India Design ID, the mecca of design shows in India, is currently on at Delhi. And for me, this show was all about waiting eagerly for the Asian Paints Colour of the Year announcement. And the colour of the year, based on intense research and foresight by a dedicated Colour Research team at Asian Paints, was announced as Intense Ocean. What a lovely colour, never static – sometimes rich green, sometimes tinted with a cool blue, and sometimes frothing white on top! While I interpret this colour to come out best in jewel tones – transparent products that is, a lovely green opaque wall, or even aqua blue upholstery will make your home trendy in the Colour of the Year. I love the freedom that this colour offers to designers and artists. And it’s so liberating when you have that level of freedom. I can’t wait to see what comes out of this announcement!
There’s another reason I am thrilled with this announcement. I was dabbling with some styling shots, and decided to add some jewel tones to the composition. I rushed for my glass paints, and the first two bottles that I took out were Turqoise and Green. So I grabbed a few bottles and used these colours both in their pure forms, and mixed together. What resulted was, serendipitously, jeweled toned bottles in Intense Ocean.
DIY for Intense Ocean in your decor
Here’s a super-quick tip to get that colour into your homes, pronto! All you need is a set of glass bottles, and some blue and green glass paint. If you have tried bottle painting in the past and had to make do with uneven colour blotches, here’s a tip. If you are not going to use those bottles for food or drink consumption, just put a tablespoon of paint INTO the bottle, and swirl it around until the inner surface is coated. Then simply pour out the excess paint, and let the bottle stand on its head until dry!
Now, for Intense Ocean on those bottles, line up bottles and vary colours with the help of water and transparent glue. This is how you do it.
– bottle 1 – Directly add a teaspoon of glass paint in blue, and swirl using the technique mentioned above.
– bottle 2 – Directly add a teaspoon of glass paint in green, and swirl using the technique mentioned above.
– bottle 3 – In a tiny bowl add a few drops of blue glass paint, and water and glue. Stir until mixed, then paint your bottle using this. to dilute your paint a wee bit, and add a wee bit of any transparent glue
– bottle 4 – In a tiny bowl add a few drops of green glass paint, and water and glue. Stir until mixed, then paint your bottle using this. to dilute your paint a wee bit, and add a wee bit of any transparent glue
That’s four hues of this lovely colour – you could play around with the glue-water-paint combination to make more shades, and even add a dash of white glue for that froth in the ocean!
Intense Ocean is an easy colour to style with, as it compliments so many other colours. Look at how white, orange, and yellow all look gorgeous with Intense Ocean in the pictures on this post.
Other ways to use Intense Ocean in your decor
Wall paint, upholstery and sheer curtains, rugs, and of course paintings. Pictured here is a painting by Pune artist Suhasini Kirloskar. An exhibition of her paintings is currently on at Art2Day gallery in Pune, and I was fortunate to meet and interact with Suhasini on the opening day. This painting titled ‘Hidden Treasures in Ocean Depths’ is a lovely mixed media and perfect, if you are interested in a burst of Intense Ocean on a wall!
I love Jaipuri blue pottery, and I clicked this picture at the Dastakari Haat in Pune last week. I think the colours here work brilliantly if you want accessories in Intense Ocean.
So how are you going to style with Intense Ocean? Follow my Pinterest board for inspiration and ideas on using this colour in your home!
On finding out that the colour for this year was Intense Ocean, I was super excited. Teals and Turquoise have a great appeal and can be used widely, as a wall colour or fo your decor. One of my favorite ways to pair this colour up is with beige or gold!
Oh yes Shyama, it will look gorgeous with gold accents!
Love your blog and the great tips and ideas you keep sharing with your readers. Very few out there like you. Thanks for sharing the post with us.I keep reading your and The Happy home blog for information on Home Decor and Home improvement.
Sayali, it feels good to read this
Thank-you!
I am Really Happy to say it’s an Interesting Post to Read . I Learn new Information from your Article , you are doing a Great Job . Keep it up
Thank you Meenal
Making everywhere blue shows the colour of peace… I be regularly following DIY methods, finding be your blog also helped me a lot..Thanks for sharing this info..Will implement this in my place too.