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By Design: Color Trends: Forecasting and Your Property
by Lori Hagen-Hulitt
Interior Design
Architectural Concepts, Inc.
Over the decades, color has ridden the changing tide of popular tastes. It is driven faster or slower by socio-economic forces and geopolitics. The wave of change is evident when we look back over the last several decades. Most color forecasters agree that the media, celebrities, world events, art, and even technology influence the colors we see in fashion and interiors. Forecasting is the ability to separate the fad from the trend with true staying power. Color forecasting is not an exact science, but more of an art form when it comes to predicting the next wave in the evolution of color. “Trend watchers” are in every industry and there are several professional groups that focus solely on life events and sources that affect the direction and the development of colors. This year the focus is on colors that inspire.
The Color Marketing Group (CMG) is an international not-for-profit association of 1,700 color designers who forecast color directions one to three years in advance for all industries, manufactured products and services. These include interior/exterior home, transportation, architectural/building, communications/ graphics, fashion, action/recreation, and environments for office, healthcare, retail and hospitality/ entertainment. CMG’s major focus is to identify the direction of color trends, and then its members translate the information into salable colors for manufactured products in all industries.
The observation and study of color trends will continue to be important for fashion and consumer goods. Contract interiors are different however – in offices, schools, hospitals, hotels and resorts, and public space we have longer life cycles and durability to consider, as well as the financial impact of your color decisions. Today, the role of the color designer for commercial spaces is more critical than ever before because through your designs you are creating an awareness of sustainable design. While most people try to recycle soda cans and newspapers, they’ve given little thought to the disposal of all the other stuff they buy. Interior designers and architects have been pushing manufacturing technology to catch up with their desire to specify responsibly. The interest in LEED education and certification is growing. As a manufacturer, it’s both gratifying and challenging to see how seriously the design community is taking the environmental responsibility placed on it, by their clients.
Consider then, color choices. Think of the uninhibited freedom to design with a conscience. Think seriously about colors with durable appeal to create an interior aesthetic that remains attractive and timeless. The oceans have endured since time began – never boring – always appealing. What better model to think of as we consider the style and appeal of classic colors that allow us to create enduring design.
So what are Classic colors and how does the process begin?
Let’s start dividing them into color families.
Light Infused Neutrals
There will always be a need for natural, soft neutrals. Think of camel’s hair, sandstone, golden wheat, parchment, and ivory. These warm, natural tones allow us to blend at the edges. They pull light into the space and add volume. To balance the space and bring harmony, use some cool gray or a taupe-based neutral with the warms. Imagine pale, soft, cool neutrals that are kissed by blue but not cold and harsh. These neutrals have been used in juxtaposition for ages because they work so well together. Zen-like colors allow texture and pattern to be appreciated. Light infused neutrals can be layered in abundance without disharmony.
Colorful Colors
As the world changes around us, sometimes we have to make a stand for what we hold dear. We see more interest in the primary colors, particularly reds that say, “Look at me!” Clean, clear blues remind us of serenity of water. While yellow in pure form is difficult to use in contract because of durability concerns, there is gold and yellow influence in other colors. In addition to the primaries we still need the safety of secondary colors. Delicious oranges, vivid greens and androgynous purple. Midtones reflect maturity and elegance.
Sophisticated Darks
Black tie. Dress blues. Chocolate truffles. Who can resist the allure of sophisticated dark color? Like the perfect little black dress, we return again and again to these dark, seductive tones that convey a message of elegance and stability. They can be formal and serious without being stuffy or too somber. These are colors you can trust to withstand the passage of time and still be fresh. Though some may be a bit weathered like charcoal gray or patina-ed metals, but they are survivors. They are dark and mysterious with depths of color to spark imagination. We need their stability and time-tested strength.
Colored Neutrals
Twisting colors toward the neutral side creates wonderful effects. These colors are so complex they are difficult to find in many color systems. Natural and relaxed, they are hard to quantify because they are chameleon, having the character of both conventional color and a neutral. Muted olives, crushed river rock, terra firma, tree bark. They can be any base color or combination of colors, light or dark, so long as the result has emotional value. These are the colors that remind us most of our humanity because of their complicated nature.
In our game of color, let’s take inventory of where we are. Contract interior color has shifted to lighter, cleaner, and clearer colors. The emphasis has been on complex neutrals with splashes of color for attention, or fields of white for relief. Interestingly, contract and consumer palettes have become almost identical but we are approaching the point at which the consumer and contract paths are about to diverge again because even lighter color will not be appropriate for contract use. New contract colors must be uplifting without being shocking. They should have a sense of maturity without the telltale signs of age; be fresh, yet timeless; elegant, not trendy. We are looking for colors that are not easily labeled with one word such as subtle or vibrant, light or dark.
Our color choices are influenced by popular tastes, and the resulting trends reflect the changing tide of social, economic, and geographic forces. In contract interiors we have an added responsibility to address the evolving needs of our end user using color that is fresh.
Much of the information in this article is provided by CMG and Ultron by Solutia Fiber. You may read more about color in their website at www.ultron.com" target="_blank">http://www.ultron.com">www.ultron.com.
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