#CRAFTS WITH ANASTASIA--WHEN IT COMES TO COLOR, WHAT WERE THEY THINKING???

Enough with the gray already! Every year I write a blog post about the color or colors the Pantone Institute selects for their Color(s) of the Year. The choice for 2021 was announced about seven weeks ago. Sad to say, they really blew it this time. Really, guys? After what we went through in 2020, you decide to pick GRAY as one of the colors for 2021?

The two colors the experts picked for 2021 are Ultimate Gray and Illuminating, a lemony yellow. They describe the two-color combination as one of “strength and positivity…a story of color that encapsulates deeper feelings of thoughtfulness with the promise of something sunny and friendly.” Their press release goes on to use adjectives such as “warming and optimistic”, “happiness supported by fortitude”, “aspirational and gives us hope.”

 

I can buy into that for a shade of yellow. We can all use more thoughtfulness, sunniness and friendliness right now after the year we’ve recently left behind.

 

But GRAY??? News flash: There is nothing sunny and friendly about gray, no matter the shade. It’s an absence of color. A gray sky blocks out the sun. A gray mood represents sadness, not friendliness.

 

You want colors that represent hope and happiness? How about looking to the rainbow for inspiration. Or Candyland. That’s what we need this year. But instead we’re going to be deluged with yet more GRAY!?! 

 

Haven’t we already been overwhelmed with gray for several years? You can’t turn on HGTV without seeing gray absolutely everywhere. Designers have been on gray overload for at least ten years. Walls are gray. Flooring is gray. Carpeting is gray. Kitchen cabinets are gray. Countertops are gray. Bathroom tile is gray. Furniture is gray. Exterior house colors are gray.

 

For a decade designers have been forcing gray on us everywhere we look—and not just in our homes. Check out every supermarket parking lot, every driveway. It’s hard to find cars that aren’t gray—unless they’re black or white. And now thanks to Pantone, we’re going to be seeing even more gray as the year progresses, when what the world really needs right now are happy colors.

 

Thanks a lot, guys! What were you thinking?

#CRAFT WITH ANASTASIA--PANTONE COLOR OF THE YEAR

Pantone 2019 Color of the Year: Living Coral 

“Life affirming coral hue energizes and enlivens with a softer edge”

Each year Pantone, a provider of professional color standards and digital solutions for the design industry, selects a Color of the Year. For 2019 that color is Living Coral. Living Coral is described as “an animating and life-affirming shade of orange with a golden undertone.”

According to the Pantone press release, Living Coral was chosen because it “embraces us with warmth and nourishment to provide comfort and buoyancy in our continually shifting environment…Living Coral welcomes and encourages lighthearted activity. Symbolizing our innate need for optimism and joyful pursuits, Pantone 16-1546 Living Coral embodies our desire for playful expression.”

According to Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute, “Color is an equalizing lens through which we experience our natural and digital realities and this is particularly true for Living Coral.” She goes on to state, “With consumers craving human interaction and social connection, the humanizing and heartening qualities displayed by the convivial Pantone Living Coral hit a responsive chord.”

Look for Living Coral to show up in both women’s and men’s fashion and accessories in both solid colors and patterns and as a contrast to other colors. Living Coral will also show up in cosmetics in blush, eye shadow, lipsticks, and nail polish.

You’ll also see Living Coral begin to appear in interior décor and furnishing in wallpaper, rugs, linens, upholstery, and accessories, as well as in package design and product design. By the end of the year you may find the color popping up in countertop appliances and other housewares. Once upon a time, Harvest Gold and Avocado Green were all the rage in kitchen and laundry appliances. Will Living Coral edge out stainless steel in the kitchen? Can Living Coral automobiles be far behind? I suppose we’ll just have to wait to see.

#CRAFTS WITH ANASTASIA--COLOR OF THE YEAR

Every year I do a post on the Color of the Year. The Color of the Year is a forecast of global color trends provided by the Pantone Color Institute, a consulting service that advises global companies in their efforts to develop products and create brand identity by leveraging the power, psychology, and emotional impact of color.

Color can inspire and influence. It can convey deep messages and various meanings—both subliminal and overt.

This year the Institute has chosen Ultra Violet as the Color of the Year. Purple has been a symbolic color throughout history. It’s associated with everything from royalty to Western pop culture. Think Prince. But the color has also been associated with non-conformity and mindfulness practices. Meditation spaces, for example, often suffuse the room with purple-toned lighting to aid their practitioners.

On their website Pantone states, “Complex and contemplative, Ultra Violet suggests the mysteries of the cosmos, the intrigue of what lies ahead, and the discoveries beyond where we are now. The vast and limitless night sky is symbolic of what is possible and continues to inspire the desire to pursue a world beyond our own.”

Throughout the year we should see more Ultra Violet in decorating trends, clothing, appliances, and automobiles as manufacturers release new lines. Maybe consumers won’t be swapping out their stainless steel refrigerators for purple ones, but we’ll probably see Ultra Violet featured in small appliances such as Keurig coffee makers and Kitchen Aid mixers. I also have no doubt we’ll see the color cropping up in linens, accent pillows, and wallpaper.

