Dulux Trade has announced its 2016 Colour of the Year and released its key colour and design trend predictions for next year.
Cherished Gold, a gold-influenced ochre, is the new Colour of the Year, both bright enough to attract attention and combining well with other tones.

Dulux Trade says gold and tones of gold are being used everywhere in the design world, a recurring colour and material at design fairs and in graphic design as well as in architecture, fashion, beauty and interior decorating.

Cherished Gold represents a natural transition from Copper Blush, the Colour of the Year of 2015.

The announcement coincides with the launch of ColourFutures 16, Dulux Trade's annual colour and design trends forecast created by a global panel of experts.

It includes four separate trend stories and the Colour of the Year, each with associated palettes and this year inspired by the overarching idea of 'looking both ways' - anticipating the future while appreciating the past. This duality is the driving influence for 2016 and opposites are seen in all the trends this year.

The 2016 palette offers a muted yet elegant approach to colour that centres on soft mid-tone shades. The overall feeling continues to be warm, but with greater subtlety - primary colours have moved towards more subdued yet intense shades.

The first trend story, Heritage & Future, focuses on reds that reflect our rich heritage, but also has a bright contemporary feel that points to the future.

The second, Words & Pictures, celebrates the pairing of both, and the corresponding colour palette uses the blue of ink and grey of graphite in contrast to tones used in smartphone and social media graphics.

The mystery and beauty of night time is recreated in the Dark & Light palette, whose colours blend seamlessly together, recalling the tones of both dusk and dawn. This is also reflected in the ombré-inspired paint effects featured in the trend.

Finally, The Grid & Letting Go trend story references a desire to go 'off grid' and distance oneself from the hustle and bustle of life. The colours in this palette are vivid and playful yet held back by the black and white of the grid. This trend also sees a number of graphical painting techniques at play to represent the grid.