For some reason the Pantone color of the year seems to hold lots of sway in the interior design industry these days. I am not really sure how this started or why. Don't get me wrong, I love Pantone, but wasn't it not long ago they were strictly working in the domain of the graphic designer and publisher? Maybe they have some great insight regarding color trends in general, but I feel everyone in the interiors industry grudgingly follows along with their color selections against their better judgement.
I am pretty sure most everyone is at a bit of a loss over Rose Quartz and Serenity this year, which come on, is really just pink and baby blue. I don't do a lot of nurseries so I don't foresee using these colors a lot except for in small doses. These colors should be relegated to a supporting role.
And last years Marsala? I know fashion is looking back to Winona Ryder's brown lipstick, but I would prefer not to have this muddy, early 90s eggplant color on my walls. All I can think about with this one is that it would work quite well in Monica's apartment.
The trend I see so far this year is much richer and elegant than the pastels of Pantone. Rich jewel tones are making a decided comeback.
Key influences on these colors seem to be -
- an interest in Art Deco and higher end MCM, and non-Scandinavian MCM, ie Italian
- the last season of Downtown Abbey with its current Art Deco tones and a nostalgia for the Edwardian richness of the earlier seasons
- Fashion, we saw what was happening on the red carpet at the Oscars, it was saturated jewel tones
- And the continued obsession with Kelly Wearstler and her obsession with all things stone
I recently had the great honor of getting a sneak peek and offering my opinion on a new line for a fabric manufacturer. Remarkably I saw a wonderfully rich and elegant palette of deep teal, ocean blue and ruby. And yes, there were a few hints of pastel, but these pale colors actually worked really well as a delicate and subtle foil to the jewels.
I wish Benjamin Moore or Sherwin Williams would step up their game in publicizing their color forecasting. Or one of the many furniture and fabric houses that also forecasts. I believe interiors colors is different from general fashion/graphic color forecasting and therefore warrants its own take.
So there are my two cents. Anybody else?
