Trend colours 2023: Viva Magenta & Digital Lavender

No sooner does a new year begin than trend institutes are announcing the colour of the year. Viva Magenta and Digital Lavender were chosen as the trend colours of the year for 2023.

So how do we now integrate these two colours into interior design? One thing is clear: Both are unusual when designing spaces.

They attract attention and have a clear influence on the atmosphere. And they are colours that evoke clear reactions: You either love them or you hate them. There is little in between.

Year after year, the our interior design department faces the challenge of taking a stand on the colours of the year. However, this opinion is not always unanimous.

In fashion, we’re familiar with colour palettes changing twice a year. This game also trickles into our four walls. It is worth taking a look at how exactly we know what is hot in the coming months.

There are always predictions. But how is it determined which colours take centre stage? Is the decision made on the basis of gut instinct or on well-grounded foundations?

There are several companies that select a colour of the year or appoint a colour family as the trending colour. Leading the pack is the Pantone colour institute.

Colour fans by Pantone are used everywhere: from high-tech companies and the printing business to the fashion industry, cosmetics and interior design, e.g. as a wall colour.

Pantone colour numbers are considered the gold standard in all creative fields. Each colour is clearly identified with colourimetric parameters. This enables successful communication about colours across national borders, which would otherwise be a very tedious task.

At Pantone, an entire team is involved in identifying the trend colours. The decision-making process takes time and comprises many factors.

Around the world, Pantone trend teams work on the development of the colour concepts. They examine all areas of life in which colour design plays an important role.

Two social themes played a major role in determining the central shade of colour for 2023: the need for tranquillity and stability on the one hand and the courage to create change and take action on the other.

The final result of the preliminary work is the selection of the trend colour of the year along with recommendations for the matching hues. As to how we as interior design specialists deal with this in the staging of spaces, this is now our task.

Wow! Now that’s a trend! Selected by the Pantone Color Institute as the 2023 colour of the year, magenta is genuine, clear and makes a strong impact. The powerful purple toes the line between a warm pinkish red and a cool violet. With the addition of “Viva”, Pantone is telling quite a story: this shade radiates liveliness, joie de vivre and exuberance.

Right up front: In interior design, we consider magenta to be an accent colour. Even a small splash of colour shows: Hey, here lives someone who is familiar with trends, who has fun in life.

Thus, for home INTERIOR as an expert in interior design in the Alpine area, the focus is on a colour palette that is in principle far removed from colours like magenta.

But, and this is the big “BUT“: Curtains, blankets, cushions, candles – home accessories and textiles present us with the opportunity to work with unusual colours in interior design.

The spotlight of colour trends always falls first on the colour of the year from undisputed leader Pantone. Other companies with a more specialised focus draw on their industry know-how to develop trends that are easier to implement in their field.

In the sector of interior design, permanence and a timeless style are of particular importance. Based on this stance, it can be more or less easy (or challenging) for the interior designers in our private homes team to work with the trendy colours. DIGITAL LAVENDER is a step ahead of the rest here.

Serenity and calm – this is how Digital Lavender is perceived, thus appealing to design experts and consumers alike.

People desire a peaceful, stable and positive environment in their private spaces. Places in which you can retreat from the world and find total relaxation.

Neither of the colour trends portrayed for the year 2023 are characteristic of our style. And it is precisely for this reason that they provide an impetus to take a closer look at them and examine preconceived notions.

Our furnishing consultants and the interior design team are always open to new ideas. In a company as ours, how does one work with shades like Viva Magenta and Digital Lavender?

“Both play a role in our design considerations, albeit a different one. Implemented as a living accessory , Viva Magenta can be charming and can flood a room with cheerfulness in the blink of an eye. Even traditional Alpine motifs can be translated into magenta and thus take on a new meaning”, says Lea Fürhapter, head of interior design.

“Digital Lavender has the potential for full-scale use. We like it especially when combined with other calm shades of colour: white, grey and brown play a central role here, while certain hues of green also work very well with lavender.

A special feature can be created with the floral wallpapers or upholstery fabrics that often work with lavender and many of its gradations. These are real eye-catchers that require appropriate attention and that should be staged by an expert.”

Some colour trends are more suitable for interior design, while some are more difficult to incorporate. Very present colours like Viva Magenta require more consideration and careful, sparing use. If used mainly in the form of home accessories, they are then easier to replace.

When used correctly, Digital Lavender can also be employed in larger pieces and areas, e.g. as a plain fabric or in mini patterns. Especially when the combined colours create a calm, cheerfully serene mood overall.

This is a colour that we will undoubtedly be incorporating into our concepts, planning and mood boards this coming year.