This week I thought we’d take a break from the hoop-a-la that surrounds the holidays and introduce you to ICI’s Color of the Year 2010.
Here’s what ICI had to say about their choice:
“In keeping with our overall theme of ‘Reclaim’, we are looking towards the qualities of truth, integrity, openness and hope. The Colour of the Year is an airy and optimistic blue that symbolises infinite horizons, new beginnings, renewed energy and a positive dynamic.
This clear, transparent shade encapsulates a sense of purity and goodness – a hopeful and chemical free colour full of possibility. It puts over an image of vast skies, breezy ozone freshness and the energy and essentiality of water. Given these associations plus the fact that it is a receding colour it will always create a sense of space.
Blue, in colour psychology terms, is the colour associated with sky and sea. Airy light blues are recognised as being refreshing, soothing and liberating. They are good in helping to combat mental strain and stress, physical tiredness and feelings of exhaustion whilst at the same time being re-energising and encouraging fresh starts. They are also thought to enhance powers of communication which can help to promote feelings of confidence.
A balance of the spiritual and the intellectual is represented by the allusion to air, sky and water – the freedom of the spirit married to the rationality of the mind; the vision of the artist to the knowledge of the scientist. Both in interior and exterior settings this blue has an important role to play. It complements perfectly the contemporary materials and modern neutrality of glass, steel and concrete, but also works with stronger and more traditional interior shades such as crimson, burgundy, plum, teal, pewter and gold.
This colour speaks of hope and clarity – a pure, clean and unpolluted direction for the future of our planet; a chance to reclaim possibility with renewed vigour and energy – the clear new horizon of tomorrow.”
As I was reading ICI’s forecast this weekend all I could think was how extremely inspiring in nature this color is and how this color brings the feeling of freedom, relaxation, calm, and openness into a space. It also got me thinking about some great rooms I’ve seen lately and some of my favorite designers. So as Kate and I sit here in Atlanta, GA (getting ready to teach our Color Certification Course tomorrow at ADAC) I felt it was only appropriate to share some rooms by one of my new favorite (Atlanta) designers Janie Kirsch who’s icy blue designs are truly icy hot! Oh and on top of that I added a few extras from one of Americas most well-loved TV designers, Candice Olson, and some shots from the best home mags around.
To download your copy of ICI’s 2010 color forecast go to colourfutures.com
Like most everyone, I’ve got a lot to be thankful for this year. I’ve got my wonderful family and friends, my health, my fabulous color trend career, and of course…totally trendy fall table settings. With the season rich in tradition rapidly approaching, I’ve got the itch for bringing something new and unexpected to the “table.” Every tradition has a beginning; you had so much fun with it that the next year it’s repeated, then again, and again, until all of a sudden you realize it’s turned into a ritual.
One of the “traditions” I’m most known for is that I will completely out-do myself with my holiday tabletop designs, at least that’s what I’m told. Family and friends expect to be surprised, because they know the table won’t look anything like it did the year before. This is fun for many reasons, but my favorite is (no doubt) the requirement and responsibility that comes attached to this custom…purchasing new dinnerware! Oh, the overflowing excitement of planning the perfect place setting, like this one below. A Bountifully Beautiful Dining Space!
Traditional Harvest Holiday Table (yes, we also did a tree) designed and decorated by Holly Adler, seasonal decor product designer and myself (Kiki Titterud) for the Celebration, FL Holiday Home Tour 2007.
Although we love the classic look from above, this year I’m inviting you to start a new tabletop tradition. Isn’t it time to toss the quintessential turkey aside and bring in a new bird? How about saying no thanks to harvest gold, pumpkin spice orange, and olive green and putting a twist on fall colors with new combinations?
That said; I’ve created this recipe for setting this year’s hottest harvest table.
B + B + R (Birds + Blue + Red)
Combine at least two of these three elements for something uniquely familiar.
Follow this fresh take on fall color combinations…
Then place them on your holiday table…
A special thanks to two fabulous ladies with loads of potential (who also helped pull some of these images) Laura Giles and Susanna Foster, Interior Architecture students at Auburn University in Auburn, AL. It was super fun spending yesterday with both of you for ASID’s National Real World Design Week Shadow a Designer Day. Watch out designers, we’ve got some rising stars here!
