This Year in Colour – 2023 Dulux Colour Awards Finalists Announced

The finalists for the 37th annual 2023 Dulux Colour Awards have been announced by this year’s judging panel. A record number of entries were narrowed down to 113 finalists across commercial, residential and public spaces.

Known as the pinnacle colour awards program, Dulux enlisted five design industry professionals from Australia and New Zealand to assess a record-breaking number of 477 entries. Successful entrants were the projects that demonstrated an innovative and considered use of colour in the built environment.

Successful entrants were the projects that demonstrated an innovative and considered use of colour in the built environment.

The annual awards have revealed emerging trends reflecting bold and courageous uses of colour. Member of the judging panel and Colour and Communications Manager at DuluxGroup Andrea Lucena-Orr says, “The days of ‘safe’ and predictable palettes in this sector are changing. There is a notable playfulness and vibrancy demonstrated in all typologies, from education and office fit-outs to health, retail and hospitality, with the use of murals, block colour and feature signage more prevalent than ever.”

As part of the program, more than 45 Australian homes were selected across this year’s Residential Interior and Single Residential Exterior categories. Residential trends echoed those seen in commercial projects; colour-blocking, graphic devices in bold hues on neutral bases, and contrastingly colour-saturated interiors. “There are residential projects in which colour is cleverly used to delineate contemporary additions to older homes,” says Andrea. “We are also seeing the fun and functional use of colour in the burgeoning student category, where projects are typically forward-thinking and adventurous.”

 The trends that have emerged from this year’s awards promise an exciting future for the use of colour in the built environment.

Choosing the finalists this year was a particularly challenging task due to an evidently increasing appreciation of the role that colour plays in the built environment, as well as the growing courage and innovation of architects and designers. The finalists embody this shift, reflecting the power of colour as a fundamental, exciting and versatile design tool.

Having become synonymous with architectural excellence, the Dulux Colour Awards play a major role in the growing visibility of the capabilities of colour.  The trends that have emerged from this year’s awards promise an exciting future for the use of colour in the built environment. The winners will be announced Thursday 11 May at an exclusive event at Space & Time in inner-city Melbourne, and it’s set to be the design industry’s colour event of the year.