Between our highway commutes, office-pent jobs, cramped gyms and shopping malls, we’ve become so disconnected from nature. Maybe that’s why Pantone has decided to breathe a little life back into our surroundings, naming Greenery its official colour of the year for 2017. Not only are we going to show you how to use it in your home with this blog post, but how to take it a step further, beyond colour, and into a more eco-conscious lifestyle, with these five tips.

  1. Pick your paint wisely

    Thanks to Pantone, shopping mall shelves are guaranteed to be stocked full with décor items in this new zesty yellow-green shade, so there’s no reason to overhaul your home’s more permanent fixtures. But if you’re dead-set on breaking out the paintbrush and toolbox, we can tell you that white walls and wood-look tiled floors will create an airy, minimalist look when paired with Greenery. While pastel (try pink!) and bright coloured walls (try yellow!) will strike up an interesting contrast, if you want a look that really pops. Just make sure you buy eco-friendly non-toxic paint – traditional paint gives off fumes even after it’s dried, which can aggravate allergies and a variety of other health issues.

  2. Make a statement… not a stockpile

    Limiting yourself to one piece that speaks to this new colour trend will save you money, by preventing you from buying a bunch of things you don’t really need (and will inadvertently end up binning at the end of the year anyway). It will also insure that your home is still relevant in a year when trends have changed. We recommend opting for a functional item that can move between rooms, like a chair, or simply painting a large canvas in the Greenery hue.

  3. Recycle, recycle, recycle

    Instead of throwing away or replacing old items, just add a fresh lick of paint to things you already own. Think about painting glass jars, dying an old duvet and pillowcase set, recolouring some towels, or mosaic that old chipboard table with some inexpensive tiles. Once you get started, you may find you’ve been sitting on a treasure trove of décor gems, inspiring you to collect more often, as opposed to thoughtlessly discarding things with the potential for greatness.

  4. Mix and match

    Try combining Greenery with other shades and hues of green, to create a colour palette with depth. For example, these stunning Byzance Antique Green Stagger Mosaic tiles would offset a Greenery coloured wall perfectly. Throw in a dark wood coffee table and a white couch strewn with vine leaf print pillows, and you’ve got the cover of your next design mag in your living room. You’ll probably even find you have enough green bits and bobs lying around the house that you won’t even have to spend a cent.

  5. Let mother nature do all the work for you

    It goes without saying that there’s no substitute for the real deal, and house plants are a must to pull off this look. They’re also non-wasteful, because when you redecorate, you can still incorporate them into that style or move them into the garden, which benefits the environment too. Besides, they’ll help to filter the air indoors (goodbye electricity-chomping air conditioner!) and give you a big oxygen boost too. With so many options from air plants suspended from the ceiling in glass orbs, to an upcycled palette planter of kitchen herbs on the wall, there’s really no excuse not to grow your own décor this year.