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Having grown-up in the “Halloween Capital of the World,” this delightfully devilish day has always been one of my favorites. If you weren’t aware of this haunted halloween honor bestowed to my birth city then I’ve got to take a moment and scare you straight. This “title” does NOT go to Salem, Mass or Hell, Mich, but to none-other-than Anoka, Minn. Don’t believe me, go ahead…google it, I dare ya.
I was raised in THAT house, you know, the one that scares the pants off people and sends some little kids running from the door instead of towards it. Of course, all meant in frightfully good fun. One little girl in the neighborhood used to ask her dad every year if she could go to the “blinking house with the talking pumpkins.” My dad has a habit of going overboard with ALL holiday decor; to my mom’s dismay (but I believe she secretly enjoys it too). He puts strobe lights in every window of the house, hence the blinking. And he wires mini speakers into the jack-o-lanterns then plays eerie music from a stereo inside the house. He has bodies coming out of graves in the ground and skeletons hanging from trees and lots and lots of spider webs. Now, that’s just a teeny tiny taste, but you get the idea.
So all my life I’ve been surrounded by spooky scenes on Halloween. I guess it’s no surprise that one of my color forecasting specialities is in seasonal decor. I work closely with many of the top halloween product designers, manufacturers, and wholesalers. I travel to holiday market where we trade trend information and preview the year’s most spellbinding stuff and spooktacular colors. This Halloween’s color concoctions are about two things….True Neutrals (black, white, and gray) and Secondary Hues (orange, green, and violet). Probably not a huge surprise as those are all pretty classic colors of All-Hallows-Eve. What’s tricky about this year’s trend is that it’s not about the color but the freaky fun finishes adorned by the colors. Check out my palette below along with tricks and treats for making your Halloween Hauntingly Hot.
Monochromatic & Analogous: Oranges with Black and/or White
Tricks:
Use a proportion or contrast ratio where one color obviously dominates the others. 70% black to 30% orange or vice versa creates a nice balance.
Use multiple values of orange; light, medium, and dark, all mixed together for interest and surprise. Then add black or white as grounding neutrals in the scheme.
Treats:
True Neutrals: White, Black, and everything in between – HOTTEST HOLIDAY LOOK!
Tricks:
Let the neutrals share the eve by using each equally in the decor. This 50% to 50% ratio creates a relationship between the light and dark.
Add pizazz to your neutrals by incorporating ivory or dark gray and fancy finishes like glitter, gloss, sparkle, or shimmer.
Treats:
Triad: Secondary Combination with Green, Purple, and Orange.
Tricks:
This ones for the kiddies! Keep it whimsical with a lot of color and just little dabs of black or white.
Use bright pumpkin oranges with the witch inspired green and purple. Stay away from the dull or light variations of these colors as they can clash with each other and cause unrest. Let’s keep it spectacular not scary!
Treats:
Since October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, this week I thought paying homage to pink would be an especially sweet treat.
Pink is a tint of red, or red with white added to lighten the color. Pink can also go red-orange (Coral) or red-violet (Magenta aka “Hot Pink”). It can be youthful, fun, exciting, and some shades even have the same high energy as red. They are sensual and passionate without being too aggressive. The softer pinks are often associated with romance. It is the color of joy and happiness, and for women the attraction to pink can speak of a desire for the more carefree days of childhood.
Inspirations of pink in the past and present have been rooted in the designs and lifestyles of a few iconic people.
In cosmetics and cars…
In fashion design…
In 1947, fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli introduced the color “hot pink” to western fashion. She dubbed the shade “Shocking Pink,” though today the color is more well-known as “magenta.”
In interior design…
Inspiration for Men…
As a trendy hue pink can stand alone in a Monochromatic palette veering slightly away from red being influenced by purple resulting in a bright magenta or by orange as a clear soft coral. In color combinations pink paired with orange in a Diad harmony is fresh, new, and conversational. Building off today’s high-contrast in color trends, complementary schemes with pink plus blue-green, green, or yellow-green blend the masculine cool side of the color wheel with the warmer, lighter, more feminine hues. And going off the wheel putting pink with yellow in an experimental combination is warm, fueling feelings of optimism and creativity. So how does pink translate into the interiors of today? Let’s take a look.
