Asian Paints’ Trend Forecast for 2023 is life-affirming and restorative

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Mar 14, 2023

A living room following the ‘Edge of the Forest’ trend

ColourNext is a comprehensive forecast of trends in colours, materials, textures and finishes that's relevant for the subcontinent. The second trend, Edge of the Forest, is a new tryst aligned with nature, that has us borrowing from the wisdom, stories and art of our ancestors

Along with the pandemic came a quieter, deeper struggle, an endemic of loneliness and feelings of separation. As people were forced to stay away from friends and family, they struggled with deteriorating mental and emotional health. Coupled with digital fatigue and climate change, there was a growing realisation that we needed something more to lead wholesome, expansive lives. We found ourselves turning to nature for answers because we know from instinct that nature allows us to connect to a world larger than ourselves. Deep within the recesses of our bodies and memories, we know nature comes packed with life and wonder. And so began a new tryst, a nature-first approach that has us borrowing from the wisdom, stories and art of our ancestors as we increasingly realise that we are meant to be an extension of the world around us, not walled away from it.

Everyone Went Outdoors

When people had to give up indoor activities, they explored the great outdoors. Almost everyone found new hobbies and activities that made them reconnect with nature. It was just the restorative, life-affirming antidote that people needed and it’s predicted to be a trend that’s here to stay. Everything from skylining to glamping found new fans with clothing, food and even make-up companies responding by launching ‘outdoorsy’ products.

People are reporting feeling so much better with this lifestyle change that “nature time” has now become an actual prescription by doctors in some parts of the world. Image courtesy, Unsplash

A clay sculpted dome with in-built earthen fireplace, seating and floor. Stays cool and yet full of the warmth of earth - by the Geeli Mitti design and research centre. Image courtesy, Geelimitti

Climate Change Leading to Sustainable Housing

As climate change infiltrates every aspect of our lives, we’re doing our bit by using lesser and better. Making sustainable homes with materials that cause as little harm as possible is our form of silent activism. Buildings and construction account for more than a fourth of all greenhouse emissions apart from extracting millions of tonnes of resources and widespread destruction of biodiversity. In this landscape, builders, architects and homeowners increasingly want to build with sustainable, organic and non-harmful materials to create a better urban future.

Eating from Nature

Everyone is looking for food in wild places, the wilder the better. There is a growing recognition that we can do better than our modern-day diets and turning to green spaces has become a movement in itself, it’s almost the new novelty. For those who can’t go out foraging, growing vegetables in gardens or micro-greens in the kitchen has been the next best thing. Fresher, cleaner food is not just being hailed for it's nutritional value but also for the diversity it offers and the joy of growing and gathering with our own hands.

Everyone is looking for food in wild places. Image courtesy, Getty Images and Unsplash

Colour palette for home that reflects sustainability, wonder & hope - Beautiful Homes

A colour palette that reflects our need for sustainability, wonder and hope.

COLOUR FORECAST

Life-affirming, vivid and freespirited, the palette of greens, ginger browns and coral pinks signifies our reconnecting with nature and its joy and vitality. Sometimes lush and indulgent with a sense of spring and at others deep and grounding, the colours reflect our need for sustainability and wonder.

MATERIAL FORECAST

1. Hard Materials

Earthy, fresh and elemental, these materials are close to nature and subsequently organic and indigenous. The materials lend themselves to fluid forms and have a handmade, imperfect quality that lacks the artificial smoothness of synthetic materials, taking us back to a time when homes were built by hand and not mass-produced.

Handcrafted wood is used widely for everything from furniture to children’s toys, bringing a beautiful piece of nature into our homes.

Crochet—Tactile and intricate, the knitting technique brings with it a free-spirited, handcrafted vibe.

2. Soft Materials

The materials connect us back to a slower life, ancestral craft and pastoral stories. Inculcating a sense of wonder in our living spaces, the materials fill spaces with the joy of discovery and creation and can be used to add an earthy touch or make a bright, vibrant space, bursting with life.

