornament, using colours and finishes in unusual ways to celebrate the principles of utility, kindness and honesty.” Worthy aspirations – that transcend paint – for a new year.