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.
