Just like fashion, health claims, and the economy, colors follow trends. Each year brings new attention to a portion of the color wheel, and it is important to stay abreast of these trends as an interior designer. After all, being trendy is highly valued by consumers and entire rooms are redecorated to reflect what is “in” versus what is rapidly becoming “out.” A major challenge in design is predicting the trends and recognizing what may become a classic and timeless design, and what will be dated before it is even finished being implemented in a design.
So what are the colors of 2013 and why were they chosen? Each color evokes its own mood, energy, feeling, and overall vibe intended to be played out throughout the year. They are a prediction of sorts, but whether the predictions are accurate has very little bearing on their popularity in the design world.
Pantone’s Emerald
Pantone is considered the leading color trend creator in all color-based industries: design, fashion, makeup, etc. For 2013 the Color of the Year is Emerald. Intended to represent liveliness, radiance, and lushness, Emerald brings elegance and a sense of luxury to a room. As for the intended feelings associated with Emerald? A sense of well being, harmony, and balance will supposedly follow utilizing this jeweled green.
Sherwin-Williams’ Aloe
Also a green—though a less vibrant shade—this Color of the Year softens the mood to simplistic prettiness. More mid-century modest rather than modern flashy, Aloe is intended to mimic its plant inspiration by soothing and calming a room’s energy. It also nicely complements neutrals and pastels, making it a versatile choice in the design scheme.
Benjamin Moore’s Lemon Sorbet
Lemon Sorbet’s selling point as a Color of the Year is its role as a “transitional” color. Benjamin Moore has predicted that 2014 will be the year of the pastels, and as such Lemon Sorbet is a perfect bridge from the current saturated color tones. The color brightens an atmosphere without overloading the senses, akin to tea’s mild compared to coffee’s powerful dose of caffeine.
Color trends are fun to incorporate and really make a space feel trendy and fashionable. Even so, when designing a room, it is important to keep in mind that trends fade and the colors of today will be replaced a year from now. Thus it is a good tactic to use Colors of the Year primarily as accent pieces such as lamps, clocks, throw pillows, and such or as part of a more overall color scheme (for example Aloe lends itself well to pastel yellows, blues, and browns that can characterize a child’s room or nursery). Knowing the color trends is exciting and inspiring, and integrating them into your designs will keep your work fresh and your clients happy.
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