Colour Hive

22/08/2024

2025 STILL LIFE
There is an inherent stillness to this story, a rejection of the frenzied speed of life, an exhortation to turn inwards and search for meaning and value in the physical, the unadorned and the everyday.
Tracing back to antiquity, still life paintings imbue ordinary, often domestic objects with symbolism, reflecting on life’s fleeting nature. In the absence of people, these studies echo reported feelings of post-pandemic disconnection and loneliness. So, there is a sense of sadness here too, resonating profoundly with the younger generation.
In response, this story advocates for mindfulness, urging a return to the unhurried rhythms of domestic life, and rejecting the relentless pace of technological advancements. It emphasises cherishing the imperfect and finding beauty in the flaws that define humanity.
We’ll be exploring our story STILL LIFE through design, material, and colour here and over on
our journal in the coming weeks.



#2025

14/08/2024

MIX 77 HAS ARRIVED
There’s a wholly human feel to the stories in this issue where prevailing social challenges manifest in diverse responses.
In TINY, the stress of zero-hours contracts, high expectations, constant connectivity and frantic activity is countered by the art of mundane living. There is little complexity in the message here; just the somatic pleasures of domesticity, collecting and making, rain on a window, planting in a garden. The repetitive certainty of specific routines and the joy of simply existing feel aspirational.
There is a more challenging response in STITCH. Capturing a sense of the unease and uncertainty of the original, this story updates Mary Shelley’s cult Frankenstein tale for a modern age. Channelling fears about digital fakery, filters and image manipulation, the artifice and politics of hyper-femininity and customisation are all presented in a jagged, deconstructed aesthetic.
In this issue you’ll find a focus on Emerging Talent from the latest graduate shows and a curated selection from Milan Design Week of work from designers and studios established in the past five years.
Also, in this issue:

• Features essays, and interviews exploring the drivers behind the 2026 forecast.
• 40 pages of design and colour and material direction and analysis.
• Global colour palettes and geographic variances for Europe, Middle East, Africa, North America, Latin America, Asia, India, Australia & New Zealand.
• Continuity Colours for 2026
• Early adopters of our 2024/25 directions STILL LIFE and HACK in retail, kitchens, wallpaper, lighting and textiles.
• Focus on Emerging Talent

For 2026 forecasts, geographic focuses, in-depth seasonal CMF forecast, editorial images and more, become a Colour Hive member today.
Read more about the new issue of MIX Magazine on our journal, and an introduction and sample of Colour Hive membership features here: https://colourhive.com/products/issue-77-2026-part-two
#2026

07/08/2024

MATERIALITY: 2025 SOUL
Our new Materiality journal post has just dropped with three key material, pattern and finish directions for SOUL.
Building on the design directions first published in MIX Magazine, our bi-annual CMF Directions report features concepts as well as colour and material palettes illustrated with more than 250 fully credited images.
Tap the link in our bio for the full post and to access the entire Materiality series.
© Colour Hive



#2025

13/07/2024

SHADOW PLAY
Natural applications are in ceramics where the inherent subtlety of texture enhances the diffused colour aesthetic, highlighted in Ceramics Cu by Álvaro Catalán de Ocón.
Our seasonal CMF (Colour, Material and Finish) Directions are available exclusively to Colour
Hive members. Head to the link in bio to find out more.
📸



#2025

03/07/2024

2025 SOUL

As adverse effects of the climate crisis become harder to ignore, so levels of eco-anxiety continue to spiral, particularly among children and young people. The impact is potentially profound, with damaging implications for collective mental health.
To counter this, a new branch of therapy, ecopsychology, is growing in popularity. Adopting sustainable lifestyles and fostering a deep connection to nature are becoming key elements of good mental wellbeing.
Eco-spirituality, triggered by eco-anxiety, intertwines belief with ecology, tapping into paganism and shamanism.
Researchers have been keen to quantify the health benefits of a more devotional connection to nature while highlighting intersections between feminism and eco-spirituality, tracing back to women’s historical role as nature protectors.
This story also explores the symbolism and rituals associated with nature, folklore and ancient traditions, alluding to the significance of storytelling and environmental cautionary tales. There are glimmers too of gothic anxiety linked to climate change and a reaffirmation of culture and identity.
We’ll be exploring our story SOUL through design, material, and colour here and over on our journal in the coming weeks.
#2025

30/06/2024

ORGANIC LACQUER
Natural finishes achieve a radiant and rich, amber-like quality. Yu Watanabe revisits the declining, ancient craft of Urushi, creating impressive lighting sealed with this shiny natural
Japanese sap.
📸
Work with material and colour?
Follow the link in our bio to read the full Materiality journal post.



