What is the color of the year?

You might answer “Greenery”, which would be correct. Or you might say, “What is a ‘color of the year’?”. That’s a good answer too.

Pantone Color of the Year

Pantone is a color management company headquartered in New Jersey. They sell products and services that help people match colors or accurately communicate information about colors. They also have something called the Pantone Color Institute, considered a global authority on color.

Every year, Pantone reviews a variety of trends, from women’s fashion to to film to art, and tries to forecast what colors will be popular in the coming year.

That color, once identified, shows up in consumer products like makeup and home decor. Hotels will use it when redesigning their rooms and companies will use it for logos.

For example, the Color of the Year in 2016 was a combination of Rose Quartz and Serenity Blue. If you look up “serenity blue eyeshadow” on the internet, you’ll find several brands.

Why the Color of the Year is Helpful

Pantone isn’t the only company to try and forecast the popular colors for the coming year. Many others, such as paint companies, try to figure this out so that they can offer colors that will be part of that year’s trends.

It’s fun for the homeowner to learn about popular colors and use it for accessories in a home. You might want to add some trendy towels in the bathroom or add a throw rug somewhere. Lots of home decor can be found in the chosen color and a few easily-changed items make your home look current. We don’t recommend using the Color of the Year for major renovations, though. It’s likely to have a limited lifespan and if you install expensive window coverings or have drapes made in that color, you may regret that decision.

Contact us if you’d like some assistance balancing trends and current styles in your home. Our interior designer, Theresa, knows how to make your home look beautiful and timeless, regardless of your own personal favorite color.

Colorado Springs may be on every list of the best places in America to live, but when it comes to interior design it’s not the trendiest place.

Before you start imagining kitchens that were last decorated in the 1950s, let us explain. Colorado Springs residents don’t usually go for flashy trends and with good reason. Our city is home to many military families who know they will probably have to move again in a few years. Why decorate in a way that will have to be renovated again for sale? We also tend to be thoughtful, financially conservative people who weigh risks carefully and often prefer home decor that will last a long time.

Staying away from trends or using less expensive pieces, like rugs and accessories, to enjoy trends in your home makes good sense. Trends tend to start on the coasts and they take a while to migrate to Colorado. By the time the trend gets here, it might only have a couple of years left and if you’ve sided your home in the latest colors or bought the trendiest furniture, you may have to replace it before you’ve even had time to get it dirty.

Our designer, Theresa Guthals, knows about the latest trends and she can incorporate them into your home using items that you won’t mind replacing in a few years. But her main focus is on what makes a home current, as opposed to trendy.

Current styles make your home look fresh and updated, but they will also last a long time. You won’t need to renovate everything if you need to sell, but your New York relatives won’t feel like they’ve stepped back in time when they visit either.

What are up and coming styles in Colorado Springs at this writing?

• Simplicity
• Taupe and gray colors
• Vintage and cottage looks with a modern twist
• Homes that look like an updated lodge with warm tones and dark wood floors

In the end, it doesn’t matter what the coastal trends are. Contact us and Theresa will make your home look like your dream home, right here in Colorado Springs.

Who thought of using a barn door in a house? Why do you keep hearing about the Color of the Year? Why do living rooms in New York City influence living rooms in Colorado Springs?

Here in the Mountain West, we tend to think that New York and Los Angeles drive the trends, but actually the single most influential factor in interior design is the economy. The way people perceive their prospects for financial success has a surprisingly large impact on how they prefer their surroundings.

Need proof? During the Great Recession, the most popular colors to paint, upholster or cover windows were varieties of gray. People were feeling gray after absorbing bad news and when the population of a country is feeling fear and despair, they like their surroundings to be calm, cool and not too exciting. After all, who needs anxiety magnified by bright colors?

It sounds a little silly when we write it down, but it’s true. The economic news has been improving and colors are getting more cheerful. But if that’s the case, why do we still see grays? The economy may have a lot to say about interior design, but it’s not the only influence.

In our high-tech times, trends are often started through the media. People see things they like on Facebook, Instagram and others that influence their own design choices. Retailers try to provide what people want and suddenly a widely-shared picture of a celebrity’s home is echoed in homes around the country.

Entertainment media also has widespread effect. People like things they see in movies. The décor used in a popular movie can show up in modern homes. Remember the blockbuster, Titanic? The early 20th century décor from the movie showed up in homes. In a similar vein, decorating shows are watched by people who use their ideas and create trends.

As you can imagine, trends don’t last as long as they used to. The lifespan of a trend, from inception to obsolescence, used to be about ten years. Today it’s five to six years.

You’ll want to keep that in mind as you make your design choices, whatever you think will happen in the financial world. Call us to make the most of your investment and keep your home looking current regardless of the stock market’s direction.