Amthal Karim – Head of Design at Furniture And Choice – shares her monthly overview of on-trend styles and interior looks currently inspiring furniture buyers.
Whilst everyone has been busy talking about latte and mocha, an overlooked shade of mid-tone brown is fast becoming the go-to for fashionable furniture. Caramel might not be the first colour that comes to mind when thinking about upholstery, but furniture design is embracing itas a new addition to modern luxury.
Earth tones have become a well-established interior trend over the past year so it’s just a short step to caramel as the colour of the moment for sofas and dining chairs alike. With a rich warmth that lends itself beautifully to a velvet sofa or statement armchair, its refined tone can elevate a buttery soft leather dining chair to a modern showpiece. Whether in living or dining, deep and timeless caramel has until now, rarely been covered in contemporary design.
The growth ofcaramel has evolved from a combination of two popular interior trends. Biophilic, ever-present this year with its association to earth and soil evoking cosiness and a feeling of being grounded. And the 1970s – so much to answer for, but the love of saturated, earthy shades like mustard yellow, burnt orange and tan is not one of them.
There has been an obvious shift away from what were once considered mainstay colours – mustard, grey or beige – into more interesting, complex hues. We’ve noticed an increase in mid-tone sofa options that didn’t exist before – from biscuit and camel on the cooler side, to cinnamon edging towards orange alongside caramel’s richer, warmer fringes.
In dining furniture, mid-tone browns are also at play with teak and brown wood on their way back. These warm tones provide a perfect backdrop for the natural materials movement – pair woven seat dining chairs with a brown wood table for a clever combination of texture both enduring and chic. And if it’s modern drama that you need – warm wood combines effortlessly with luxurious brown marble for dining tables with a striking mixed materials look.
However you choose to hero caramel or newer mid-browns, they’ll elevate a space with a guaranteed sense of timelessness. More mature than the popular ivory and beige, yet less overbearing than intense mocha and chocolate brown, it seems that the colour caramel hits a sweet spot everyone has been looking for.
