Interior, Trends | See the fantastic photos: New housing trend is spreading in Norway
The Omlie family put their love on yellow long before it became a trend.
– In 2012, I bought my first apartment, and then I got a thing for yellow – everyone gave me yellow things. Then I met my husband, who happened to always have yellow as his favorite color. We even had a yellow wedding, with yellow flowers, yellow shoes, a yellow cross bow and a yellow car, says Karoline Omlie.
In 2016, they bought a house together, and began to renovate – of course with a touch of yellow.
– My husband suggested that we paint the stairs bright yellow. My first reaction was “no, we can not?”. But we did, she says.
The stairs are painted with Bengal lacquer to get the right, bright yellow color.
– It is the same yellow color that is repeated throughout the house – really cool Easter yellow. We try to limit it a bit, but let it throw up here and there, she says.
The front door was already yellow on the outside when they bought the house, now it is yellow both inside and out.
– The door was ordered in the same color code as the stairs. Otherwise, for example, we have yellow garbage cans, and the children have yellow seekers and yellow jackets. We have a yellow cabin in Kragerø, and I work at Ikea and have a yellow work uniform. Now we are going to redecorate the outside, and then I want yellow plants and a yellow bench by the entrance, she says.
But why exactly yellow?
– Yellow is a very happy color, she says.
Omlie is an interior designer, while the man is a carpenter – a good combination when renovating. The couple shares their house projects on the Instagram account @karroogcarrydesign.
– I still want yellow things, so it will probably be even more yellow inside eventually as well. The only downside to yellow is that it does not fit into Christmas. Before Christmas, I clear away the yellow to create a Christmas atmosphere, she says.
Yellow number plate
When Stine G. Skjerveggen explains where she lives, the description gives itself:
– I usually say: “It is the house with the yellow number”, she says.
On the house wall facing the road, the family has an 80 cm high, bright yellow number plate. The same yellow color is repeated on both the front door, the door to the doll’s room, the mailbox, the protrusion of one of the windows and the flower pots.
– The yellow “pops” very much against the black panel – it would be boring if the whole house was black. The yellow color makes you in a good mood when you get home, and helps the house stand out a little in the crowd. I have received a lot of nice feedback on Instagram that it has been a used choice, says Skjerveggen.
She shares photos of her home on the Instagram account @stinegskjerveggen.
Last year she was also nominated for Bergene Holm’s exterior award.
– We have completely renovated a detached house from 1950, where we have, among other things, changed cladding. To make the facade more exciting, we moved one of the windows a little out, almost like a bay window, and put fittings in yellow metal in the same color code as on the front door, she says.
Also inside, Skjerveggen has elements in yellow.
– I have recently painted a light yellow arch on parts of a wall – arches are a bit in at the moment. I was very happy, yellow is a real spring color, especially the light yellow, she says.
A vase has also been given the same color as the wall. In addition, the family has yellow on other interior elements such as bedding and posters.
Named the color of the year
In recent years, Fargerike has chosen the color of the year. For 2022, the choice fell on yellow, more specifically a warm yellow tone with the name «Ray Blink».
– Norwegians are using more and more color in the interior. This year’s color is more daring than in a long time, says creative leader in Fargerike, Tale Henningsen.
Colorful refers to yellow as a color that adds warmth to everything it touches, by making the white less hard, and the black warmer and warmer.
– Yellow symbolizes joy and new beginnings. We need that now, says Henningsen.
She says that choosing this year’s color is an extensive process, where you look at trends later in the future, and at what colors people actually bring home from the store.
– We monitor statistics, keywords, what people buy from textiles, and what color samples they take home. We see that people are increasingly choosing yellow, also on the wall, she says.
In some of Fargerike’s stores, good is now among the most purchased paint colors.
– In addition, we follow trade fairs and trend seminars, buy reports from trend researchers and work with selected designers, Henningsen adds.
She believes yellow is a color that suits Norwegian conditions well.
– We know that people thrive in warm environments, especially here in Norway, she says.
During the pandemic, Norwegians have spent more time at home, which has contributed to a recovery in the warm tones.
Start with light tones
If you want to try yellow in your own home, Henningsen recommends starting with a shade that does not make too much of itself.
– Bright yellow can be a little violent to begin with, rather choose a little calmer tones. Warm, bright yellow tones are easy to live in, she suggests.
She points out that yellow comes in many shades, from dark ocher colors to the very light yellow tones.
Yellow has been in the trend picture before – Henningsen says that yellow was popular in the 1920s.
– In the 1970s there were a lot of yellow-orange tones, while the 1980s had pastel yellow, she explains.
In connection with this year’s color, Fargerike has developed and color maps with several different yellow shades. Henningsen points out three that can be a good place to start for those who are going to paint with yellow for the first time:
– “Sunset breeze” is the yellow color that sells best now. It is a delicate and soft color, a light sand color with a yellow tint in it, she says.
She also recommends “Winter Hope”, a cool and pale color, and “Spring sign”, a sweet and calm yellow color.
– You can also opt for textiles with a little good in them, it stands for most colors, she says.