The Story Behind FormaColoured
A Coloured Concrete Range Inspired by Aotearoa
Concrete has long been valued for its strength, durability and versatility. But it can also play an important role in the visual identity of a home or landscape.
That thinking sits behind FormaColoured, a refresh of Allied Concrete’s coloured concrete offering, developed to better reflect the needs of today’s New Zealand market. Inspired by the landscapes, wildlife and natural character of Aotearoa, the collection has been developed to give homeowners, architects, designers and builders a considered palette for contemporary New Zealand projects.
FormaColoured does not replace Allied Concrete’s existing Ready Colour offering. Customers can continue to order Ready Colour if requested. Instead, FormaColoured provides a curated collection of contemporary colours while retaining access to the wider range of coloured concrete options already available.
Rather than treating concrete as a background material, FormaColoured makes it part of the overall design.
Inspired by the colours of Aotearoa
New Zealand’s landscapes are defined by contrast. Pale alpine tones meet dark coastlines, warm tussock country sits alongside native greens, and dramatic greys appear throughout our rivers, mountains and rocky shores.
These natural influences shaped the identity of the FormaColoured collection.
The range includes 14 carefully curated colours:
- Fox Glacier
- Fantail
- Moeraki
- Kākāriki
- Clay Cliffs
- Tussock
- Toetoe
- Sandfly Bay
- Ruru
- Akaroa Harbour
- Grey River
- Te Anau
- Punakaiki
- Southern Alps
Each colour has been selected to work with the materials commonly seen across New Zealand architecture and landscaping, including timber, brick, stone, metal cladding and weatherboard.
The result is a palette that feels connected to its surroundings while providing enough variation for different architectural styles.
Designed for New Zealand homes
Choosing coloured concrete involves more than selecting a shade in isolation. The colour needs to work alongside the home, surrounding landscape and other exterior materials.
FormaColoured has been designed with these relationships in mind.
Its warmer neutrals can bring softness to outdoor areas and complement timber or natural stone. Deeper greys can provide contrast alongside lighter cladding, while pale tones can create a clean and understated foundation for contemporary architecture.
The range can be considered for applications such as:
- Driveways
- Patios and courtyards
- Paths and entrances
- Pool surrounds
- Outdoor entertaining areas
- Architectural landscaping
- Selected interior concrete features
This versatility gives designers and homeowners an opportunity to carry a consistent material palette across different areas of a project.
A carefully curated starting point
A large colour chart can sometimes make choosing a concrete colour more difficult rather than easier.
FormaColoured was created to provide a more focused starting point: 14 colours selected to suit a broad range of New Zealand homes, landscapes and design directions. The collection is intended to simplify the initial selection process rather than limit the options available, with Ready Colour and an extended range through PeterFell remaining available for customers seeking something different.
The collection includes warm earthy shades, versatile neutrals, natural greens and contemporary greys. This makes it easier to begin narrowing down options according to the character of the project.
Punakaiki and Southern Alps sit within the collection as premium colours. Projects considering Southern Alps require a minimum of two weeks’ notice before delivery, which should be accounted for during project planning.
More choice through PeterFell
The FormaColoured range is supported by Allied Concrete’s relationship with PeterFell, a recognised name in coloured concrete in New Zealand.
While the 14-colour FormaColoured collection provides a curated core range, the partnership with PeterFell also provides access to more than 80 additional colour options.
This expanded selection is useful where a project has a particularly specific palette or where architects and designers need to coordinate the concrete closely with cladding, roofing, landscaping or other finishes.
Together, the ranges provide both simplicity and flexibility: a considered collection for straightforward selection, with a broader palette available when a project calls for something more specific.
Choosing a colour with confidence
Concrete colour can be influenced by its surroundings, lighting conditions and the finish applied to the surface. A colour viewed on a screen may also appear different when seen outdoors beside the materials selected for a project.
For this reason, physical samples are an important part of the selection process.
FormaColoured samples can be ordered directly through DesignHub and delivered to your door. This allows colours to be compared in the actual project environment and viewed alongside materials such as:
- Exterior cladding
- Roofing
- Joinery
- Brick and stone
- Decking
- Landscaping materials
- Exterior paint colours
For the best comparison, samples should be viewed outside and at different times of the day. Morning light, direct sunlight and shade can all affect the way a colour is perceived.
Samples represent colour only and should not be treated as an exact representation of the final concrete texture or finish. Natural variation is also an expected characteristic of concrete.
Supporting better design decisions
FormaColoured is more than a refreshed concrete colour collection. It is a collection intended to make coloured concrete easier to explore, compare and incorporate into New Zealand projects, while maintaining the broader choice already available to Allied Concrete customers.
By combining a curated palette, further options through PeterFell and access to physical samples through DesignHub, the range gives project teams a clearer pathway from early inspiration to final selection.
Whether the goal is a subtle driveway that blends into the landscape or a concrete feature that provides architectural contrast, FormaColoured allows concrete to become a deliberate part of the design.
Explore the full FormaColoured collection and order samples through DesignHub to begin finding the right colour for your project.
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