Colors of the Year Contemplation

Have you ever contemplated how the “Color of the Year” is determined? Being in the color business one way or another for nearly half a century, I have frequently wondered about its origins. To satisfy my curiosity (and maybe yours) I’m taking a deep dive into its roots. I consider it an art and science thing based on CIPAD (my acronym for Color Inspiration, Psychology, and Anthropology in Design – kind of the opposite of insipid… bonus that it rhymes – since color is anything but dull or lifeless). Note: This blog is not about color theory which is based on colors organized on a color wheel and grouped into 3 categories: primary colors, secondary colors, and tertiary colors. But rather this is an article about how the major paint companies determine their Colors of the Year.

History of The Color of the Year

 “The Color of the Year” is a clever way to influence design choices, market paint products and prompt consumers to live on trend. The Pantone Color Institute^™ introduced its Color of the Year concept more than 20 years ago.

Shortly afterwards, as you may have noticed, other paint color companies e.g., Benjamin Moore®, Sherwin Williams®, Behr®, and others began to release their own Color of the Year palettes for their version of the hottest hues for any given year.

For 2021, the Benjamin Moore® Color of the Year is a subcategory of their Color Trends palette with 12 hues in it. While Behr® has their Color Trends Palette, and Sherwin Williams® has their Colormix® Forecast for the Color of the Year. We will also explore colours on the other sides of both big ponds: Farrow & Ball® in the UK and Dulux Australia®. These are all major international paint companies that are available in the US.

It all started in 1963 when Pantone introduced the colorful PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM^® to the printing world. Along the way, Pantone has grown to embrace a Universal Language of Color that aids color-critical decisions for brands and manufacturers.

There are several divisions within the Pantone domain. With the Pantone Color Institute^™ providing customized color standards, brand identity and product color consulting as well as trend forecasting that includes the Pantone Color of the Year, Fashion Runway Color Trend Reports, color psychology and more.

For our home furnishings discussion, it’s the PANTONE LIFESTYLE division where color and design cross paths for lifestyle-oriented industries – apparel, home, and accessories – inspiring daily life with purposeful color and patterns. If you want to know more About Pantone click here.

Keep in mind that the Pantone Color of the Year is a broad color stroke that is important to multiple industries. Whereas Benjamin Moore®, Sherwin Williams®, Behr®, Farrow & Ball®, and Dulux Australia® are home décor paint palettes.

So, let’s evaluate the various 2021 Colors of the Year for your home from the ideas of inspiration, color psychology, and cultural anthropology. But first, let’s define what those terms mean in general and how they relate to color at home.

Color of the Year Philosophy

Inspiration is the creative concept producing excitement in your mind or emotions to a high level of feeling or activity. Sometimes, inspiration may also be felt in the form of Divine guidance directly sensed by a human mind or soul. In other words, we are emotionally influenced and sparked into action by an idea (or color) that produces deeper meaning to a project or purpose.

Color Inspiration

Pantone explores the globe for color influences to select its Color of the Year. They are inspired by pop culture, film, popular travel destinations, socio-economic conditions, organic elements, art, fashion and so much more.

The Color of the Year greatly affects what products are made as well as our purchasing decisions across a variety of industries from fashion, industrial design, product packaging, graphic design, and home goods. All of the home paint color brands follow Pantone’s path searching the world for color inspiration encouraging you to Live Well Where You Dwell^©.

Psychology is the science of mental processes and behavior concerning the subtle strategic action or reason used to manipulate or influence another person.

Color Psychology

Color affects human behavior. It influences our opinions that may not be obvious in creating subtle consequences. We may wonder why we are more or less comfortable with certain colors or in particular environments. A color that creates one reaction in one person may create the opposite reaction in another because of cultural/ prior associations, or even just personal preferences. There is even psychology in creating the color names.

In any given year most of the paint companies title their palettes to “inspire” you. No matter how they label it the accord for 2021 is that there is a need for optimism, balance, and natural harmony at home. Your color choices at home can affect your personal well-being and what you bring forth to the world.

