Dopamine Décor - One Of A Kind Ombre
August 5th, 2024
What do you use as a source of
inspiration when decorating? The new dopamine décor trend encourages you to
reject what’s fashionable and create a space completely unique to you. Albany
colour expert, Jackie takes you through her design process and how she takes
colour inspiration from the natural world to create calming schemes that bring
her joy.
The Inspiration:
When I think of the things that make
me happy, I tend to think about being amongst nature. Whether that’s heading to
the beach to watch the sunset, tending to succulents or taking a walk in the
fresh air, this is when I’m at my calmest and happiest.
I also take a lot of colour
inspiration from nature and love bringing this into my home. When I was asked
to create a scheme that bought me joy, I wanted to use the natural world to
inform my colour choices and really showcase the beautiful graduations of
colour that can be seen in nature.
I’m at my happiest when I’m calm and
relaxed, so using soothing blues and greens felt very natural to me, Thirst
Quencher and Cypress were obvious choices to create my design. I also wanted to
incorporate warmer colours for balance, so I brought in a warm peach in
Butternut and an energising pink in Lip Gloss to use within the space -
reminiscent of the colours found in the sky when the sun is setting.
The Design:
I absolutely adore ombre. I find the
natural fade from one colour into another really satisfying to create and see
within a space, so I knew I wanted to incorporate this somehow. Continuing the
theme of balance, I loved the idea of containing the organic nature of colour
fades within overlapping geometric squares. This design would be perfect in a lounge
or a kitchen, to create a calming feel. The beauty of the design is that it can
be used on a small or large scale and adapted to suit a specific space.
Creating The Look:
To get the look, I started by
experimenting on lining paper, using the classic trial and error technique! I
started mixing my base colours to get a natural fade and created overlapping
squares to see how it would look using a sponge. Once I was happy with the
effect, I started mapping this out on the wall using masking tape.
Jackie’s top tips:
- When blending colours, make sure the sponge you use is nice and damp as this will help the colours blend.
- When masking up, make sure the tape is firmly stuck down to avoid bleeding.
- Take the time when colour mixing to make sure you’re happy with the colour graduation. Test before committing to a wall and ensure the design is dry before you decide you’re happy with the final look.
It was so fun creating this look once
I had worked out the right balance of colour and how the overall design would
work. I loved working the colours in with the sponge and peeling off the
masking tape to reveal the final look – it was so satisfying!