Everything has been about gray in decorating the last few years, but there are many shades of gray—from charcoal to blue-grays to green-grays and many more. We should probably see an abundance of violet grays in the near future.

In choosing Ultra Violet as the Color of the Year, Laurie Pressman, Vice President of the Pantone Color Institute stated, “The Pantone Color of the Year has come to mean so much more than ‘what’s trending’ in the world of design; it’s truly a reflection of what’s needed in our world today.”

Perhaps she’s suggesting we all need more calm in our lives? I could certainly use more calm in my life. I’m now seriously considering investing in a few gallons of latex and painting my walls Ultra Violet.

#DECORATING—ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK?

Turn on any decorating show these days, and you’ll see a preponderance of orange used in everything from accent walls to throwpillows to bric-a-brac. Orange is the go-to color on Property Brothers, Flip or Flop, Love It or List It, and just about every other show on HGTV and the DIY network. More often than not, it’s paired with turquoise. 

Really? Orange and turquoise? I look at that color combination and all I can think of is Howard Johnson’s! Instead of complementing each other, they scream discordance to me. I must be in the minority, though, because these days orange and turquoise are everywhere from the big box stores to the high-end specialty home decor stores.

2016 Colors of the Year--Rose Quartz and Serenity

Interestingly enough, the colors of the year for 2016 are not orange and turquoise. Nor were they the colors of the year for 2015. This year for the first time, the Color Institute chose two colors—Rose Quartz and Serenity. In layman terms that’s baby pink and baby blue. Not exactly orange and turquoise, right?

Last year’s Color of the Year was Marsala, a rich wine color. Again, far removed and a much more sophisticated color than orange.

So why are decorators jumping on the orange bandwagon in opposition to the pronouncements of the Color Institute? I have no idea. All I know is that I’m anxiously awaiting the end of the orange trend. I’m not about to decorate my home like a nursery, but I also refuse to have it looking like a chain restaurant.

How do you feel about orange? And even if you like the color, would you decorate with it and pair it with turquoise?

DECORATING WITH JEANIE--2015 COLOR OF THE YEAR

Every year the people of the Pantone Color Institute decide on the Color of the Year. Unless you went to art school or work as a decorator or designer, you’ve probably never heard of Pantone or the Color Institute, but it’s the leading authority and provider of professional color standards for design industries and manufacturers around the world. At the Pantone Color Institute they study how color influences us, and they forecast trends, providing companies with information to help them determine which colors to use in their products. The Institute’s findings and choice of colors are responsible for everything from fashion to home décor, to industrial design and packaging, and more.

The 2014 Color of the Year was Radiant Orchid. We talked about Radiant Orchid last year on the blog. This year’s Color of the Year is Marsala, a creamy wine hue that’s about as far removed from Radiant Orchid as possible, as well as the last few years of color choices, which leaned toward bright tropical colors such as Emerald (2013), Tangerine Tango (2012), Honeysuckle (2011), Turquoise (2010), Mimosa (2009), and Blue Iris (2008).  

In contrast, Marsala is a deep, rich, earthy, dramatic and sophisticated color that will not only lend itself equally to fashion and home décor but will pair compatibly with a wide variety of other colors, including neutrals, taupes, grays, yellows, browns, greens, and blues.

Marsala is already being seen in everything from nail polish to makeup to clothing. You’ll soon see it popping up in furnishings and home décor. Will we see it in automobiles? Unlike Radiant Orchid, it's certainly a possibility. 

DECORATING WITH JEANIE--COLOR OF THE YEAR

2014 Color of the Year

Unless you went to art school or work as a decorator or designer, you probably have never heard of Pantone, but Pantone is the leading authority and provider of professional color standards for design industries and manufacturers around the world. Through their Color Institute they study how color influences us—our thoughts, our emotions, and our physical reactions—especially when it comes to our shopping habits.

Each year Pantone announces their Color of the Year. In coming up with their selection they scour the world looking for color influences. They take into account the entertainment industry, traveling art collections, up-and-coming artists, movies in production, technology, popular travel destinations, socio-economics, and even upcoming sporting events that will capture the world’s attention.

When Pantone talks, designers and manufacturers around the world listen. Their yearly choice influences product development decisions in fashion, home décor, industrial design, packaging, graphics, and more.

The color they’ve chosen as the Color of the Year for 2014 is Radiant Orchid. Does that mean we’ll be seeing orchid automobiles? Doubtful. But we will be seeing Radiant Orchid cropping up in many other areas. The color was prevalent during the spring 2013 fashion shows and is starting to pop up on the red carpet as awards show season begins.

We’ll also start seeing more and more Radiant Orchid in decorating schemes as an accent color played against neutrals, complementing olive and hunter greens, and paired with turquoise, teal and light yellows.

So what do you think? Will you be influenced by Radiant Orchid? Will it find a place in your wardrobe or home?