So with that, let’s explore the titles of this year’s color collections. We’ll call the  Benjamin Moore® palette “Settle In”;  Sherwin Williams® describes theirs as “Rhythm of Color”, and Behr® titled theirs “Elevated Comfort”; Grace Your Dwelling Place® characterizes it as “Live Well Where You Dwell^©”. The paint companies across the ponds didn’t title their 2021 trend palettes.

The inspiration for the transformative spirit of color and what the world needs now is heavily dependent (in my opinion) on the psychological aspect. Thus, this section is more thorough than the other philosophy sections. Psychology is a very strategic part of the color selection process that also includes inspiration and anthropology.

In general, colors may have the following associations:

•  Red: Passion, Love, Anger
•  Orange: Energy, Happiness, Vitality
•  Yellow: Happiness, Hope, Deceit
•  Green: New Beginnings, Abundance, Nature
•  Blue: Calm, Responsible, Sadness
•  Purple: Creativity, Royalty, Wealth
•  Black: Mystery, Elegance, Evil
•  Gray: Moody, Conservative, Formality
•  White: Purity, Cleanliness, Virtue
•  Brown: Nature, Wholesomeness, Dependability
•  Tan or Beige: Conservative, Piety, Dull
• Cream or Ivory: Calm, Elegant, Purity

Here are some reasonings regarding the noteworthy color palettes for 2021.
Blues and Greens:

Cool colors include green, blue, and purple which are often more subdued and understated than warm colors. They are the colors of night, of water, of nature, and are usually calming, relaxing, and somewhat reserved. Think of how the sea and sky provide subtle focus and calm.

Warm Neutrals:

Neutral colors often serve as the backdrop in design. They’re commonly combined with brighter accent colors. But they can also be used on their own and can create a very sophisticated mood. The meanings and moods of neutral colors are much more affected by the colors surrounding them. The warm neutrals of 2021 suggest a warm, cozy space that feels natural and earthy providing a casual comfort.

Vibrant and Playful Jewel Tones:

It makes sense that in unsettling times we want to make our homes feel as warm and welcoming as possible. Rich red/purple tones do just that by adding coziness to a room. Touches of lavish bold hues can easily be mixed into a neutral room for a touch of luxurious comfort producing a sense of optimism.  A vibrant yellow is believed to heighten awareness and enhance intuition.

“Our most basic [color] associations started with our instinctive need to survive…”

Anthropology is the scientific study of human societies and cultures based on the circumstances of environment and development. There is also a part of Christian theology concerning the origin, nature, and future of humans, especially as contrasted with the nature of God.

Color Anthropology

Color is hardwired into the human experience. From the very beginning, color informed our daily lives. In his book Color Inspirations Darius A. Monsef IV says, “Our most basic associations started with our instinctive need to survive[…]blue water to quench our thirst,[…]red fire for warmth,[…]green plants for food.”

Our relationship with color has evolved to express emotion, class, and spirituality. Each hue has its own deep history of meanings. Color may have different meanings and responses across cultures and environments. Cultural differences can affect the perception of a hue’s meaning – while a hue that’s happy and uplifting in one country might be gloomy and depressing in another.

Color of the Year Analysis

Summarized below are each paint brand’s Color Palette with their featured “color of the year” shown as the background color and one of their coordinating colors (of my choosing) used as the text color. Descriptions point to each brand’s inspirational, psychological, and anthropological reasonings.

Color of the Year Conclusion

Have you noticed how all the colors across all brands easily mix and match, coordinate, and interchange with each other? I wonder…do these companies consult with each other?

 All of the brands’ 2021 color palettes include neutrals mixed with some lavish bolds to create energizing yet comforting zones in a home. Then there are the counterpoints of the calming cool lighter colors that balance the palettes with tranquility. Overall, the philosophy behind the 2021 color palettes totally embraces my mantra: Harmony and Balance at home to Live Well Where You Dwell_©

I quite like many of the colors in all the brands’ palettes. Thinking I might repaint a bathroom (including the ceiling) and possibly add some accent décor pieces here and there elsewhere. Are you inspired to refresh your home?

In the final analysis let’s summarize CIPAD as: “Color inspires us to behave as our own particular person based on our experiences and environment.” Please don’t be a chaser of trends – be your own person and incorporate what works for you. I’d be happy to help you!

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