New color schemes for your home and work space

By Pavan Kapoor

JAKARTA (JP): Current colors and shades are the trendsetters, not only in the world of fashion but correspondingly within the contemporary world of interior design as well.

People today are not only keen to pick a dress or shirt of the latest color but are also looking for a little adventure when doing up their offices and work spaces as well.

Color trends for the years 2002 and 2003 were the topic of a discussion hosted by Decorous at the Deutche Bank building recently. Futuristic color trends were unveiled accompanied by informative commentaries by designer Carmanita and Balinese architect Popo Danes.

They initiated an open discussion on color trends in Indonesia and the world for the next couple of years.

In 1968, the market for varied colors for interior designers was very restricted so that they were not able to benefit much from changing color trends in the world of apparel fashion.

To challenge this, the ICA (International Color Association) formally and officially introduced a set of colors in London that would hold for the next 24 months. It has been thirty-three years since this breakthrough with the reputation of the ICA creating a strong link between the colors in the world of fashion and those of interiors. It gave a credibility which perhaps the profession of interior design yearned for.

Up until the 1980s, designing interiors seemed a frivolous career. Interior designers and decorators do not, however, merely play house and indulge themselves in an overdeveloped passion for setting up homes and beautiful work spaces. They do a lot more than flit about talking about "line" and "depth" and picking fabrics for upholstery and cushions.

Their work encompasses a wide range of specialized knowledge including structural engineering and basic, but important, architectural principals.

To provide enlightenment on this marriage between architecture and interior design, Decorous had invited Popo to speak on interiors and the choice of coloring for them. "Choosing the color scheme and type of texture is not the instantaneous result of an impulsive, artistic creative flash but a decision that is highly technical and well thought out before hand," Popo explained. With the help of slides of Balinese structures, he explained how the colors of the materials was all important to the setting of the room that one wished to decorate.

It was interesting to see why one should never ignore the individual taste that each person intrinsically possesses while choosing interiors. One should stick to that taste as opposed to going with something undiscovered. There is a taste in each one of us, and you take it with you wherever you go. If you start changing who you are, it's just as if you were wearing the wrong clothing. There are too many people living in the wrong environments.

Carmanita, well-known for her lycra batik, said she uses natural plants abundantly, such as turmeric, pandanus leaves, and fruits and berries to stain the fabric with color.

"Although it is usual to acquire inspiration from the European market, one has to play it by ear when designing and choosing colors for the people of Indonesia," she said at the Decorous color trend event. "Every province will have it's own popular shades and colors. Another reason we cannot adhere to the Western colors is because Indonesia has no seasons and thus cannot follow the winter colors."

Decorous introduced colors for 2002 and 2003 that are basically divided into four divisions. Pick and Mix displays the colors of green, yellow, red and black. The second is termed The Delicatessen where the visual opulence of frostings and exotic flavors are whipped up into an aromatic sundae. The third is called the sushi bar in which the colors of the marine are presented. Everything from shark's fin and squid ink to pearly rice is used. The last is the teahouse -- the colors of which mirror the fragrant and tranquil ceremonial beverage where all is hushed and serene, infused with mint, saffron, rosehip and black tea.

It became clear how interior design requires three major skills: creativity, personal knowledge of architecture and the desire to provide an environment where there is comfort and ambience.

So although the trend slants towards modernism, it is important to choose a harmonious combination of old and new.

Psychologically that is valid -- constantly relating to our environment, tradition and culture reminds us of who we really are before we allow ourselves to get lost in the world of trends and fads.