Brave Ground is the Dulux Colour of the Year 2021.
Described as 'the conerstone of decorating' and a 'warm elemental neutral which allows other colours to shine', Brave Ground promotes stability, growth and potential, providing a firm foundation for change and creativity in the home.
'This is the mother earth of colours, it's organic, familiar and versatile,' says Marianne Shillingford, Creative Director at Dulux UK. 'It's also trustworthy and supportive of all the other colours in the spectrum.'
With a warm, earthy tone, the bolstering shade connects us back to nature and the simple things in life. Experts believe Brave Ground will create a nurturing space and Marianne says this colour will work particularly well in the living room.
Brave Ground changes in tone depending on the time of day and setting, creating a subtly responsive environment that’s reflective of our growing desire to align how we live with our planet. When using this paint colour on walls in the home, we'll find at night it's quite dark and powdery, but in the morning we see hints of pink coming through, explains Marianne.
The Colour of the Year creates a mood and feeling. Typically, the forecast analyses social, cultural and design trends from around the world, with experts from the fields of architecture, design and technology gathering at the AkzoNobel Global Aesthetic Centre to define the one colour that encapsulates the moment.
With the global coronavirus pandemic this year, lockdown served to emphasise how important our home environment has become; a place where we work, learn, relax, and a space that lifts us up, nurtures and comforts us.
'We continue to live through uncertain times,' says Marianne. 'In 2021, the warm and grounding tones of Brave Ground will allow us to find certainty in the strength from the very ground beneath our feet, emboldening us to go forward and begin to live again and giving us the flex to adapt to the ever changing circumstances we face.
Marianne confirms the colour was chosen before the coronavirus pandemic and did not change. 'Despite COVID-19, the course of our future is still the same,' she says. 'The mood of the moment is to have courage, the courage to change.'
As a succession to Tranquil Dawn, Dulux's Colour of the Year 2021 was announced alongside four inspiring colour palettes: Expressive, Trust, Timeless and Earth.
Heleen van Gent, Head of AkzoNobel’s Global Aesthetic Centre, adds: 'It’s been challenging this year to transform the key global trends into inspiring colour palettes. We’ve seen unprecedented global change, with all of us facing experiences that feel out of kilter with the modern world.
'At the same time, we've rediscovered more positive things: solidarity in communities, strangers' generosity, and the realisation that together we can do extraordinary things. We’re finding the courage to pick ourselves up and move forward.
'Our homes provide a sanctuary: a place to restore, repair and recalibrate ourselves on the road to recovery.'
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