By Tom Terranova
Terranova Painting and The Urban Edge (new showroom)

Current color trends are the result of recent events beginning about 2008.  Color tones can set a mood & are influenced from “History in the Making”- proven from the past 300 years of American Design.  Trends also seem to cycle with-in decades, but some overlapping occurs. 

So, you say, what events are influencing color today?  No surprise—the economy, world events & environmental issues.

Gloomy conditions result in color trends offering faith, hope & PAST GLORY. Go back & look at the colors from another gloomy period—the 30-40’s- recognize those colors?  They are back.  Brighter not muted cleaner & primary shades & not blends of secondary colors.  There also seems to be a fork in the road & a trend from the 50-60’s with some designers seeking a time when America was ‘on top of the world’.  They are trying to regain that attitude by offering jewel tones & bling, going back to harvest gold, avocado green, pink & orange which represent that time period.  I feel that this is a minor movement in design & so where is color leading us?

First, I would like to offer a brief history of color because color now is different from color then.  They have changed in the past 60 years & prior to the late 1800’s they were made from locally available pigments & so they varied from region to region.  Rich colors were made from ground up precious stones thus royal purple was rare so royal.  The Industrial Revolution brought about color tints from chemistry & by the 1920’s paint was being manufactured & Benjamin Moore was offering about 160 tinted colors.  By the 1930’s the color chart increased to about 240 colors.  At that time paint companies were using 12-14 colorants & we call that tinting process full spectrum colors.  Today paint manufacturers use 8-10 colorants & so there is a loss of spectrum.  About 1948 Dupont came out with the first water based latex paint.  Then around the 1960’s environmental & health issues became known so lead & chrome materials were removed from paint & so red & yellow colors lost strength & light fastness.  So the range of color today is limited.

Where is color leading us?  What I am seeing is a fresher pallet & not taking the fork in the road, but straight back to the 30’s, 40’s, & 50’s.  Design still has a broad range of color & style—Hollywood Glam & Sophistication with black, grey, & white.  Arts & Crafts organic comfort colors from nature- greens, tans, & yellows or Mid-Century joy & excitement through pinks, browns & oranges.  Color pop comes from the 50’s/60’s- space age & flower power strong colors/ bold.

During the past 20 years homeowners & commercial designers have sought out ‘Old World’ European Finishes & Design, Mediterranean destination to Tuscany & Provence was an escape from the hectic American Lifestyle & to a simpler place & time.  Homeowners are still seeking a calm & comfortable home setting & have re-discovered the past design & colorways from a similar time period of depression & war.  At that time extravagance was unavailable to most, yet glamour & style was still desired & made available through color & patterns.  Earth colors are still here, but in different tones.  Not dirt-tones, but brighter & more towards the primary shades influenced by nature & floral.  Hope comes from the cycle of nature- winter gloom (the economy), turns into spring bloom/ color blossoms- a brighter future.  Forest green shifts to grassy green, organic ochre & rust from fall foliage turns sunny daffodil yellow & bright tulip red.  The sky is blue, not stormy, with sunsets with pink & orange tones.  These are colors from the warm side of the pallet thus the neutral color comes from cool shades & the new neutral is grey.  Like the tans & beiges, the greys have undertones to shift them forward or backward in the rainbow.  Your eyes dance when viewing orange & pink with grey. Using shades of light & dark grey along with shades of white can offer serenity.  Occasional splashes of black, green, red or yellow need to be minimal so not to be reactive & conflicting.  If you desire excitement, then leave out the neutrals & use the jewel tones from the 50-60’s.

Pattern was important then & now.  Wallpaper is back – not the poopy pre-pasted vinyl of the 70-80’s, but high end block prints & ink dyed colorways which offer a dramatic setting.  Another topic & another article.

Back to color trends for 2011/12.  Paint manufacturers have been moving towards the 30/40’s colors & marketing them.  Green & yellow dominate overtaking tan & gold/ochre.  Accent colors have always been important in design & still are, but now are cleaner & brighter.  Shabby chic was fun for awhile, but more formality is gaining popularity.  Do not fret- Venetian plastered walls can still work with-in your total design by adding modern art & furniture & brighter accent colors.  Geometric & stripes help tame walls & as feature walls can set a mood. 

Total design requires that white or stained woodwork/trim be changed to tone-on-tone colorways & satin/eggshell sheens are being replaced with gloss enamels.  Cabinets coming from Europe are glossy, sleek & reminiscent of the metal cabinets from the 40/50’s.

Lifestyles have changed because of 9/11 & the recession & so has color & design.  Maybe- probably not everyone agrees, but if you see the latest color charts & read the future forecast then the current color trend become identifiable.