The Appeal of Deeper Tones

Across interiors, we're seeing it in walnut cabinetry, dark marbles, upholstery and the continued confidence around colour drenching. Beyond the home, Vogue and Wallpaper* have both reflected on this move towards deeper colour across fashion and design. Burgundy, chocolate and deep red have been particularly visible across fashion in 2026, appearing throughout the Summer but now in the Autumn/Winter collections of Miu Miu, Chanel, and others.  

Within interiors, Homes & Gardens has explored the growing confidence around saturated burgundy, deep green and other darker shades, while ELLE Decor noted designers seeing clients ask for walnut over white oak and merlot over greige. 

But perhaps more interesting than colour alone is the materiality that accompanies it. 

Depth can come through tone, but equally through texture and surface. The pronounced grain of walnut, movement within a Calacatta Viola marble surface, or the subtle variation of a patinated handle shape the way colour is experienced. 

It is this combination of colour and texture that gives deeper tones their character. A walnut cabinet isn't experienced as a block of brown, but through its grain and natural variation; stone shifts with every vein and marking. In brass hardware, undertone and texture can completely alter the way a finish responds to its surroundings. 

There is a growing appreciation for materials that reveal something of themselves; surfaces with variation, tactility and detail rather than colour alone. 

Deeper tones lend themselves particularly well to this. Their character often becomes more apparent as light moves across a textured surface, picks up the grain of timber or reveals the subtle undertones within a finish. 

For hardware, that relationship between colour, texture and light is especially important. A finish is experienced at close range and through touch, becoming part of the wider material palette. 

It is within this conversation that we introduce Bronze, the latest addition to the Hendel & Hendel finish palette. 

Rich and characterful, Bronze introduces a deep, grounded tone to our finish palette, developed to sit naturally within a wide range of material schemes. 

Bronze has been a considered addition to our finish palette, born from a desire to introduce something deeper and more expressive, with a distinctive character and a strong relationship to the materials around it. 

Subtle red undertones give the finish its distinctive character, while a lightly textured matt lacquer brings depth to the surface. 

Its arrival feels particularly relevant now. As colour becomes deeper and materials more expressive, Bronze reflects many of the qualities increasingly shaping the interiors around us, while remaining a finish considered well beyond the moment.