by Kathy McCleary,
HGTV Ideas magazine
You're dying for a red sofa, but red is "out," so the only fabrics you can find are in shades of mauve and pink. What's going on here?
Every year, professional forecasters try to pick the colors that will dominate everything from fashion to car upholstery. Forecasters try to read the "mood" of the country and note trends. Can color preferences really predict the future?
Absolutely, says Margaret Walch, director of the Color Association of the U.S. "Color is a highly subjective, intuitive, irrational kind of choice. So if you have all the world rushing toward pink, including men, that would be highly indicative of something, such as a wish to return to more secure times. The economy is on people's minds, and you're seeing men wearing that pink Brooks Brothers buttoned-down look from the '50s." Similarly, a current passion for purple, "the color of the mind," reflects the cyberworld of the new millennium.
What's ahead for 2001-02? Here, top color experts reveal what to watch for in the months ahead:
Hot colors. Global warming, the influence of Asian and Southern Hemisphere cultures, even the film Traffic, all led the movement toward bright, warm colors, says Margaret Walch. The warm reds, yellows and oranges of South America will dominate, says Leslie Harrington, of Benjamin Moore. "The Hispanic population is going to become the largest segment of our population in the future, so look at Hispanic cultures and how they look at color," she says. Usually colors from warmer climates tend to be cleaner and fresher looking, Harrington says, very strong yellows and oranges, "hot salsa colors." A preference for red will also reflect the influence of Asian cultures, in which red, the color of prosperity, plays a key role.
Complex colors. "Life is complex, color is complex," Walch says. "What we don't want is simplistic color." The "bread and butter" colors right now are strong neutrals , says Leslie Harrington, but they're not the beiges of years past. "They're very sophisticated neutrals, not beige or taupe or cream, but there's one color that's all three of those at the same time." The complexity of a color, Harrington says , can be summed up in how many words you need to describe it--a "creamy, taupe-y beige" as opposed to a simple "tan."
Green. Pale celadon will be one of the top hues, says Margaret Walch. The color reflects the popularity of gardening (and growing bamboo, in particular), as well as the growing popularity of teahouses in major urban areas, which often decorate with live bamboo.
Brown. Taking a cue from the fashion world, which embraced brown in place of black this season, mahogany wood colors will be popular for interiors, says Walch: "There's security in brown," something people long for in uncertain times.
Orange. Young people, those in their teens and twenties, love it, says Harrington . "Almost anyone over 30 remembers orange from a past life. But young people have never experienced it and for them it's very new."
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