AkzoNobel ‘Sweetly Embracing’ High Point Fall Market 2023 with Novel Color Reveals

Experts from AkzoNobel’s Global Color and Design studio met with customers at High Point Market this autumn to demonstrate the colour and design innovations that will be influencing the wood industry over the next year and beyond.

The market took place on October 14-18 and is a pivotal milestone in the annual industry calendar. During the event, AkzoNobel’s specialists exchanged emerging colour and wood designs with attendees.

The Global Color and Design Studio at AkzoNobel works with color designers to create new colours and effects in paints and coatings, drawing inspiration from other areas of our lives, such as fashion, architecture lifestyle and nature. Building on its annual research into design and wood trends, the team works closely with technical experts, designers, architects and wood manufacturers around the world to ensure its finishes are robust and can be industrialised globally.

“Colour can bring joy, vibrancy and impact to our lives. This is why we’re so committed to innovating with colour and wood finishes. Our Global Color and Design Studio combines centuries of expertise with our latest         in-depth market research to develop industry-leading trends to excite and inspire. The colour stylists are constantly innovating with colours, textures and finishes, coming up with new ideas and keeping customers ahead of the latest trends,” explains Bryan Hodges, Color and Design Manager Wood Coatings at AkzoNobel.

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AkzoNobel releases Sweet Embrace – its Color of the Year 2024

One of the trends that will be delighting consumers next year and grabbing the attention of manufacturers and designers, is the need for belonging and reassurance. In an uncertain world, people are looking for more peaceful environments that feel calm, but which also provide moments of joy in their everyday experiences.

These ideas are brought together in AkzoNobel’s Color of the Year 2024 – Sweet Embrace. Sweet Embrace is a welcoming pastel pink inspired by soft feathers and evening clouds that evokes feelings of peace, comfort, reassurance and lightness.

To bring Sweet Embrace to life in real-world applications of coatings and finishes, AkzoNobel’s Global Wood Design team has created three unique palettes – or ‘colour stories’ – all driven by the themes of Sweet Embrace. The three-colour stories are:
Transitional – a warm colour story, combining shades of stone, soil and clay.
Cottage – a calm color story, bringing together the soft greens and blues of the woods and the sea.
Contemporary – an uplifting colour story, with dreamy lilacs, fluid grays and modern yellows.

These palettes will be a key influence on home decor – including furniture, flooring, cabinetry and various building products – in the coming year, and make it easy for both designers and consumers to choose colors and combinations for a timeless look that also reflects current trends and consumer preferences.