Nature and Nurture

While the pandemic is behind us, being homebound for an extended period transformed the way Australians live in their home. In turn, this is driving a fresh cycle of housing trends. Homes are increasingly considered a place of sanctuary and refuge. Ideas around cocooning, comfort and luxury translate into richer, warmer palettes than we’ve seen in recent years, with a focus on a tactile, reassuring earthiness. Alongside this, the conversation around climate change and sustainability is reflected in a botanical-inspired aesthetic. There’s a fresh demand for sustainably manufactured and eco-aware products and finishes. 
Here, Housing looks at some of the products and materials that your business can use to introduce these latest trends into your projects.

Balanced beauty in the bathroom

Part sanctuary, part showpiece, bathrooms offer builders, designers and homeowners plenty of opportunity to flex their creative flair. However, as purpose-built spaces, bathrooms are also a hard-working part of the home. While trending finishes and tapware make a strong statement, layout, flow and product selection are also key considerations. It’s all about balancing visual impact and ambience with functionality.

This year’s latest bathroom trends – influenced by broader notions of sustainability as well as a post-COVID desire for indulgence and nurturing – are perfectly captured within Caroma’s latest product releases.

The Luna Collection, with its durability and classic, versatile styling, introduces affordable luxury to the everyday. ‘With an extensive range of products and colour finishes, the Luna collection delivers all the requisite functionality and integrates flawlessly with any of the key trending palettes,’ says Caroma spokesperson Maria Jamos.

The Urbane II and Liano II Collections draw on the emerging trend for individual styling and personal expression with an irresistible range of mix-and-match colour finishes, and state-of-the-art showering experience with V-Jet technology.

The sleek yet organic Elvire Collection is the perfect union of nature and luxury, with bespoke-style pieces crafted from sustainably harvested Tasmanian timbers, sophisticated gunmetal finishes, and enamelled steel.

‘These collections set a new benchmark in bathroom luxury with their unique combinations of intuitive design, beautiful aesthetics and environmentally sustainable solutions,’ Maria says.

With such an array of product to choose from, home builders and designers are invited to bring their clients into one of Caroma’s Experience Centres. More than showrooms, these inspirational spaces are fitted with working product displays. They offer visitors an engaging, immersive experience where they can see, touch and understand how various fittings will look, operate and come together to create the perfect bathroom space.

Eco-awareness and biophilic design

Drawing together beauty and functionality, Dekton® by Cosentino offers endless design possibilities with its luxe appeal and multiple applications for both indoor and outdoor spaces. As a high-performance ultracompact stone surface, Dekton is well-known for its extreme durability and versatility. However, it’s the product’s eco-credentials that are putting it front and centre on many homeowners’ 2023 wishlists.

This year, our concern and respect for the environment is driving the current trend towards biophilic design and interiors that embrace a connection with nature. The newly released Dekton Onirika series provides the perfect backdrop for organic, eco-aware palettes. Designed by award-winning interior designer Nina Magon, Onirika features eight patterns, all inspired by the bold yet timeless beauty of natural stone.

‘We are not attempting to mimic any existing natural stone,’ says the US-based designer. ‘With the Dekton technology, we are able to create our own colours and structures, bringing to life something that is unique, beautiful and irreplaceable.’

Another new collection, Kraftizen, heralds the return of colour, texture and individuality to home interiors. ‘Kraftizen boasts a series of five versatile, beautiful colours with rich, deep textures, Umber, Nacre, Argentium, Micron and Albarium,’ says Itay Shimony. ‘With tactile, almost lustrous finish reminiscent of Venetian stucco, these colours are rooted in minimalism and versatility, bringing serenity into any space.’

Made with Sinterised Particle Technology (TSP), and an ultra-compaction process, Dekton’s technical properties include resistance to UV rays, scratches, stains and thermal shock, along with low water absorption. This makes it an ideal stone surface for facades, countertops, sinks, cabinetry and furniture, wall cladding and floor coverings – indoors and out.

‘For added versatility, it’s manufactured in large-format slabs (up to 3200mm x 1440mm) and in four different thicknesses (4mm, 8mm, 12mm, 20mm),’ Itay says. ‘With the recent launch of QuickCut technology, some colours are now available in a larger slab format up to 3300mm x 1500mm.’

The Dekton brand also offers a 25-year warranty, so you can specify it with peace of mind.

Painted perfection

Colour is a powerful design tool and a fundamental element of every housing project – working to inform architectural intent, define spaces and create atmosphere. As we move into 2023, the colour wheel has finally ticked past the grey-on-grey palette that has dominated the past few years, with a welcome shift to warming, earth-drawn neutrals, natural textures and an array of uplifting brighter hues.

According to Dulux Colour and Communication Manager Andrea Lucena-Orr, this emerging trend is influenced by our collective post-pandemic mood; a desire for calm and order in our everyday lives; and a renewed focus on wellness and nature. ‘Our 2023 Dulux Colour Forecast, based on research into the latest global and local trends, features three moving colour palettes that reflect these desires,’ she says.

Along with leading the way in colour trends, Dulux is also at the forefront of advances in paint technology, with industry-leading formulations designed to improve onsite processes and productivity for professional painters, such as the new Professional Fast Finish Enamel made-for-spray paint. ‘We know that spray painting is a way for painters to get more jobs done, more quickly,’ Andrea says. ‘The new Professional Fast Finish Enamel has been made with special wet-on-wet technology – the unique formulation means there’s no need to wait for the first coat to dry before adding a second coat.’ This equates to a time-saving of two hours.

This water-based, low-VOC paint also incorporates anti-sag technology – making it easier than ever to get a flawless finish on doors, window-frames and trims.

‘It’s a game-changer. There’s no need to set and re-set equipment between coats. The product sprays at a lower pressure which is kinder on tools and no more sagging.’

The new Professional Fast Finish Enamel comes in semi-gloss and gloss, and is part of the Fast Finish family which includes a combined Undercoat and Ceiling product, Level 5 Prep and Dryfall.

Published on 18 Feb 2023