Geelong cabinetmakers are up to date. Thanks to the ICM Geelong members recent trip to polytec’s Selection Studio in Southbank where we met with Interior Designer and leading trend forecaster, Marylou Cafaro. Here’s what she had to say.
Current Interior Trends.
Curves!
Curves in joinery, furniture, walls, even ceilings in some instances and because polytec have a huge selection of laminates in stone, timber, metallics and solid colours, then curved vertical and horizontal surfaces can easily be achieved.
But the key is not to curve everything.
One end of an island unit, either a vertical or a rounded horizontal end, one end of a tall storage run, or one side of a wardrobe.
The smaller the joinery, like a vanity unit, you can then mirror both sides, with a softer curve radius, but the larger the area, the less you do. This is where asymmetry works best.
Just don’t overdo it.
Popular colours today and next year!
Although whites are still popular, they are not as stark as previous options; we are seeing more use of Blossom White which works perfectly with most of the white stones in the market.
We will see whites move to a slightly greyer and a slighter beige white, like Aston White and Gossamer White, especially because of the new Smooth finish that adds a subtle luminescence to the colour – it’s not gloss, it’s not full matt, it’s that perfect finish in between, creating a beautiful quality look and feel.
Soft greys are continually appearing, in Avion Grey, Oyster Grey, Stone Grey, as well as the darker greys like Cinder and Ferro. And of course, Black is still very much there. The new greys in the Smooth finish, Elemental Grey and Mercurio Grey will next year become the new favourites
Let’s talk about Greens.
The colour of this decade, green is connecting us to calming nature.
We are seeing soft to mid greens like Verdelho and Topiary become popular, which are yellow based greens. We are also seeing the blue-based greens like Agave and Oasis increasing.
The great news about these colours is they are not only all available in Melamine for doors and laminate for custom joinery but have just been released in the Thermolaminated range as well – they will work perfectly in the profiles trending, in particular the Chifley, the Ascot, the Cove and the Calcuttas.
Trends are moving towards the teal blues like Habitat and its darker version, Adriatic, especially in Thermolaminated doors.
They are the perfect balance between blue and green and work exceptionally well with all timber print options.
Timber Trends.
As far as timber colours go, it’s still the most significant material and colour in joinery as it’s the foundation of joinery – it’s what we associate it being made of with oak still the hero.
Natural Oak Ravine– light fresh, planked look
Prime Oak Woodmatt– deeper more mature timber with a grey grain undertone
Boston Oak Woodmatt– closest representation of a true solid oak- next years’ fav
Then we have the browner toned timbers like Florentine Walnut Woodmatt and Notaio Walnut Woodmatt which are popular colours closely followed by Black Ply Woodmatt, Bottega Oak Woodmatt and dark chocolate browns like Perugian Walnut Woodmatt, the perfect introduction into darker browns that are creeping in, with a slight blue grey undertone.
Don’t be surprised to see softer toned timbers like Ligurian Walnut Woodmatt sneak in as this chameleon timber colour works with all the colour-infused neutral solid colours available.
And thanks to our trip up the highway, Geelong, now we are up to date with the latest cabinetry trends. Thanks Marylou and polytec!
Words: Marylou Carfaro
About MaryLou Cafaro
With over 35 years’ experience, Marylou specialises in colour and product design.
Marylou’s talent for analysing and interpreting key global and national market trends and consumer preferences makes her one of Australia’s most respected commentators on colour and design trends.
She’s also a TV presenter and judge on Australia by Design. ICM Geelong is also fortunate to have Marylou judge our annual ICM Geelong Cabinetry Awards – polytec Best Kitchen and polytec Best Small Range Joinery.
Thanks to polytec for supporting ICM Geelong.
The polytec Selection Studio is located at 70 City Road, Southbank, Melbourne.
polytec samples and product selection is also available in Geelong through Newgrove Benchtops and Cabinetmakers Choice.