Retirement Living and Dementia-Inclusive Collection

The Dulux® Colours of New Zealand® Retirement Living & Dementia‑Inclusive Collection brings together eight inspiring colour palettes to support safety, dignity, and improved quality of life for older people and those living with dementia.

In retirement living and dementia-supportive design, colour is more than just decorative - it plays a vital role in how people experience and navigate their environment. The Retirement Living & Dementia-Inclusive Collection demonstrates that design grounded in evidence can be both functional and visually appealing. Through the considered use of colour, we can help enhance clarity and spatial awareness, while also creating environments that feel warm, familiar, and supportive of independence - spaces that feel more like home.

The Retirement Living Collection offers a thoughtfully curated palette of eight unique schemes - each designed to help improve resident security and intuitive navigation through dementia‑supportive colour principles. The palettes incorporate the latest evidence-based guidance, such as contrast thresholds, wayfinding strategies, and emotional wellbeing to support orientation, reduce confusion, and foster a sense of calm, comfort, and familiarity in retirement living environments.

This collection has been developed in consultation with interior designer, Pamela Siau from Designgroup Stapleton Elliot Architects. DGSE is a New Zealand-based architecture practice with extensive experience in older adult and dementia-inclusive design.

Using the palettes

Developed with the specific needs of retirement living environments in mind, these colour palettes are designed to support residents - particularly those living with dementia - by promoting safety, independence, and overall quality of life.

Each palette includes five harmoniously curated colours from the Dulux® Colours of New Zealand® range and is suitable for both interior and exterior settings. This collection allows you, the designer, the creative freedom to layer and combine the colour palettes meaningfully to create a cohesive, retirement living and dementia-supportive scheme.

Each colour palette includes:

1. A neutral colour - for primary walls and ceilings

2. A feature colour - for feature walls and accent trims

3. An additional feature colour - for feature walls and accent trims

4. A contrast colour - for door frames, signage, zone demarcations, activity area cues, table edges, furniture and joinery

5. An additional contrast colour - for door frames, signage, zone demarcations, activity area cues, table edges, furniture and joinery.