Bring Peace and Tranquility into Your Home with the Dulux Cultivate Trend

If a walk in the great outdoors helps you unwind, imagine how you’d feel if your whole home was inspired by the natural environment! The final trend in the Dulux Colour Forecast 2020, tranquil, calming Cultivate emphasises just this kind of connection to nature. We recently spoke to Dulux Colour and Communications Manager Andrea Lucena-Orr about the many ways you can create this feeling in your home.

Reconnect with nature

Cultivate is built around a nature-inspired colour palette dominated by tonal greens, that’s complemented beautifully by natural materials like timber and stone. As Lucena-Orr explains, the trend comes as a kind of antidote to busy modern life. “In this fast-paced world, this trend signals the desire to unwind, reconnect with nature and appreciate the simple things in life,” she says. “It’s a natural thing for humans to gravitate towards greens. They have a relaxing effect because being around nature helps to distract us from the day-to-day craziness."

How does it look from the street?

“We’ve used our striking new Creswick Hebel façade, which is a fresh, modern twist on a classic colonial style,” says Rogers. “While it features some traditional elements, like weatherboard cladding, colonial-style windows and a gabled canopy over the balcony, these are balanced with contemporary features like a glass balustrade, rendered surfaces and a chic, tiled pillar. For the colours, we’ve gone for something different with dark cladding on the first floor and a light, contrasting render on the ground floor. It’s the perfect example of how to use different materials, textures and colours to create interest and street appeal.”

Cultivate’s nature theme is supported by the return we’ve seen in recent years to indoor plants, as well as botanical prints and even handcrafted homewares. “This comes through in Japanese-inspired homewares such as ceramics, or origami folds in fabrics,” says Lucena-Orr. “A connection to nature is so important in many cultures and Japanese are renowned for beautiful craftmanship."

Layer shades of green in an indoor garden

Just as the various shades of green in a forest or bush setting create a sense of depth and contrast, the same goes for the interior of your home. “If you look at a forest canopy, you’ll see eucalypt, olive, yellow-green and lush, vibrant greens all mixing together, and this is reflected in the Cultivate trend,” says Lucena Orr.

Layer the colour by painting your walls in blue-green Dulux Hancock, for example, hanging artwork with botanical motifs and creating an indoor garden with potted plants. “You might decide to put a beautiful linen throw on your sofa in a gorgeous green or a beautiful rug in layers of greens and florals,” says Lucena Orr. “There are so many ways to create your own sanctuary because the beauty of green is that it’s a very relaxed colour and there are so many shades to add variety."

Mix cool and warm greens on your walls

Painting your walls in different shades of green and earthy tones will also enhance the sense of nature in your home, but Lucena-Orr says it requires a delicate balance. “If you want to mix up the colour of the walls in a room, combine a slightly warmer hue with a cooler tone,” she says. “Dulux Pencarrow, for example, is a green with a greyish undertone, so slightly cooler. It looks beautiful next to Dulux Te Aroha, which is a soft, warmer green, and the balance of the two is just gorgeous.”

Another combination to try is Dulux Jadeite, which you can also apply to the ceiling, and then paint one wall in bold Dulux Rousseau Green. “This is a great combination in a small space like a study, because Rousseau Green can differentiate the wall that the desk sits against and it’s a beautiful, rich colour to help stimulate your creative thinking."

Give each space a focal point

Just as flowers create focal points among the vegetation of your garden, a Cultivate interior requires pops of contrasting colour to draw your eye and ensure that the layers of green aren’t overwhelming. “It could be a gold cushion on the couch, or a Japanese-inspired black lacquered cabinet in the corner,” says Lucena Orr. “The idea is you want to appreciate everything in the space – you don't want it to all blend in with each other.”