Thanksgiving Colour Report
If there’s one specific design element I’m passionate about its Colour. Texture is a close second but I’ve always been blessed with the ability to see nuances in colours most people miss.
I love fall because deep, rich saturated colours surround us both indoors and out, making Thanksgiving the perfect time to celebrate everything we’re grateful for, including colour.
Here are a few colour trends to embrace when planning your families Thanksgiving celebrations, as well as some of my favourite resources to follow year round:
Defining Colour
Hue is a colour or shade in its truest form. Hue’s typically have a name - Red, Yellow, Green, Blue – or are an intermediate between these colours. Think yellowish-green Chartreuse or bluish-green Turquoise.
Value is the lightness or darkness of a colour. Picture a paint chip that goes from light to dark all within the same hue or colour family.
Saturation or Chroma refers to the intensity from pure colour (100%) to gray (0%), essentially how dominant a hue is within a colour. For example, the more pure red present in a reddish hue, the higher it’s saturation or chroma.
www.colormarketing.org
The Colour Marketing Group is my favourite resource when it comes to staying ahead of exciting new trends in colour. Whether you’re in fashion, marketing, art or design, all creative enthusiasts can benefit from subscribing to their monthly alerts.
CMG’s colour of the month for October is Provocateur:
Think a brighter Ox Blood, seen in fashion throughout fall 2012, or a more saturated version of Pantone’s wine-red Marsala, their take on 2015’s colour of the year.
www.pantone.com
The Pantone Color Institute is another great resource for colour trends, both annual and on a seasonal basis. Every year they study colour in all its expressions beginning with fashion to see which trends pop up on a macro level. They travel the world, speak to key influencers, people on the street, observe global nuances and use their backgrounds in psychology to choose a colour that represents the sentiment of the upcoming year.
This year their fall colour landscape ranges from earthy neutrals like Dried Herb 17-0627 and Desert Sage 16-0110 to bolder colour statements like Biscay-Bay 18-4726 and Reflecting Pond 19-4326, all of which compliment Masala 18-1438.
Paint Companies
The big paint manufacturers are all great resources as well.
Sherwin Williams colour of the month is Black Magic SW 6991. Black seems to be popping up everywhere this year from kitchen cabinets to wall colour. My personal favourite use is adding a few matte black accessories. It also happens to be the most approachable expression of the colour for most. After all, no room is complete without a few black accents to ground the space and matte textures are hot.
Whether or not you’re a fan of an all black room, I still encourage clients to embrace deep saturated colours this time of year. Huffington Post suggests golden yellow Turmeric, a dark burgundy Cognac or deep bluish Indigo for your Thanksgiving celebrations – all of which are consistent with Dulux and Benjamin Moore’s colour palettes for 2015.
Behr has even gone so far as to announce their 2016 colour trends well ahead of the curve: http://www.behr.com/consumer_ca/inspiration/2016-colour-trends
If you’re concerned about mixing colours, try using different values (light to dark) within the same hue for a monochromatic and contemporary look. Doing so with different textures only adds to the looks sophistication.
Most colours we’re seeing this fall evoke our love for nature and our timeless appreciation for warmth and security. They’re androgynous but fun and translate nicely into his and hers home décor.
Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to play with colour and make a statement in your home. Be sure and share your colour inspiration and creativity with the people you love most.
Wishing you and yours a colourful, stress free Thanksgiving long weekend this year!
