Saturday Sep 06, 2025
Saturday Sep 06, 2025
Tuesday, 5 August 2025 00:06 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Asian Paints Causeway marked the second edition of its flagship trend event, ColourNext 2025, with an immersive evening at the Monarch Imperial in Colombo. Recognised across South Asia as a definitive platform for colour and material intelligence, ColourNext unveiled a meticulously researched annual forecast that blends emotional resonance with global design foresight.
Backed by Asian Paints’ advanced R&D capabilities and international design ecosystem, ColourNext is not just a forecast – it is a lens through which emerging cultural moods, material innovations, and design shifts are decoded and shared. The annual initiative draws from a year-long process involving sociologists, architects, designers, and researchers working together to translate real-world insights into design language. This makes ColourNext a powerful tool for the industry, not only to anticipate trends but to shape them.
This year’s forecast crowned Cardinal as the Colour of the Year 2025. A soulful, dusky red, Cardinal embodies a quiet intensity - at once meditative and emotive. It speaks to the depth and nuance of human experience, from nostalgia and introspection to resilience and renewal. Whether in architecture, interiors, or personal expression, Cardinal invites designers to engage with colour as emotion and space as narrative.
The evening welcomed a distinguished gathering of architects, designers, and media, with key addresses by Asian Paints Regional Head Budhaditya Mukherjee, Asian Paints Causeway Country Head – Sri Lanka Vaithilingam Kiritharan, and Head of Marketing – Sri Lanka Anuradha Edirisinghe.
Reflecting on the regional significance of ColourNext, Mukherjee noted, “ColourNext is the culmination of design intelligence and market foresight. For us, it’s not merely a palette – it’s a lens through which we help professionals anticipate the emotional and cultural shifts influencing design. In Sri Lanka, where architecture and interiors are deeply intertwined with identity and climate, ColourNext becomes a guiding compass – helping our partners design for modern living while honouring local sensibilities. It ensures that Sri Lanka remains part of a global design conversation.”
He further observed that there is a growing appetite among Sri Lankan architects and designers to engage with more meaningful narratives. ColourNext, he said, has become an annual moment of reflection and redirection – a space where ideas are exchanged and creative boundaries redefined. The themes resonate well beyond colour, tapping into materiality, texture, emotion, and broader social context – reflecting the evolving and thoughtful design culture emerging in the country.
Alongside the launch of Cardinal, the 2025 forecast introduced three other major trend directions – offering new material palettes and storytelling tools for creative professionals across disciplines.
The evening concluded with an experiential walkthrough of the trend installations and a spirited toast to the Colour of the Year, reaffirming Asian Paints Causeway’s role as a bridge between global insight and Sri Lankan design aspirations.