#2025

23/06/2024

TOPOGRAPHIC TEXTURES
Nicolai Haas and Tim Couwenberg envision the design potential of their plant-based biomaterial Austral, in a topographical chair render.
Our seasonal CMF (Colour, Material and Finish) Directions are available exclusively to Colour Hive members. Head to the link in bio to find out more.
digital render



#2025

23/06/2024

2025 LAND: GEOGRAPHIC FOCUS
As people seek to escape cities, tourism has been consciously adjusting its pitch to include biodiversity as a selling point.
Eco-tourism can have minimal impact on the landscape, the environment and local biodiversity, while supporting local economies.
We’re seeing more projects focus on light touch interventions, as seen in Wild Coast Tented Lodge by Nomadic Resorts. The resort’s organic architecture integrates seamlessly into its surroundings.
Originally published in MIX Magazine issue 72




#2025

14/06/2024

NEW ISSUE OUT NOW!

While aesthetic expressions frequently change, some macro drivers are refusing to shift. A pervading absolutism, the endless round of demands to take sides, refuse all compromises. There are opposites in everything, nothing in between, no moderation.

While at first glance SIN would seem to be more extremist, this story is actually anything but. Instead, it is a reaction to all this polarisation, a rejection of new puritanism and mindless orthodoxy.

Hope is embodied in our second story, MOON. The idea of a shared global experience celebrating the first manned mission to the Moon since the original landing in 1969 is seductive.

While acknowledging the dangers of exploiting other planets, and the exclusive and ruinously expensive cost of space travel, there is still something inspiring about the freedom from boundaries in space, declared by the United Nations as a province for all mankind.

Finally, in this issue you’ll find our largest Milan Design Week review to date with in-depth analysis of themes, palettes, surfaces and materials. And our food and kitchens focus looks both at the future of feeding the world and the visual drivers inspiring new kitchen design and appliances.

For thought provoking writing, informative reporting and inspiring design and colour directions, MIX 76 2026 Part One is out now.

03/05/2024

COLOUR HIVE’S TOP 10 FROM MILAN DESIGN WEEK 2024
Movimento and BKV Fine Art created a dialogue between contemporary collectible design and fine art in their exhibition Masterpieces (and Tulips).
We loved the bold red statements, as with Neemesi’s dining table made from recycled materials and ELAKFORM’s carved wood LoveSeat and Beastly Heart Stool.
.design.week

02/05/2024

COLOUR HIVE’S TOP 10 FROM MILAN DESIGN WEEK 2024
Spotted at Nilufar Depot, Purple Nebula by Objects of Common Interest caught our eye.
Inspired by X-ray images of cosmic phenomena, the studio transformed the dining room into a monochromatic space to promote introspection and sensory exploration.
.design.week

01/05/2024

COLOUR HIVE’S TOP 10 FROM MILAN DESIGN WEEK 2024
Making its debut in Milan, Design Space AlUla’s exhibition showcased projects from Madrasat Addeera Editions and the AlUla Design Residency.
Our highlights from the show included Al Gharameel: The Magical Pillars by Dr. Zahrah
Alghamdi featuring embroidered leather rock formations and Cristian Mohaded’s AlWaha palm frond room divider.
These unique works were set against an atmospheric light installation designed by CLOUD and Studio Sabine Marcelis.
.zahrah_alghamdi .mohaded
.design.week

30/04/2024

COLOUR HIVE’S TOP 10 FROM MILAN DESIGN WEEK 2024
Taking place at Alcova Milano 2024 in the historical Villa Bagatti Valsecchi, Adorno examined the deeper meaning of objects in their exhibition, Animism.
Showcasing a collection of contemporary pieces, the curation suggested that objects might truly possess life.
Our highlights from Animism included TOGIGI’s Coi01 Chair, Jewelled Goblets by Lindsey Fontijn & Szkło Studio, and Bolt, a container made from 3D-printed sand, by Jacob Mathias Egeberg.
These pieces brought a unique materiality and perspective to everyday objects.design .milano .fontijn .studio design.week

19/12/2023

NEW ISSUE OUT NOW!

With unsettling global drivers, we introduce two thought-provoking design directions. We also take a cold, hard (and warm soft) look at the metal directions at the core of both stories.

Money is very much the overarching theme of this issue. When we last covered this subject, there was a more playful approach, a tongue in cheek celebration of all that was excessive.

There’s a clear change in mood music here, with less shouting about wealth in general. Instead, extreme levels of inequality see the rich quietly pursuing ever-greater levels of protection and exclusivity. It is these drivers and responses that we explore in Pay.

In contrast, Chance considers less exploitative ways to fortune, breaking free from the algorithms and turning to the romance of the unexpected, the lightbulb moment of creation and the importance of failure in the artistic process.

We also report on directions from Dutch Design Week and Cersaie.