Monochromatic…
Diad Harmony…
Complementary Combinations…
Off the “Wheel” schemes in pink and yellow…
Animal prints ride a slippery slope between trendy and just plain tacky. They are in essence classic, however, it seems that the way we use animal prints or the type of animal print makes all the differences and is a sign of the times. One year it may be cheetah, the next zebra. One year it may be print, the next skin. No matter what the design, every year you can depend on an animal or two to represent all others as the “Hot” print(s).
So after the years of rotating and cycling in and out of trendiness, it’s time to put a new spin on these safari styles. With all the color in the future forecasts (check out our other trend tuesday posts), you won’t be surprised when I tell you that this year it’s color that wrangled up those rodeo prints and made hides hip again.
This season my question to you is “What color is that ________ (you fill in the animal print)…maybe Zebra?”
The focus isn’t necessarily about the design of the print itself, it’s all about how you pair it with color! Will the print be used in it’s natural palette to tie a colorful room together? Will the pattern emulate the true design and in it’s natural splendor bring interest to a bland space? Or will the animal be infused with color, pairing the print with a hue or two (or multi)? Guess what, they all work and they are all great recipes for decorating with these designs. So whatever you choose, cheetah, leopard, giraffe, zebra, cow, remember color is key to creating this hot look and keeping animal prints fresh as we move towards 2010.
I found these fabulous fabrics that combine today’s hot hues with designer animal styles to fit any interior decor. Add a touch of one of these to any space creating interest with a color infused natural pattern.
Portion control in any design can make or break the balance, but when working with animal prints this element becomes even more important. Too much or too many animal prints and you might think your room went on an African Safari or took a trip to Cody, Wyoming (the Rodeo Capital of the World). Now don’t get me wrong I do believe you can create a “Luxe Safari Style” or a “Western Rodeo Chic” design using animal prints to evoke a casual element in an elegant environment. So don’t stampede over your style, pay close attention to how much and how many animal prints you include in each space, like these successful spaces below…
Natures Neutrals Animal Prints
Animal Prints Surrounded by Color
What color was that animal print again? Animal Prints Infused with Color
The “it” color, the “hot” hue, it’s how we’ve referred to purple for more than a year now. So I’m confident when I say purple continues to reign supreme as the go-to color for fall. Purple has proven itself as a true color trend through longevity in the market along with its ability to change and create unique color combinations. It’s the perfect mix of both the warm stimulating qualities of red and the cool calming effect of blue. It can be subtle and sophisticated, or powerful and punchy.
Often when looking to nature for color inspiration we lean to green, blue, yellow, or even brown. Purple is typically the forgotten color, but when we describe different hues within the purple family we use natural associations. So why not use them as our inspiration for interiors.
One determining trend factor I look for are colors that can break down barriers. When a color usually connected with one industry, group, or gender begins showing up across the board and changes how someone from another area perceives the color, then you’ve got a successful color direction. Purple has successfully achieved this status, especially influencing men’s fashion. Because of its sensual and spiritual connotations, purple has feminine appeal and women are most attracted to this hue. However, the popularity of purple has also gained attention by the male sex, who are growing more comfortable with wearing the color as an accessory or even an entire outfit. Along with this new found apparel acceptance comes a refined attitude for using purple in other areas of their lives, including interior décor!
And this goes for women too!
So where is purple going next…well as blue gains popularity, purple begins to shift more and more towards the warmer red-violets making the range of purple more passionate, powerful, and hot. When it comes to interiors we will continue to use purple mixed with gray to create a grounded balance, and we will still see purples done in a complementary scheme (paired with it’s opposite), but what is really driving the purple trend forward is pairing this color in analogous (with colors that sit next to purple on the color wheel) or even diad palettes (purple plus another color two steps away). Let’s take a look at those combinations through some visual inspiration.
