perfect portuguese palette

for product and interior designers across the globe, Pantone has established its Colour of the Year as a key diary date. “In 1999, when we launched the initiative, we were all worried about Y2K and whether our computers would crash. We chose a colour for 2000 that would personify the future, Cerulean Blue, because it was inviting, hopeful, clean, and enduring,” notes Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Colour Institute. Today, a staggering amount of knowledge and care goes into making this selection. Viva Magenta 18-1750, the 2023 Colour of the Year, is billed as an unconventional shade for an unconventional time. A powerful and life-affirming red tone that celebrates life while having connotations of audacity and rebellion.

Given the turbulent times, it is great to see such a positivelooking hue selected. Possibly influenced by the increase in working from home, this reaction is further evidence that the global response to the pandemic has differed from the design realignments that followed 9/11 or the 2008 banking crisis. Global catastrophes previously triggered a return to safe and neutral interiors, with beige, greige, and magnolia at the fore. Homeowners and commercial designers are embracing colour to inject more life and positivity into the built environment.

Therefore, it is no surprise that one of National Tiles’ most popular launches in the past year has been Aleluias’ Urban Atelier. The exquisite Portuguese tiles, available in a broad range of vibrant shades, make a colourful addition to our growing tile family. Urban Atelier’s rich tonal variation combines a beautiful handmade look, an organic surface texture and a deep glaze. Perfect for a powerful feature wall, personal design and unique layout, the classic 100 by 100mm format offers the complete stylistic freedom to create traditional or more contemporary interiors.

Produced in Portugal by Aleluia, a company with a deep ceramic tradition, Urban Atelier is a charming Mediterranean dream. The range has four primary colour families, allowing for playful mix-and-match multi-hued displays and colourfully creative masterpieces.

Warming oranges and reds, calming oceanic blues, natural greens, and an array of neutrals demonstrate the spirited patchwork potential of the collection.

Don’t be afraid to experiment when it comes to colour. There are no fixed rules of colour. Keep an open mind. Leatrice, the foremost global colour expert, encourages keeping an open mind while discouraging the idea of fixed colour rules, “There are so many urban legends that fly around the Internet that I try to dispel, like the old rules about what goes with what. If you have a favourite colour, you can find a way to make it work.”

And, with Urban Atelier’s extensive special-order palette, you will find a tile in our portfolio that will make any of your colour dreams come true.