For thought provoking writing, informative reporting and inspiring design and colour directions, MIX 74 2025/26 Part One is out now.

With unsettling global drivers, we introduce two thought-provoking design directions for 2025/26. Money is very much the overarching theme of this issue.

08/09/2023

In need of an inspiration boost? Our 2024/25 CMF Directions are now live…

CMF Trend Forecast (Colour, Material and Finish): Our latest directions for 2024/25 feature diverse CMF palettes for Grain, Mine, Plain and Plant.

23/08/2023

NEW ISSUE OUT NOW!

In the last issue we looked at two different takes on the climate crisis, in this issue we move on to two polarised opposites; one story is about speeding up, the other is about slowing down. Both are viewed through a prism of art. We’ve found ourselves, and many of the people we talk to, increasingly looking to artists, not just for inspiration on colour and form, but also for insight into future design directions.

So, this issue is very much dedicated to art and artists. They and designers are at the vanguard of the AI digital revolution which, as much as anything, evokes seismic philosophical questions about the nature of art, creativity and sentience.

For some, as we explore in our story Hack, these new paradigms are as exciting as photography must have been at the start of the 20th century. For others, highlighted in Still Life, this technology stands as proxy for a dystopian age of human redundancy.

We also report on directions from London Design Biennale, Art Basel, Design Miami/Basel, 3daysofdesign and Jerusalem Design Week.

For thought provoking writing, informative reporting and inspiring design and colour directions, MIX 73 2025 Part Two is out now.

In the last issue we looked at two different takes on the climate crisis, in this issue we move on to two polarised opposites; one story is about speeding up, the other is about slowing down.

27/07/2023

Colour Hive and Sherwin-Williams for Design Pros will be attending Las Vegas Market next week!
Join Daniel LaDuc, Business Development Director at Colour Hive and Sue Wadden, Director of Color Marketing for Sherwin-Williams for a visually exciting and inspiring presentation on global colour and design.
During this joint seminar, Sue will present a new report for 2024 exploring exterior design trends in key US and Canadian markets. In addition, Daniel will present a preview of Colour Hive’s 2024 Global Colour, Material and Finish Directions.
Confirmed date:
Las Vegas Market 2023
Monday 31st July
10:30am PST
Building B, B-16, WorldView on Sixteen
Register for your ticket here: https://www.lasvegasmarket.com/Market-Info/Registration-Details
We look forward to seeing you there!
#2024

19/06/2023

NEW ISSUE OUT NOW!

Our stories in this issue are a perfect illustration of the way that one macro driver can inform two diametrically opposed aesthetics. In many ways, the threat of climate change is hanging so heavily that its influence is being felt on multiple levels.

Our first story, Land, is optimistic, looking at the positive ways that designers can become advocates for a sustainable agenda on varied fronts.

In contrast, our second story, Soul, is more introspective, delving into climate change anxiety, and the negative impact it has on our collective wellbeing.

We also report on directions from Milan Design Week.

For thought provoking writing, informative reporting and inspiring design and colour directions, MIX 72 2025 Part One is out now.

For 2025 one compelling macro driver is informing our design directions; climate change.

09/02/2023

COLOUR HIVE AT SURFACE DESIGN SHOW 2023

This year’s Materials Edit is inspired by the drivers behind our 2024 design direction Provenance, featuring innovative surfaces and projects included in MIX Magazine issue 69 and our 2024 Colour, Material and Finish Directions.

You’ll discover materials and projects from both established and new designers from hard surfaces to textiles, engineered composites, wallcoverings and organic material explorations.

We hope you’ll be inspired to make connections and collaborate with the featured material designers for your future projects.

DESIGNERS INCLUDE:
, , , , , , Søuld, , Élitis

Dates:
7th-9th February
Stand 432

Planning a visit?
You can register and book your ticket via the link below:
http://ow.ly/SUFS50MMTAF

08/02/2023

COLOUR HIVE AT SURFACE DESIGN SHOW 2023

Surface Design Show is officially open, with a new and exclusive Materials Edit curated by Colour Hive. As part of Surface Spotlight Live, our installation will showcase a selection of innovative and inspirational objects and materials.

DESIGNERS INCLUDE:
, , , Solidwool , Drag And Drop, , BYBORRE

Dates:
7th-9th February
Stand 432

Planning a visit?

Click the link below to book your ticket and find out more information about the event over on our journal:
http://ow.ly/YiUy50MMTi1

25/01/2023

Join us at SurfaceThinking on the 8th and 9th of February where we will be presenting a preview of our 2024 Colour, Material and Finish Directions.

Daniel LaDuc will be offering live demos of our membership platform at our Materials Edit installation at stand 432, so be sure to come by and say hello!

