How Pantone’s colour of the year will transform interior design in 2020
The design powers that be – i.e. Pantone – have declared Classic Blue to be the colour of the year for 2020.
“We are living in a time that requires trust and faith. It is this kind of constancy and confidence that is expressed by … Classic Blue, a solid and dependable blue hue we can always rely on,” says Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute.
The specific hue in question is as traditional and classic as they come. It is a touch lighter than navy, shades lighter than cerulean or azure, and devoid of any green or purple gradients. It is just blue, or as Eiseman elaborates, “a boundless blue evocative of the vast and infinite evening sky”.
Whether you’re a fan of this particular colour, there are definitely ways to incorporate shades of blue into your home (Classic Blue included). This house in Dublin is an example of rich hues:
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“The homeowner is a warm, vibrant and bubbly person and we wanted the design to perfectly reflect her. The brave and bold use of colour was completely led by her,” says Roisin Lafferty, multi-award-winning Irish interior designer and the creative mind behind the house.
Thanks to a true and deeply-held passion for her work, Lafferty has once again managed to create a unique location for one of her clients, restyling a “typical three-storey, split-level Victorian house in the heart of Dublin” in a holistic project that took almost a year. The starting point was considering the homeowner’s personality and lifestyle.
“The client is a successful professional in the legal field,” explains Lafferty. “She has a keen interest in travel, art and socialising with friends. Her home was to be an expression of this, and overall a happy and vibrant space.
“The truth is, you can live a unique experience on every floor. We wanted the house to be a treasure chest of sorts, continuously surprising and delighting the owner as she uses it.”
Lafferty and her team managed to do just that, thanks to a versatile choice of furniture as well. “Each piece tells a story. We focused on form, shape, colour and texture with the various selections, assembling a fusion of mid-century elements, vintage and antique pieces with some timeless designer additions. We wanted to avoid creating a house that looked shiny and new, and instead opted for pieces from many eras to give a sense of place and an identity that felt like it was well established.”
Each piece tells a story. We focused on form, shape, colour and texture
Located in a central and mature suburb of the city, the red brick building has beautiful proportions, charm and elegance, also some faults that had to be addressed.
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“The style, finish and decoration were uninspired and bland; some of the layout was poorly considered with lots of separate rooms not working together. Also, access to the garden was from the very back of the house with no link to the utility room and the bedroom had no separate wardrobe or en suite,” Lafferty explains.
She nevertheless saw the problems as exciting possibilities, redesigning the spaces, materials, colours and furnishings, never betraying the historicity of the house or its fascinating past.
“We improved the circulation and journey by reconfiguring the interior architecture,” Lafferty says. Starting with the ground floor, for example, the team opened up the utility by changing a window into a door, thus improving accessibility to the garden. They also changed the windows and doors in the kitchen and lounge space to frame the views to the garden and to better link all the rooms to the outdoors.
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“We designed the landscape architecture to be a visible extension of the indoor space, to maximise the feeling of space and brighten up the place on dark and rainy days – we are talking about Ireland, after all,” Lafferty says.
Upstairs, they reconfigured the master bedroom, eliminating a spare room and instead creating one large master suite that encompasses a generous en suite bedroom with a walk-in wardrobe.
A full renovation of the whole house and garden was also carried out; the team actually designed everything in the space with lots of custom joinery, panelling, kitchens and furniture design.
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“All finish was replaced, and we incorporated a lot of custom concrete elements in both the kitchen and en suite,” Lafferty says. The result is a bold, elegant and fun home that incorporates strong colours and different styles without clashing, or overwhelming the residents. In the end, it reflects the designer Lafferty’s philosophy.
“Your home is the most important place in the world and has the power to make you feel happy, alive and positive every day you wake up in it,” she says. “This house most definitely does that!”
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The specific colour for 2020 is as traditional and classic as they come, and there are ways to incorporate shades into your interior design