Ombre, translated from French, means “shaded” – but there’s more to this colour application than the mere graduation of the same or different hues. Architect Marc Thorpe employed an ombre fabric to achieve the visual illusion of his Blur sofa, launched by Moroso at this year’s Milan Furniture Fair. Graduating from a fluorescent orange to white, the sofa seems to disappear into the white walls of a room. LED lamps such as Artemide’s Rothko Terra also play up this chromatic scale trend. Unlit, it’s simply a white column – but turn it on, and the bulbs provide colour play in a graduating hue, or shades of the rainbow.

Text: Chiquit Torrente