Monochromatic
Complementary
And now for the freshest look for purple…
Analogous and Diad color combinations. The idea here is to pair purple with the warm color that sits near it on the wheel, especially purples with reds and oranges, HOT!
And if those spaces aren’t quite colorful enough for you. Try expanding your color palette beyond just 2 or 3 colors and go for an Analogous scheme with 5 or even 6 colors. Beware: these are tricky, but when done with the right color proportion, temperature control, and addition of neutrals for balance, they can be really beautiful and in both of these rooms (below) the purple is what ties everything together. When using multiple colors like these two shots (below) from Rohm and Haas, don’t forget to give special attention to that inspiration color!
‘Light the Night Yellow’ on October 10th to bring Happiness to Depression and turn our front porches, towns, communities, and businesses yellow with lighting to symbolize the joy, hope, and happiness we feel when we have successfully treated our depression.
Then ‘Brighten Our World Pink’ on October 12th to get Sassy and turn our lights, towns, communities, and businesses pink to symbolize the boldness, courage, and sass of so many women and men that fight Breast Cancer.
People across the world are encouraged to put colored lights in their porch light or window both at home and at their place of business to create a beautiful environment to celebrate those that fight depression and breast cancer. Learn more at Brighten Our World…
Go directly to Mood Factory to find colored light bulbs…
What is it about the fame and fortune of Hollywood that is so fascinating? Maybe it’s our natural desire to surround ourselves with luxury. It could be our attraction to the glamorous style that defines the stars that live there. Or maybe it’s the glitz and glimmer, sparkle and shimmer, brilliance and beauty of precious metals that have long been the epitome of taste and style. Yeah, that’s it.
Gold has always been considered one of our most prized materials. It has an aesthetic appeal that is universal. Now the “new” metallic, a liquid washed gold, is taking center stage in haute couture fashion, automobiles, and high-end home interiors (among other areas). A colored neutral with an undertone of yellow, it’s a cross between opal and gold with gilded iridescence and a touch of fluidity. Like this for example…
The debut of this trend is one I’ve anxiously awaited, so you can imagine how delighted I was while watching the Emmy’s Red Carpet event and saw a plethora of luxe materials. My favorites stood out through their sheer elegance and reminded me of the parallels between fashion and home trends. Read more..
I’m all about inspiring people to use color and that is what my presentation last week at the House Beautiful Color Institute in Atlanta, GA was meant to do.
I thought about what I was going to say, put together some great boards and worked with Cathy the fabric guru at Ainsworth and Noah to find fabrics that would capture the audience’s imagination but what unexpectedly inspired the design mavens that attended my talk was the color of the sweater set I was wearing.
Sure, its is a great color for me and I love blue-greens but who would have thought it would have evoked so many comments? One of my friends from House Beautiful even asked me if I knew what paint color would be that blue since during my presentation he decided it was the perfect color for his bedroom.
Funny but I have been lusting after a room in deep blue too ever since I saw Windsor Smith’s kitchen on the cover Read more..
Did you ever look at the color scheme on a home and instantly think, “Love it!”? That was my reaction when I saw this home while in Provincetown, MA. I loved the color scheme but even with my knowledge of color it wasn’t immediately apparent to me why it worked so well.
I really had to look at the colors closely but once I did I discovered that there were three reasons that the colors on this home’s exterior worked so well.
I began by figuring out the undertone of the stained siding The shutters appeared to be a very muted tint of yellow-orange and harmonized rather than competed with the siding color but I wanted to be sure both colors were in the same color family.
I keep an NCS color deck in my car specifically for the purpose of generically determining paint colors. I can then use their standard and match to any paint brand’s color. Luckily, I was driving so I had it with me. My iphone color apps are helpful but in this case I really wanted to see the color standard next to the actual surface. I’m only sorry I didn’t think to take a picture so you could see it for yourself but it brings me to the first reason this color scheme works.
1. The color of the stained siding and the color of the shutters have the same undertone
The NCS standard confirmed that both the exterior siding stain and window shutter color had basically the same undertones. In the case of the siding the color is a visual blending of the stain along with some for the original color showing through so rather than guess which color stain would achieve the same results I check with the folks at Olympic Paint & Stain. Read more..
