Color Commitment Challenged

published in Home Improvement Resource January 2008

Do you tell your friends that you love color? Do you anticipate the riot of changing color that each season brings? When you look around your house at your walls, does the color beige rule the day? You may be what I call "color commitment challenged"...

Don't despair; this edition of Designer Drafts is dedicated to you. I have recently attended color forecasts for 2008 and 2009. Have you ever wondered how or why colors become popular? There are two national organizations that monitor the pulse of America and the world. They are the Color Marketing Group (CMG) and The Color Association of America (CAA). These two groups are made up of a small select group of individuals that look at the trends in the World - what countries are experiencing growth or increased trade, and the trends in America in terms of society trends, personal and individual trends, technology, pop icons, and pop culture. After looking at all the information these two groups then publish reports of color trends. Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore presented the information locally to the design community.

These color trends are used by car manufacturers, home appliance companies, fabric companies, furniture companies and paint manufacturers. Interior Designers and Architects anxiously await these forecasts so that our designs will remain current. When people are making home improvements they may want to live in their house for another 5 years, and don't want to have to update before they put their house on the market to sell. Armed with the most current information on color, Interior Designers can help them make educated attractive choices.

So what are the color trends for the next couple of years? According to Sherwin Williams we will continue to catch the wave of technology, metallics will be an increasing trend, not necessarily bright gold and silver, but bronze and a subtle shimmer. As we look globally, influences from India, Russia, Asia and Spain will color our palette with beet and purple influenced reds, fuchsia, rich terra cottas, and yellowy greens.

Americans are still in the mood to cocoon in their homes. Blue continues to be a prominent color. However, it is becoming more gray blue or even a bit cobalt. Benjamin Moore declares the rise of grays as a neutral background. Whites are creamy, soft pinks, and soft grey blues round out the pastels.

Influences from America include an increasing awareness of all things eco-friendly. Paints are now available that have low odor. This eliminates the issues related to painting fumes like headaches and allergies. You may pay a little bit more for the product, but it does cover well and is better for the environment.

OK, so all of that information is great, but how does it make you feel. Yes, feel. Color works its magic on your eyes and your mood. The effect that color has on our psyches has been well documented since the ancient Egyptian culture.

The color red for instance is said to increase the appetite, pulse, blood pressure and rate of breathing. Not a great color for a place that you want to relax in. Blue would be a better choice. It is said that blue has tranquilizing qualities, as does Indigo. Violet is meditative, Green has a harmonizing effect. On the brighter end of the spectrum, orange and yellow are liberating colors that tend to elevate the mood.

One final consideration when selecting color is which direction your room faces. Rooms that get a lot of sunlight during the day may feel cooler painted in a cool color such as blue or green (not a yellow green). By the same token rooms that face north may feel warmer with a yellow based or "warmer" color like terra cotta or brown or a moody red.

Ultimately, it is just paint. Yes it can cost a couple hundred dollars, and yes it can be a pain to paint, but paint is one of the simplest things you can do to make a dramatic change in the way a room looks and feels. Wall colors can even make your mousey beige sofa stand out and look new again. Now that you are informed about what colors will be here for awhile, and how color can affect your mood, pick a color you love. Try a small tester can of paint and make a difference in your world today. Become color committed!