WALLPAPER & TEXTURE FORECAST

1. Remarkable Handfeel

Handcrafted and designed with care, this warm, elemental collection showcases a wealth of natural fibres and materials from across the country. Jute, hemp, bamboo and raffia come together in wallpapers that have a remarkable handfeel and stand out for the unique characteristics of each material, adding an organic, contextually rich mood to rooms.

2. Warm Expansive Textures

The textures borrow from mossy green forests, warm sand ripples and cooling clay to come together for a visceral collection that is sprinkled with shimmer, hinting at the magic and wonder of nature. The warm and expansive textures bring out the depth and resourcefulness of the world around us.

Sand Tales Wallpaper.

Chic metallico verdi wall texture for your home - Beautiful Homes

Metallico Verdi Texture.

DESIGN EXAMPLES

One of Brazil’s most famous sculptors and ceramists, Ulisses Pereira Chaves was known for creating fantastic beings and anthropomorphic, zoomorphic designs. His work in clay is both expressionist and surreal, achieving an otherworldy quality as he gave shape to his dreams and visions. Pereira sculpted only with the natural colour of clay and natural pigment taken from the clay itself.

Nature served as rich inspiration for designer Alexander McQueen, almost his entire life. He took the elemental and turned it into otherworldly forms and textures, incorporating hair, wood, shells, coral, feathers and even horns into his designs. Always ahead of his time, the Scottish designer aimed to make a statement on our immediate need to start treating the world around us better in his collection ‘Plato’s Atlantis’, introducing the world to biomorphic, biophilic design long before the words entered the popular lexicon.

Rajasthan-based Sketch Design Studio’s Mud House, is made with mud and locally found wild grass and traditional building techniques to create a space truly in touch with nature. Designed for natural insulation and ventilation, the houses are made with natural binders such as lime and fenugreek seeds, while jaggery and neem have been infused in the walls to act as natural mosquito repellents.

Designer Rahul Mishra’s Tree of Life collection is inspired by his memories of growing up in a village where nature was closely entwined with daily life.

Artist Gerry Stecca is still fascinated by the wonders of nature that captured his imagination as a child. Inspired by his life-long exploration of nature, the artist’s sculptures and paintings are a study of form and texture. “Inspired by casual explorations at the edge of the Everglades and now Coastal Georgia ecosystems, my backyard, my childhood in the tropics and many travels, these works now exist in their own plausible and fantastic dimension,” Stecca says on his website.

Beautiful Homes by Asian Paints is committed to providing our clients with the best solutions for all their home interior design and decor-related concerns. Our team of passionate designers works closely with our clients to understand their needs and desires, and we take pride in our ability to deliver customized solutions that exceed expectations.

TITLE IMAGE, FROM TOP On console behind the sofa are Talisman vases by Ikai Asai; The Tiger dancing mask by Phillips Antiques; On marble side tables is the Betel box by Phillips Antiques; Chirp coloured glass jars with teak wood stoppers by Glass Forest; On centre table is the Wooden bowl by Lacquer Betel box, Horn Cap Ornaments, Sindoor boxes with tray by Phillips Antiques; Chirp coloured glass jars with teak wood stoppers by Glass Forest

Photography, Kunal Daswani

Styling, Sonali Thakur

A work by Ulisses Pereira Chaves. Image courtesy, Official Instagram account of Novos Para Nós

Rajasthan based mud house exterior design - Beautiful Homes

Rajasthan-based Sketch Design Studio’s Mud House.

Designer Rahul Mishra’s Tree Of Life collection.

Houses designed for natural insulation and ventilation.

Photographer Fares Micue creates self-portraits, blending organic and natural elements seamlessly as a way of conveying hope and positivity. Image courtesy, Fares Micue

Discover your design style

Discover your design style

Discover your design style

Asian Paints’ Trend Forecast for 2023 is life-affirming and restorative

Everyone Went Outdoors

Climate Change Leading to Sustainable Housing

Eating from Nature

COLOUR FORECAST