The color gurus speak at least once a year. Even though you may not pay much attention, the pronouncement influences your life in innumerable, untold ways. Who are these people who hold such influence over our choice of clothing, paint colors and metallic finishes on cars? Have you ever wondered?
A Way to Standardize
The Pantone Color Chart was originally developed in 1963 as a way to standardize color across a variety of industries, and to make matching easier, particularly for print media. The company’s role has expanded from that simple foundation, and today Pantone is an acknowledged leader in its field, and throughout the world.
Pantone’s yearly palette of colors, developed with input from designers and experts in many fields, determines in large part the colors you will see on the fashion runways of New York, in new furniture options in the fall in October, and as paint and decor choices. Designers of such seemingly random products as t-shirts, tennis shoes, small appliances, stationery, plastic storage boxes and bathroom towels look to Pantone’s predictions as a basis for their designs.
Not Much Color
Even automobile manufacturers give a nod to the color gurus at Pantone, although car colors march to the beat of a different drummer, both in the U.S. and abroad. Car buyers, also, tend to be more difficult to influence and slower to respond. But, as an experiment, look around the next parking lot you are in. There aren’t many brightly-colored cars left, are there?
Trend Setter or Safe Player?
It’s a fascinating quasi-science, this predicting of color trends for the coming season. For the most part, the trends come and go without affecting ordinary lives too much. You can participate in an online survey from who else, Pantone, to let the experts know what you think of their choices.
Emerald was the color choice in the spring of 2013, and it quickly gave way to variations on the outdoorsy, natural theme, much more compatible with most people’s taste and preferences.This fall, the colors are likewise pretty easy to live with — but get ready for a subtle change as fall turns to winter and retailers pick up on the trends for the holiday buying season.
Accent with Brights
What does all this mean in relation to your home decor? Mostly, it points to the fact that the wise homeowner will choose easy to live with neutrals for major walls and classic, timeless styles for major furnishings.This way, you can always be in style without having to completely repaint your home every 12 months. Accent walls, small accessories such as pillows, artwork, decorative accessories, towels and kitchen accessories are easily and relatively inexpensively changed and updated to reflect current trends. So, if you want to remain in style, that is a perfect way to do it.
So, just choose a neutral color scheme for your major walls and home and then as your taste changes, you can accessorize using your accent wall and small home furnishings without the mess of changing the whole home.
If you’re looking to get a few color ideas, here’s a color combination site that lets create your own color combinations to see how they look side by side or you can look at other color combinations people have put together. If you have a specific color in mind already, you can use the color scheme designer to get a few accent colors that may go well with it.
Your Home, Your Choice
While you can’t avoid the existence of trends, it doesn’t mean you have to follow them. If you enjoy being “in style” and want to stay current, by all means, we encourage that. However, if you want to run with your own theme, we encourage that as well.
In the end, it’s your decision, and it’s the way color makes you feel that really matters. So, even though it’s an emerald year, if you are happier with “ruby,” go for it. It’s your home, your choice.
What do you think about color trends? Do they affect the way you paint? How do you normally make your color decisions? Reply in the comments below and let us know. We are genuinely interested!