Quick! What color is surreal? Or real? What color is nature, or nurture? And optimism?
If you don’t know, paint companies will be happy to tell you, because those are the “in” colors for 2009.
Or so they would like to have you think.
Sometime after paint companies started calling rust “robust” and light blue “limerick,” they started cooking up annual color trend stories to rev paint sales. Here’s how it works: Once a year paint marketing teams sit locked in a room hooked to IVs of caffeine, sugar and some hallucinogen. Their task is to come up with language that is at once edgy and vapid, then bridge that to a message that prompts consumers to buy paint.
Consider such recent decorating themes as organic comfort and modern tranquility. If these color descriptions leave you wondering, that’s the point.
Pittsburgh Paints’ color theme for 2009 is “Sur- real/Real.” The concept aims to “convey two divergent yet equally compelling directions of home decor,” the company says. “The four Surreal/Real color palettes let consumers choose — fantastical or rational — creating a unique and personalized color story for each and every home.”
Uhh, could you clarify that?
“Picture someone standing with her two feet planted on the ground and her head in the clouds — living, in a sense, between earth and sky. That’s what today’s experience is all about — the duality and the dynamism.”
What does this have to do with your walls?
Rohm and Haas Paint Quality Institute’s upcoming color trends are also clear as squid ink: “Color for 2009 draws on inspiration from both nature and nurture,” the company says. “Key drivers for 2009 color choices include aspirations that create a comfortable and tranquil home environment, coupled with a return to authentic and sustainable materials.”
Huh? What color is authentic and sustainable? Anyone? And how is this to help me decide what color to paint my kitchen?
At Benjamin Moore, the color of optimism is yellow. But not any yellow, St. Elmo’s Fire 362 yellow. The company’s marketing rationale: “We’re headed for transition in 2009, and 362 is a zesty citron yellow that conveys a sense of optimism about what lies ahead.”
Whew! I feel better about my stock portfolio already.
I don’t mean to sound snarky. I’m a color junkie. I could spend all day flipping through a Pantone color book. I enjoy watching colors cycle in and out, and adore the way paint transforms a room.
But it also seems like paint companies are trying a little too hard. I expect to be confused when someone explains the human genome project. But why make choosing color so complicated?
And just one more question: What color is baffling?
Clarification: Last week’s column indicated that limited-edition art-glass pieces by famous artists are not true collectibles. These pieces do cost less than originals but also carry the artist’s name. They are a good way to start collecting.
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Behind the hues and cry
Sonu Mathew is an interior designer and senior manager of color and design for Benjamin Moore. With a few broad brushstrokes, she offered some insight into the color marketing world.
Know the game. Then get in it. Paint manufacturers, as well as makers of other interior design products, car manufacturers and those in the fashion industry, all look to color forecasters to see where color trends might be heading. The forecasting groups plant seeds for color trends two years ahead. Manufacturers then interpret the forecasts for their products and customers.
Isn’t that manipulative? Sort of. Sure, paint companies are trying to sell paint. One way to do that is to make certain colors seem hot and others feel dated. But we benefit, too. Consumers want to change up the color around them because the renewal feels uplifting.
Start with what you love. Though it’s nice to find a color that expresses your personal style and is also current, if you don’t love a color, it doesn’t matter what the forecasts say, according to Mathew. Her advice: Find something in your home — a piece of art, a hand-painted heirloom chest, a quilt — to draw color inspiration from. That passion will last longer than any trend.
If you do use a color that a paint company is promoting, don’t worry that it will soon be passe, assures Mathews. Color evolves. The yellow that’s in today will only change slightly in tone over the next few years.
Combinations count. Color depends on context. Color pairing matters as much as individual color. Golden yellow with chestnut brown can look out, while citrus yellow with graphite gray can look in.
Pick your palette. Consider these three main palettes when deciding the mood you want: Monochromatic schemes use similar shades of the same color, and are the most restful. Contrasting schemes place light next to dark and add energy to a space. (Think bumblebee.) Analogous color schemes incorporate two colors next to each other on the color wheel, like blues and purples, and are most comfortable to live with.
You decide what’s in style. “What says optimism to you is what matters,” Mathews says. “We’re just here to spark ideas. How you create your environment is still in your control.” Meanwhile, if the paint companies have gotten you thinking about color, they’ve done their job.
