CMF Trend: Transparent Colour | PDD

CMF Trend: Transparent Colour

By PDD

on January 31 2013

As we long for sunny spring days the injection of colour in our interiors is increasingly prevalent; an antidote to the grey and white of winter weather. In this post we take a look at an emerging trend in the world of furniture design – colour transparency.

Last year, we saw examples emerging in Milan design week that were bright – using CMYK and RGB colours to create a playful layering effect. Great examples are the shelving systems created by Molteni & C (above) and Vessel (below). Often this layering of colour was combined with raw wood finishes to create a surprisingly natural yet lively result.


Featured and above image credit: PDD


Image credit: Sebastian Scherer

More recently colours appear more sophisticated; gentle hues of blue and grey, creating a soft and serene finish, such as Sebastian Scherer’s Isom tables. Or, we find complex colour gradients and holographic finishes such as Camilla Richter’s ‘And A And Be And Not’ folding screen. Her application of colour is both bold and delicate at the same time.


Image credit: Camilla Richter

All these examples result in something dynamic – a piece of furniture that changes as you move around it. They surprise you as the sun hits it in different ways throughout the day, as colours spread further into a room when light travels through it.

We may have already seen the transparent phone, but I would be excited to see this colour transparency trend spread into consumer electronics and beyond!