Cosier, warmer, more colourful and lighter: the living trends that await us in 2016. No radical break from previous years, but rather a gentle progression, and one that leaves much room for our own personal preferences. A girl or a boy? When you look at the two colours of the year chosen by U.S. paint specialist Pantone for 2016, you can’t help thinking about baby’s first bedroom: pink or light blue. „Rose Quartz“ and „Serenity“ are the names of the new trendsetters. But it wouldn’t be the world of competition and variety that we know if we didn’t also have an alternative colour of the year: „cherished gold“, chosen by paint manufacturer Dulux. Pink, light blue and cherished gold? Although you’re not likely to see a combination of these three trend colours in one room, we can spot the common denominator in this world of contrast: Our homes and apartments will be more colourful again – not loud and garish, but soft and warm. This matches the trends in materials: wool (knitted, if preferred), linen, velvet and leather, beautiful natural materials that are pleasant to touch. Designers talk about „haptics“, which lends an additional sensual dimension to the visual look. And it fits in well with the soft lines of the furniture now appearing at trade fairs and in shop windows. The shapes revive the spirit of the 1950s and ’60s. Manufacturers are building on the vintage boom of past years when the originals from these decades were back in fashion again. Today’s originals, dated 2016, are light and graceful, and fit well even in smaller living rooms. After the generous dimensions of the living room ensembles of past years, this can be viewed as a contribution to realism and earthiness. And which of these trends will we choose for our walls, cushion covers, curtains, rugs or vases? That, of course, is up to us. Maybe it’s just the wall in the hallway that will soon be glowing in cherished gold as a wonderfully invigorating highlight feature. Or knitted pink cushions on the sofa that make you want to snuggle up. When it comes to furnishing our homes, individuality has been a megatrend for many years now. As Angelika Jahr, publisher and longstanding editor in chief of the German lifestyle magazine „Schöner Wohnen“, wrote: „I don’t live in a trend, I live at home.“ We should simply view living trends as pleasant inspiration and take our cue from one of the colours of the year – serenity. Source: 2016 Living Trends | HARO Flooring New Zealand