After a challenging winter that brought us wild weather, cost of living concerns and technological scepticism, we now yearn for sunnier times to restore opportunity and a sense of ease and warmth into our homes. This summer Dulux colour forecasters predict that a combination of almost-pastel shades alongside bold, rich colours will emerge in Australian interiors in response to our desire for a renewed sense of hope and to foster creativity.
“Vibrant and uplifting hues like those featured within the Dulux Emerge palette, one of the three palettes from our Dulux Colour Forecast for 2025, can be used together in any combination to bring joy back into our homes this summer,” Dulux colour communications manager Andrea Lucena-Orr says.
“The Dulux Emerge palette has the power to completely transform a space into a sunny sanctuary and evoke a care-free attitude. Visually, the trend features soft rounded forms and expressive collections of decors, crafted with modularity and curves. These shapes and free-flowing lines add to the whimsical yet calming nature of the trend.”
Dulux Colour manager Lauren Treloar adds the Dulux Emerge palette is likely to resonate with consumers and designers alike as it’s filled with many colours that are soft and soothing: “Both Dulux Piglet and Dulux Lavenbrun have brown undertones, which means they’re actually neutral shades that evoke a comforting feeling with depth.”
Treloar says that Australians are increasingly embracing bolder colours and neutral shades in their homes. This growing trend has inspired the Dulux Emerge palette and the company is excited to see how consumers utilize these colours in their homes this summer.
Offering inspiration for how to use this palette and add a sunny mood to your own space, the Dulux team with Dulux colour forecaster and stylist Bree Banfield (formerly Leech), worked their styling magic on a family home. Focusing attentions in the living area, hallway and bedroom that were predominantly white, neutral spaces.
“The living room was filled with light and made for entertaining, which gave us the opportunity to create spaces filled with character and connection. Using Dulux Piglet on the walls and ceiling, we completely enveloped the space in colour and warmth,” Lauren says.
“The supporting wall within the centre of the room provided an opportunity to introduce another burst of colour, so we used Dulux Clay Bake, a muted and muddied gold, to help ground the space and encourage the demarcation of different zones within the room.”
Lauren adds: “The cabinetry, trims and window wells feature Dulux Hog Bristle Quarter, a wonderfully warm shade of white, building on the playful ambiance of the space.”
Adding contrast to the neutral backdrop, Banfield referenced bolder colours from the palette throughout furnishings, curved ceramic objects and coloured glass vessels, including warm, earthy yellow greens and muted blues and purples.
To complete the sunny and care-free look, Banfield incorporated striped patterns within floral still life artwork, cushions and side tables, blended alongside free-flowing lines and organic curves, referenced throughout boucle textured furnishings, furniture and hand-crafted vessels.
Elsewhere, the main bedroom heavily references warm, brown-based pinks, where the team has used Dulux Clay Bake for the walls alongside lighter shades of pink, seen within different bedding textures and the simple still life artwork.
Introducing a sense of relief and casualness back into the space, Banfield used other muted shades from the palette as accents. Dulux Vintage Lilac is referenced on the cabinetry under the bay window and within striped bedding linen and pops of Dulux Lemon Blast appear in cushions that feature soft curves and are inviting to touch. As a result, the tonal transformation emits a feeling of pure joy without overwhelm.
