Escape to Luxury with the Dulux Indulge Trend

A consistent theme in Dulux Colour Forecast 2020 is the growing desire to make our homes places where we can disconnect from the fast pace of modern life. The trend in the forecast, Indulge, achieves this by adding a strong sense of luxury to the everyday, with a palette of rich, dramatic colours and soft, curvaceous forms. Dulux Colour and Communications Manager Andrea Lucena-Orr has been researching colour trends for more than two decades and we asked her to explain how you can take inspiration from Indulge to transform your home into a luxurious retreat.

Choose rich colours to fuel feelings of escape. The colours of the Indulge trend – rich, jewelled tones like deep purple and ruby red, and soft, complementary shades of melon, salmon and lilac – evoke feelings of escapism and nostalgia. “With less time on our hands and information coming at us 24/7, the desire to escape is so powerful,” says Lucena Orr. “The Indulge trend is about creating spaces that will keep our dreams of travel and adventure alive.”

If those dreams include tropical sunsets, you might consider intense reds and oranges like Dulux Show Business, Orangeade and Red Rebel! Or to evoke a sense of opulence, Lucena-Orr suggests painting your walls in brown-based Henna Red and pairing it with furniture and homewares in shades of tan, coral and burnt orange. “Deep, brown-based earthy tones like eggplant and terracotta create a sense of intimacy and connection,” she says.

Using these rich colour combinations might seem intimidating at first glance, but according to Lucena-Orr, once you use them in your home, you’ll never again default to white walls and ceilings. “There’s a lot to be said about the emotional side of colour,” she says. “You’ll never get the same impact from white.”

Find a balance between colour and space
A rich colour like Henna Red may still feel like a very bold choice for your walls, but you can test how you feel about it by first applying it in a private space like a bedroom. “It’s the easiest way to start your colour journey because a bedroom is a personal space where most people feel that their choice of decoration won't get judged,” Lucena-Orr says. “When you feel confident with your choice, go room by room and ask yourself, ‘What do I want this room to feel like? How can I add more colour and more light or create a tranquil mood?’”

Another more subtle approach to the trend is to use the lighter warm-neutral tones from the palette, like Subtle Violet and Lilac Light, which will add colour to your walls while also creating a sense of openness in a room. You can then choose a deeper tone like Camelia for a feature wall or door or, as Lucena-Orr suggests, “furniture and homewares in richer colours from the Indulge palette, like an armchair or sofa in terracotta or eggplant.”

Select sumptuous fabrics and soft lines
The feelings of luxury and indulgence at the heart of this trend are as much about texture as they are about colour. Lucena-Orr describes the Indulge interior as “a soft cocoon” with layers of luxurious fabrics, upholstered furniture and objects with elegantly rounded forms. Her advice is to “choose sumptuous fabrics like velvet for your sofa and then add another layer of softness with velvet cushions.” Furnishing options to consider include round coffee tables, soft ottomans, table lamps with rounded forms and tactile accessories such as cushions with fringed edges. Texture can also be introduced in other ways, particularly via on-trend brushed metal finishes in warm colours, featured on accessories or surfaces. “Choose a brushed-brass lamp or furniture with accents of brushed gold,” suggests Lucena-Orr. “The brushed finish brings another layer of opulence and warmth to the Indulge trend and complements the earthy brown-based palette.”