Pantone Announces Color of the Year for 2010

Pantone LLC ,the global authority on color and provider of professional color standards for the design industries, today announced PANTONE® 15-5519 Turquoise, an inviting, luminous hue, as the color of the year for 2010. Combining the serene qualities of blue and the invigorating aspects of green, Turquoise evokes thoughts of soothing, tropical waters and a languorous, effective escape from the everyday troubles of the world, while at the same time restoring our sense of wellbeing.

“In many cultures, Turquoise occupies a very special position in the world of color,” explains Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “It is believed to be a protective talisman, a color of deep compassion and healing, and a color of faith and truth, inspired by water and sky. Through years of color word-association studies, we also find that Turquoise represents an escape to many – taking them to a tropical paradise that is pleasant and inviting, even if only a fantasy.”
Whether envisioned as a tranquil ocean surrounding a tropical island or a protective stone warding off evil spirits, Turquoise is a color that most people respond to positively. It is universally flattering, has appeal for men and women, and translates easily to fashion and interiors. With both warm and cool undertones, Turquoise pairs nicely with any other color in the spectrum. Turquoise adds a splash of excitement to neutrals and browns, complements reds and pinks, creates a classic maritime look with deep blues, livens up all other greens, and is especially trend-setting with yellow-greens.

In fashion, Turquoise makes a statement that can look elegant and dressy in fine silk and gemstones, or casual and fun in cotton and athletic apparel. Because of its versatility, Turquoise is a great accent color in jewelry, purses, shoes, hair accessories and even nail polish for women, and ties, shirts and sportswear for men.

Tinsley from Jet Set Next

Taylor from Dramatical

Trendspot saw this coming and showed Turquoise in several tints and shades in our 2009-2010 Trend Color Palettes. Most notably in Dramatical and Jet Set Next.

Color Inspiration is a Snap!

The upcoming Sept/Oct WF Vision magazine is our always popular Color issue and we're extending an invite to all iPhone groupies a unique way to get involved. For those of you who might not have heard the news, Sherwin Williams launched a fantastic little iPhone app earlier this year call ColorSnap. Take a look at the intro details on the ColorSnap home page, which includes a link to the free download. It's easy, fun, practical and addictive!

Share your ColorSnaps with the Vision community and be entered into a drawing for 5 Sherwin Williams Professional Color Files. Let us know what's inspiring you...a recent vacation? a beautiful floral display? an exotic fabric? What is it, what does it mean to you and how would you love to use it in a design? We’ll share your inspiration with our readers in the Color issue.

We've started a Flickr group for this and/or you can post to the Vision Facebook gallery, or feel free to simply e-mail us with your ColorSnap inspirations. Watch for the Sept./Oct. issue to see if your color inspiration made the pages and the drawing winners. Let's all go get creative!

ColorSnap is Genius!

In the weeks before NeoCon, I receive loads of press releases touting all the new products that were launched during the show. One in particular caught my eye - Sherwin Williams' Color Snap. This Apple iPhone application allows users to quickly and easily capture hues from their surroundings and match them to more than 1,500 Sherwin-Williams colors! So I downloaded the app to my shiny new iPhone before NeoCon and when I arrived at NeoCon I headed to the Sherwin William's booth to get a quick tutorial. This is how it works-Find a color you love, snap the photo and receive the matching Sherwin-Williams paint color and coordinating palette. You even get coordinating color schemes, and RGB numbers and can create your own inspiration library of saved colors. And it's free!

I have already used it several times matching colors while shopping for rugs for a new client. Definitely a must have for your Designer toolkit.

Spotted: Not So Mellow Yellow

Pantone has named Mimosa, an orange-juice tinted yellow, the 2009 color of the year. The hue is best illustrated by the abundant flowers of the Mimosa tree and the sparkle of the brilliantly hued cocktail.
According to Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, yellow is the color of change, of hopefulness, of warmth . "We chose yellow based on the ... elephant in the room, the economy," says Eiseman. “The color yellow exemplifies the warmth and nurturing quality of the sun, properties we as humans are naturally drawn to for reassurance,” explains Eiseman “Mimosa also speaks to enlightenment, as it is a hue that sparks imagination and innovation.”

We spotted yellow popping up all over the place on both sides of the Atlantic.

Yellow provides the POP in color and pattern schemes at Heimtextil 2009.



Window shopping in the Saint Germain in Paris, I spotted this tablescape at Misssionier. They duplicated the window in their booth at M&O.



Houles booth at Editeurs M&O showcasing their Soho trim with citron yellow drapery panels.

Tamara Bed Linens from Marimeko for Crate and Barrel. Who wouldn't be happy under these covers?

Ahead of The Curve- Wild Flora by Anna French

A year ago at Heimtextil, I was reintroduced to Anna French at the Thibaut booth. I fell head over heels in love again with her powerful use of color, bold scale and flair for the dramatic. Now I know that some of you might give me an argument about that- Tricia Guild for insistence- but I find myself drawn to most everything she does. Her new collection is no exception. Wild Flora is a gorgeous vintage floral collection that pushes the boundaries of document designs with printing techniques on foils and textured non-woven papers. Traditional designs are given a modern twist with mirrored flowers, white on white prints, and a tarnished metallic effect that resembles a Venetian palace mirror.

Velvet Jacquard, pictured here, is a striking design in purple on lime green, available in other colors including a soft pink /silver, black glitter, fushia and brown/rose gold.


Ok- fabri-olic that I am, I admit to having a sample of this hanging in my guest room. I am dying to use this in a window treatment. It is a soft, cut pile velvet weave from Italy with a vintage finish. It has longer pile flock that adds a glimmering fiber optic quality and sparkle to the room. The problem is I can't decide which color.

Songbirds- there are those bird motifs again- is stunning in Black/Silver.