A big hello from Colourways, the leading Australasian trend forecasting agency.

Well, hasn’t 2013 kicked off with a neon bang! The Colourways team warmly welcomed the inaugural International Colour Day this month in Melbourne with The Colour Society of Australia at Federation Square. We attended the Dulux Colour Awards and DIA VIC TAS Graduate of the Year Awards Ceremonies, while also enjoying one of the most exciting dates on the New Zealand design calendar, Urbis Designday.

Always endeavouring to bring you the very latest trend developments in colour, material and finishes, we have a great year planned with a number of events in the pipeline. Please save the date for the most important date on our Calendar, our 2013 Colourways Australasian Trend Forecast Workshop on the 4 -5 June in Melbourne. Our unique workshop pulls together all the key industry players to discuss the market and identify and forecast trends. Also for the diary, Colourways will be appearing on the GIB stand at NZ trade exhibition buildNZ designex on the 23-25 June.

I’m very excited to announce the Colourways Team is growing, in more ways than one. While we’re sad to report Managing Consultant Lucy Sutherland is leaving Colourways, we're thrilled its because she's having a baby in August. Lucy will continue to collaborate with Colourways as well as in her role at the International School of Colour and Design. I’d also like to send out a warm welcome to our newest Colourways team member Caroline Caneva who will continue with her social media role in addition to helping Colourways with all our communications.

You might have noticed we’re all tickled pink to be supporting the upcoming Mothers Day Classic on 12 May in all capital cities and regional locations across Australia.  For more than 15 years, the Mother’s Day Classic fun run and walk has provided communities with a great way to celebrate Mother’s Day and at the same time raise funds for breast cancer research. Registrations for the run / walk are niow open, volunteers are always welcome and donations to this worthy cause are encouraged. 

And finally, with the commencement of the New Year, Colourways is now accepting new Sponsorship enquiries. For more information, please contact me at kim@colourways.com.au

For daily Colourways trend updates and inspiration, please follow us via Facebook and Twitter. Please also refer to our website as we regularly update our Colourways Calendar of Events.

Stay Colourful,

Kim Chadwick
Managing Consultant

The highly anticipated 2013 Colourways Australasian Trend Forecast Workshop will be held on Tuesday 4 and Wednesday 5 June at Encore, St Kilda in Melbourne. Hot on the heels of Australia’s premier interiors, design and architecture trade show designEX on 30 May to 1 June, we’ve created the perfect opportunity for international and interstate visitors to indulge in a Melbourne design junket!

Our Annual Workshop provides one of the best forums for networking and a platform for the dynamic exchange of emerging trends in colours, materials and finishes. It’s our aim to create relevant forecast results directly from the creators, makers and industry experts who participate in the workshop.

Following on from last year, a myriad of educational sessions and key note speakers will also be on offer. Workshop highlights will include full trend presentations from International events: 
• Milan Design Week from Dulux Australia’s Colour Planning & Communications Manager Andrea Lucena-Orr
• Interzum Germany from Trend Journal’s Marylou Paino
• Expo Build China – Hotelex + Design & Deco from Insitu Design’s Sonya Cotter

Each year, we publish a comprehensive Forecast Findings Kit containing the trend analysis and actual product colours, materials and finishes that emerge during our workshop.

We are pleased to announce our first Workshop key note speaker, Melbourne-based abstract artist Andrew O’Brien. You may have seen Andrew’s vivid, large-scale paintings recently on Channel 9’s The Block. In his signature abstract style, Andrew uses striking flushes of colour to represent objects.  Andrew’s new collection features an on trend palette of bright poppy pinks, reds and turquoise, set off by deep blues – the hues inherent to the beginning and end of the day. Lucy Feagin’s Interview from The Design Files explores Andrew’s work and inspiration.

In late November, Colourways launched the Australian Trend Forecast and Kits for 2012, 2013, 2014. We identified five key trends and colour directions:
• Tundra
• Shadow Play
• Terra Copper
• Sweet Chalk
• Viva Village

A reminder to our Colourways Members, our Trend Forecast is available to download and the Forecast Kit available for purchase. To access these essential tools please use the ‘members only’ link provided in our December email. If you would like a new link emailed, please contact Helen at membership@colourways.com.au.

For our Colourways friends, a special glimpse of Tundra & Sweet Chalk is available via our Media Release.

To participate in our annual Workshop, receive access to our findings and ongoing benefits throughout the year, please consider a Colourways Membership.

Coming soon, colour choices to inspire your design.
As Australia’s only manufacturer of commercial sheet vinyl flooring we have undertaken extensive market research to deliver colour ranges to reflect current and future market trends.
Market demand for new and inspiring colour schemes has seen Armstrong take what we have learned from this research and our collaboration with specifiers on Award Winning Interior Design schemes such as The Royal Children’s Hospital (pictured) and deliver new floor and wall colours to inspire and complement your interior designs.

Contact your Armstrong Commercial Flooring Representative for further details. 

Sonya Cotter, Colourways Regional Consultant was recently amazed, inspired and delighted on a ‘Journey of Connections’ with Urbis Designday 2013.

This annual event provides design enthusiasts a unique opportunity to visit leading design showrooms, and be inspired and wowed by their collaborations with some of New Zealand’s best creatives. Fashion, architecture, furniture, lighting, landscape design, food, graphic design, motoring and digital all connected and interacting in unexpected ways.

Sonya has given us a sneak peek into her journey and discoveries of exciting venues, creative talent and wonderful hospitality >photos

For the second year, Colourways was thrilled to be involved in the judging panel for the Design Institute of Australia’s 5th annual Graduate of the Year Awards for Victoria and Tasmania.

GOTYA is a unique awards program created to support designers in the early stages of their career, recognising excellence in various design disciplines. Colourways' involvement is seen as essential in fostering emerging design talent in our industry and Kim Chadwick was on hand to present the Colourways Awards  >photos

The 2012 Overall Graduate of the Year was awarded to Amelia Williams, a very promising Interior Design and Decoration graduate of RMIT. Amelia presented an inspiring selection of on trend colour and material specifications in her projects, creating not only beautiful and desirable interiors but demonstrated a sophisticated use of product and materials that will endure beyond current trends.

Category GOTYAs include:
• Fashion & Textile Design GOTYA - Meaghan McLeish, RMIT University
• Tied Graphic Design GOTYA - Tom Sabbatucci, Monash University
• Tied Graphic Design GOTYA - Emily Flanagan, Swinburne University of Technology
• GOTYA Interior Design -  Alice Dwyer, University of Tasmania
• Interior Design and Decoration GOTYA - Amelia Williams, RMIT University
• GOTYA Furniture Design - Matty C Smith, University of Tasmania
• GOTYA Industrial Design - Tristan Brega, Swinburne University of Technology

Colourways Colour Award recipients:
• Fashion & Textile Design - Edith Barrett, RMIT University
• Graphic Design - Emily Flanagan, Swinburne University of Technology
• Interior Design - Phoebe Smith, RMIT University
• Interior Design & Decoration - Amelia Williams, RMIT University
• Furniture Design - Ben Brayshaw, RMIT University
• Industrial Design - Ashley Martyn Smith, RMIT University