Trends don’t develop in a vacuum, burning brightly for just one season before evaporating without a trace. They’re slowly progressing ideas, evolving incrementally until they become new yet similar variations of the same general theme. Colours, materials, finishes and concepts build upon one another until they take shape into something greater and better defined. Over the course of a decade or longer, the strongest and longest-lasting combinations of the most prevalent ideas begin to become synonymous with a particular time or era — locked into the pages of decorating and design history.

Here’s a taste of some of the latest trends:

Minimalist murals

A painted wall mural instantly opens up a room and the imagination. Instead of covering an entire wall, which could overwhelm the space, why not define a special area with a little artistic flair? Part of the flexible décor trend, these murals can be created on foam board so they can be moved room to room or taken from one home or office to the next.

Whites warm-up

The minimalist movement has encouraged many to live a more clutter-free and thoughtful life. With this, shades associated with minimalism such as creams, beiges and whites are popular choices for anchoring interior colour palettes.

Creamier shades of white, in particular, those that feature more colourful undertones, have become desirable for their inherent simplicity that can also be manipulated with different types of lighting. Resene Half Tea — a timeless neutral that shifts dramatically richer and deeper as the sun sets — is a reining favourite for this reason. Try it with a grey-beige like Resene Napa, deep purply browns like Resene Rebel or a steely blue like Resene Bismark.

Pink prevails

Love it or hate it, pink has been and continues to be one of the most defining colours of the decade. In fact, there hasn’t been any other colour that has become quite as sensational or made as much of an impact on decorating trends. While one particular ‘millennial’ shade may have kicked off pink’s popularity, the hue has since transitioned into a much dustier territory, becoming more refined and ‘grown-up’ in the process.

Softer, rosier shades and muted near-beige blushes are being favoured now, as are those with a ruddier feel to them. The good news is that, unlike millennial pink, these versions don’t carry the same ‘flavour of the month’ vibe, meaning schemes built with today’s pinks are likely to have a much longer shelf life and result in a look with more timeless appeal. As a result of pink’s soaring popularity, reds, browns and beiges have all been affected, with each taking on more of a pinky hue.

Au natural

While nature has long been a common inspiration for home décor, woodland tones like mushroom greys such as Resene Napa, and fern-inspired shades such as Resene New Leaf, are among the most popular hues. Floral and fauna motifs are wildly popular too, which has led today’s on-trend natural looks to split into two main sub-categories: those built with tonal palettes with natural textures layered on, and those with graphic botanical patterns.

Green continues to flourish

Just like pinks, greens too have gotten dustier with sage, mint, olive, jade and emerald being the current favoured variations.

Sage greens sit across from burgundy on the colour wheel. This distinction makes them complementary colours, which means the hues work well together thanks to their high contrast. As a timeless and classic colour, wine-inspired shades such as Resene Courage and Resene Salsa not only make them a great partner to on-trend sage but also a useful tool for building a look that has longevity.

Sage greens are also equally suited for building tonal looks with silvery shades like Resene Helix and Resene Silver Chalice. Since tone-on-tone schemes are built on layering, the more added, the more the whole scheme will hang together. The trick is to pick hues that complement with enough variation to keep things from becoming completely homogenous; grey-greens like Resene Peace and Resene Secrets work well when trying to create a restful space.

Dark and stormy

Dark and dramatic colours have captured the imaginations of courageous colour lovers seeking a refreshingly different look.

Moody navy blues in particular, such as Resene Indian Ink and Resene Wishing Well, are making some serious waves — especially when paired up with stormy greys like Resene Porter and Resene Suits. These shades are ideal for building up a deeply layered cocoon-worthy look — especially in a space where clients would want to linger. They are also ideally suited to pops of gold, mustard and butterscotch such as Resene Influential, Resene Cleopatra and Resene Bi Hoki.