After a mild winter and an even warmer summer ahead, it isn’t surprising that Australians will look to bring sun-soaked hues inside their homes over the coming season. As the days grow longer, Dulux colour forecasters predict that natural, golden hues that exude a beautiful radiance will come to the fore, evoking feelings of security and warmth.

“With everyone feeling the pinch in their wallet, we’re seeing more people entertaining at home and colour is such an easy way to help bring joy and positivity into this space,” says Andrea Lucena-Orr, Dulux colour and communications manager. “It’s a wonderful tool that helps to differentiate spaces from each other and achieve a sense of meaning and purpose within each room – even small volumes of warm colours can help make your home feel more inviting this summer.”

Dulux Solstice palette

The Dulux Solstice palette, which is one of three palettes identified in the Dulux Colour Forecast 2024, perfectly captures this mood. Solstice sees rich warm hues with a freshness and lightness that isn’t too heavy for the summer months ahead. The palette features sun-soaked shades including light, creamy yellows (Dulux Jodhpurs, Dulux Handmade Linen Half), paired with softer shades of pastel blues (Dulux Pure Blue, Dulux Ocean Surf) and clay pinks and browns (Dulux Potter’s Pink, Dulux Tan Wagon).

When it comes to introducing colours from the Dulux Solstice palette into your own home, Bree Leech, Dulux colour forecaster and stylist, can provide the inspiration you need, after recently using the palette to breathe life through colour into a new family home. Boasting a predominantly white, neutral palette, Leech worked her styling magic on a teen’s bedroom and the living room.

“We wanted both the bedroom and living room to evoke a feeling of cosiness, whilst still feeling light and complementary to the existing colour scheme of the home,” says Leech. “The hues in Solstice are designed to be immersive, so colour has been used on all four walls within each space and we used pale blues, muted yellows and reddish-brown accents to add contrast to architectural features and decorative items.”

Living room - before and after

Image Credit: Dulux Colour Forecast 2024 - Solstice Palette; Stylist: Bree Leech; Photographer: Lisa Cohen; Colours: Dulux Lama, Dulux Light Rice Half in Dulux Wash & Wear, Dulux Potter’s Pink in Dulux Aquanamel

“Dulux Lama, seen on the walls within the living room, is the perfect sandy hue with orange undertones that adds interest to a space without overwhelming it, making it perfect for open plan living where white has been used in adjacent spaces. Clay hues can be seen on cabinetry (Dulux Potter’s Pink) and within soft furnishings to add extra warmth and make the room feel cosy. Elsewhere, soft blue accents highlight textures and styling pieces, including cushions, the rug, artwork and sculptural vessels.”

Bedroom - before and after

Image Credit: Dulux Colour Forecast 2024 - Solstice Palette Stylist; Bree Leech; Photographer: Lisa Cohen; Colours: Dulux Jodhpurs in Dulux Wash & Wear

“The bedroom features the soft and joyful Dulux Jodhpurs, a muted creamy yellow colour that’s ideal for a teenager’s sanctuary. To create a sense of fun we added bedding with patterns such as gingham and checks and features like fringing and embroidery. The addition of quirky lamps and a scalloped rug shows how using objects provides another way to add pops of colour to a space.”

“Organic and soft shapes are a key feature in the Solstice trend so we avoided hard lines wherever possible to keep the feeling of the space casual and inviting. You’ll see rounded shapes dotted throughout both rooms, such as the curved sofa, the edges of coffee tables and in fun lampshades.”

For those wanting to create a joyful space in their own home this summer, Lucena-Orr explains that Solstice can appeal to anyone as the colours are “so natural, warm and have a positive and uplifting essence”.

Lauren Treloar, Dulux colour manager adds that Dulux Lama, Dulux Jodhpurs and Dulux Potter’s Pink are set to be the popular colours over the summer season. “Australians are becoming a lot more confident with colour and embracing warm, tonal hues within home decor and fashion.”

“While these shades are well suited to bedrooms and living rooms, the hallway or entrance is another great location to invite colour into your home on a smaller scale. This is the first area that guests see and sets the tone for your home. Small changes like painting a plant pot or adding colour behind a beautiful piece of art along the hallway can make a huge impact.”

Dulux Colour Forecast 2024 Solstice Palette – Summer Styling Tips:

Embrace immersive colour: The hues in the Dulux Solstice palette are designed to be immersive, so select colour for the whole space and highlight architectural features, cabinetry or ceilings with contrasting or tonal colour, depending on the mood you want to create.

Mix and match: The Dulux Solstice palette has already been curated for you, so you can use the entire palette for inspiration and have fun mixing and matching colour. Select larger proportions of colours you love and add an accent or tonal shade through furniture and decorative pieces.

Upcycle furniture pieces: Colour is a fantastic way to breathe life into pre-loved furniture and other items. Introduce the Solstice palette into your home by adding fresh pops of colour to hard furniture items already in the home such as cabinets and coffee tables, or adding paint to planters and sculptural vessels.

Choose curves: There are no hard lines in the Solstice palette decor. Stick to organic and rounded shapes in furniture and patterns to keep the feeling of the space casual and inviting.

Blue and yellow accents: Warm sun-soaked shades work especially well when accented with refreshing pops of lemon yellow (Dulux Ripe Lemon) and sky blue (Dulux Pure Blue, Dulux Ocean Surf).

Soft textures: Consider decorating with lighter textures such as linen and cotton in bedding and textiles, including throws and cushions.

For colour surety: Order A4 Colour Stickers, Colour Swatches or Sample Pots from Dulux in your chosen colour(s) for your space – view these colours in your home’s natural lighting conditions. Alternatively, Dulux has an online colour advice team – a Colour Design Service if you want a design professional to assist in curating your space.

Main Image Credits: Dulux Colour Forecast 2024 - Solstice Palette; Stylist: Bree Leech; Photographer: Lisa Cohen; Colours: Dulux Lama, Dulux Light Rice Half in Dulux Wash & Wear, Dulux Potter’s Pink in Dulux Aquanamel

Architecture & Design Team

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