b'pictures: Fabric courtesy of Atelier Textiles and other shots courtesy of ReseneWe see them every day, right there in front of us. On the road, on the pavement and in the shopfronts. On the television and in the pages of the magazines. In clothes, on cars, on cellphones. In textiles, in paints, in furniture and fittings. Theyre this seasons colours, but what are they?According to the experts, the summer season in fashion will be one of fresh colours, with the emphasis remaining on the femininity weve enjoyed over thehow to choose the perfect last couple of seasons. Itll be a time of greens, pinks and aquas, of pastels,paint colourmetallics and the glacial tones you find in the edge of cut glass. This will flow through into interiors, complemented by chocolate, which willWhen buying paint, remember the more there is of also remain big, but moving off towards espresso and cinnamon; and rich berrya colour, the darker it looks. It pays to try your coloursaubergine, grape and plumwill warm up minimalist modern homes.colour with a testpot to make sure it looks right.The earthy shades will still be there, but its uncertain how long theyll stay.Colours are influenced by adjacent shades. Use a And, overall, keep an eye out for the resurrection of pattern to complement angreyisolator(getonefreefromyourResene ongoing fascination with texture. ColorShop) to isolate your colour, so that you can The thing is, how do the experts know all this? Many point out that we take ourevaluate it against a neutral backdrop.lead in questions such as colour from current European trends. Exterior plaster finishes should generally be coated in We keep an eye on a wide range of design industriesfrom fashion toa paint with a reflective value of more than 40%automotiveand draw on colour predictions from Europe and America, says100% is highly reflective (such as white), while 1% DianneConnellfromResene,explaininghowthepaintcompanydevelopsis the least reflective, darker colours.itsongoingcolourways.However,whileweareinfluencedbyoverseasWhen it comes to developing a colour scheme, markets, we add our own final touches. We have to live with colour in our ownthere are suggestions of what goes with what on environment, so its inevitable that we customise international trends for Newthe back of each chip in the Resene The Range Zealand and Australia. fandeck to get you started. The colour wheel is also Atelier Textiles Rebecca Bowering agrees. useful for inspiration, and many Resene ColorShops have Resene Colour Professionals in-housejust We look to Europe, but tend to do our own thing. Take dark colours, forask. Resene EzyPaint virtual painting software is example. In some homes, theyre being used to accent taupes and traditionals,also a great way to see what your scheme might whereas in others theyre being used with strong, vibrant shades. Overall, welook like. Simply download the software free from like neutrals and use colour for accent, rather than taking on colour on the scalewww.resene.co.nz (NZ) or www.resene.com.au popular in Europe, but having said that, people are becoming braver. Were(Aust), or borrow or buy a copy from any Resene seeing a lot of interest in how Indian colours are put together, as well as in theColorShop.Then,trypaintingmorethan2500 African themes that were popular last year and still continue strongly. Therescolours onto more than 230 gallery images or your also a leaning towards combinations such as burnt orange and chocolate thatown project.have almost a Pacifika flavour.| 65'