Register for your ticket here: https://lnkd.in/ebxypCtm

25/01/2023

Colour Hive returns to SurfaceThinking this year with a new and exclusive Materials Edit. Part of Surface Spotlight Live, our installation will showcase a selection of innovative and inspirational objects and materials.

Read more on our journal: https://lnkd.in/euhbgriv

Colour Hive at Surface Design Show 2023 Colour Hive returns to Surface Design Show to present Materials Edit, part of Surface Spotlight Live with a dedicated showcase of innovative and inspirational objects and materials.

25/01/2023

In need of an inspiration boost? Our 2024 CMF Directions are now live…

Our latest directions for 2024 feature diverse CMF palettes for Memory, Helter-Skelter, Provenance and Submerge.

25/01/2023

NEW ISSUE OUT NOW!

Usually, when looking at the drivers for a new set of design directions, there are often several diverse threads that need to be pulled together. This time it’s different, with one compelling and overarching macro theme; resources. Over the next two issues we’ll look at the way that shortages, whether that be energy, food, employment, or minerals, are informing our environment.

We also report on the best from this Autumn’s shows.

For thought provoking writing, informative reporting and inspiring design and colour directions, MIX 2024/25 Part One is out now.

Read more over on our journal https://lnkd.in/g_u3JHKD

Usually, when looking at the drivers for a new design directions, there are several diverse threads that need to be pulled together. This time it’s different, with one compelling and overarching macro theme; resources.

24/11/2022

SS 2023 Colour Observation: Blue Purples

As the breadth of red contracts, so the purples expand. Rainwater continues with the addition of a cool Lavender Quartz and a balanced and saturated statement Ultra Lilac. We forecast further development of this family over the coming season.

x

Artemide

18/11/2022

SS 2023 Colour Analysis: Medical Botanics

Redolent of medicinal leaves, minerals and crystals, the cooler greens and purples of the palette deliver a clean clinical combination. The barely-there, purple-cast grey Rainwater and its bluer, more saturated counterpart, Lavender Quartz echo the duo tones of bluegreen Menthol and Pine Needle. The restraint and clarity of the combination lends itself to glass work and directional home and fashion accessories.

Matter Matters

Maison Balzac

01/11/2022

Need a different perspective? Our AW 2023/24 Geographic Focus publications are now live…

We explore our design directions 1969, Soon, Heartbreaker and Find from a regional perspective with a spotlight on designers encapsulating the spirit of the story.

Find out more over on our journal.

We explore our AW 2023/24 design directions 1969, Soon, Heartbreaker and Find with a spotlight on regional designers encapsulating the spirit of the story. Our hope is that you’ll discover new names and be inspired to connect or collaborate.

27/10/2022

SS 2023 Colour Analysis: Curious Harmony

The success of this less obvious combination relies on the interplay of subtle complements. Mulberry and Clear Day, while from different colour families, feature both red and blue elements, and it's this purple aspect that harmonises with the heavily shaded yellow of Willow. This sophisticated group is a natural fit for fashion accessories and grown-up prints.

Acne Studios

Reisinger Studio
Nilufar Gallery
Marcin Rusak

21/04/2022

SS 2023 PREVIEW Insight Sessions

From 25th April until 11th May we’re offering virtual one-to-one insight sessions on Colour, Material and Finish directions for our SS 2023 design direction, Clinic.

Wellness is a persuasive and enduring macro trend. The question is, how will we view wellness in 2023, and how will it influence colour, material and finish?

- Discover the influences shaping tastes and preferences in colour, material and finish for SS 2023

- Find out how design directions are emerging in surface and pattern

- Get an insight into the most important colour combinations

- And an exclusive overview of our complete colour forecast for the season

Spaces are limited, so book your 30-minute session here: https://lnkd.in/d6mFnE9y

If you can’t find a time slot that works for you, just drop a message to [email protected]

30/03/2022

LIMITED MEMBERSHIP OFFER
The sun’s out, the latest issue of MIX Magazine has landed and we’re celebrating with a limited time offer
Subscribe to Colour Hive membership by 6 April and save 15%
Colour Hive members cut through the noise with focused design, colour and material insight and analysis.
Annual Colour Hive membership features:
MIX Magazine
Two full seasons digital and print publication (four issues)
Trend Influences
An overview of the global influences and market signals for the season
(two issues)
Geographic Focus
Eight seasonal supplements featuring regional colour palettes, designers
and curators (16 issues)
CMF Forecast
120-page seasonal colour, material and finish forecast (two issues)
Design Impressions
Discover new designers in an image led overview of the design and styling directions for the season (two issues)
Editorial images
900+ fully credited downloadable images each season
Downloadable colour palettes
For use in Adobe CC
SAVE £150
REGULAR COST £1000
PAY ONLY £850 WITH SPRING15