When it comes to the world of color, there’s no such thing as “one size fit’s all.”
And that’s just one of the tenets of color forecasting emphasized by Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, who discussed color trends for 2018 with NKBA.
“We offer a macro view,” said Eiseman, “and we offer eight palettes of color because there’s no one mood that’s right for every situation.”
One question she always gets regarding kitchens specifically is whether light or dark finishes are more dominant.
“Particularly with the reclamation of woods,” she observed, “more people are using different wood surfaces and treatments together. Things don’t have to be so ‘matchy-matchy.’ And the kitchen was probably the first place where you could mix materials. It doesn’t have to be all minimal or all slick or all traditional anymore.”
The eight palettes embrace the idea of mood, how color affects the environment, and how color plays into a particular frame of mind.
In the Pantone View Home + Interiors 2018 Forecast, Eiseman pointed to the “Resourceful” palette, which speaks to “creative restoration and the introduction of new ideas.” Part of the signature of this color grouping is the use of a strong warm color and a strong cool color together. In particular, combinations of oranges — from terra cotta to apricot to peach — and blues, including a range from vibrant royals to blue-greens, is an “outstanding” palette.
Another color group, called “Playful,” shows there’s “always room for pure, vibrant fun,” she said. “Here we’re seeing a lot of yellows, in quirky combinations — such as with a guacamole color, and surprisingly, with shades of pink.”
She added that this range is spilling into more permanent installations as well, not just being used as accent walls or in accessories.
The “Discretion” palette, low-key and sophisticated, includes such neutrals as taupes, grays, beiges and off-whites, but also muted yellow-greens with a dash of gray in them, muted clay, dried moss and soft blue granite.
“Even neutrals have nuances and undertones that bring a certain temperature to a color,” she said.
And on the subject of neutrals, the “Verdure” palette continues the mood of the 2017 color of the year, “Greenery,” which is a fresh and zesty yellow-green shade that evokes the first days of spring. (The 2018 color of the year hasn’t been revealed yet.)
“Green is Mother Nature’s most ubiquitous neutral,” Eiseman said. “it can be a backdrop for any other color. There’s a continuing interest in all things green, like vertical gardens being brought indoors.”
“Far-Fetched” offers a palette of multicultural references that often render unpredictable results, serving a range of rose tones and warm earthy shades of terra cotta, among others, while “Intricacy” is about comingling colors in an array of patterning, mixing warm and cool, neutrals and a glimmer of metallic surfacing, punctuated with holly-berry red and yellow sulfur.
A powerful range of cool shades like plum, blue and blue-green complement fiery oranges, lavas and reds in the “Intensity” range, and finally, “TECH-nique” hints at the future, with high sheen, including both crackled and clear effects like pearlescent, opalescent, or translucent, many infused with a light-related technology, according to Pantone View. Colors include vibrant blue, green, fuchsia, and purple, along with iridescent peacock tones in both turquoise and hot pink that are offset by brilliant white and frosted almond.
The key to all of it — especially how designers work to communicate choices to clients — is in the combination of colors, how they are displayed that catches the eye. And it’s that combination that makes the colors look fresh and new, Eiseman emphasized.
It’s really about gauging the current zeitgeist, and about finding a client’s comfort level, Eiseman concluded. A word of advice to designers: “Be cautious about being too critical, or pontificating about a color,” she said. “Let’s find out what that color means to that client, and what it means to their lifestyle.”
