Bold Colors and Natural Materials are Back! 

by Abeer Sweis

  June 21, 2018

There was a lot I loved about Greece, but what sticks with me most about that trip as a young adult, are the colors. The bright bold colors that always look freshly painted against the alabaster white stucco walls. We’ve all seen the pictures, but in person the colors seem to have life, a heartbeat, breath. The pop of color, mostly a blue that appears to be a combination of the sky and sea, on a roof dome, a door or a fence, creates an eye-catching accent that is mesmerizing.

We love color. We love a few well-chosen bold rich colors, sparingly used on a kitchen island or in vibrant tiles in a backsplash or a bright fabric on an outdoor awning. Combined with timeless earth tones, these bold teals, oranges, reds and blues really pop. If you read the design magazines they say that bold is in for 2018; palettes are getting edgier. Proof of this is Pantone’s color of the year, Ultra Violet, a really rich and bright purple. But read on and the definition of “bold” includes black, and metallic, and blush, just about any color really.

If you love color like we do, there are a few mobile apps you might like. These apps, created by most major paint brands, use your mobile device’s camera to preview a virtually painted space or color-match a color that catches your eye.

Also back in style are natural materials. Synthetic materials have given us seemingly endless options in color, pattern, and texture. But with the rise in their popularity has come a movement back towards the natural. We seek a return to simplicity, artistry and authenticity.

Natural materials have imperfections and depth and a connection to nature that synthetic materials lack in their design and in their construction. We desire a connection with the artist, to have pride in knowing someone, and not something, made or cut or carved a material. Take a real wood floor for example. The warmth and the softness of the wood feels welcoming beneath bare feet. And today’s wood flooring is more resistant to scuffs and mold giving it a longevity that rivals synthetic material.

Natural materials can be extremely durable and sustainable such as cork and bamboo. Granite is the hardest stone, and it resists staining!, perfect for countertops. Metals, such as cast iron, and leather furniture have an unrivaled timelessness.

In our quest to live more naturally, to eat organically, to behave more sustainably, let’s make room for natural materials in our lives and space.