The Color Forecast

Like the weather, color and trend forecasting is not an exact science. It's subject to the whims of the marketplace, including that most fickle of agents, the consumer. But trend gurus are keen observers of consumers' habits, and rely on increasingly sophisticated tools to help them make predictions about future tastes. So on the cusp of 2004, what are forecasters saying is the color of our future? What tones will grace new product lines in the new year?

Gifts & Decorative Accessories consulted several forecasters to find out what lies ahead in color. For directions already emerging — which will be even more noticeable in the coming months — we referred to Pantone's 2004 Home Furnishings Color Forecast. And to provide a little insight into what may be developing further ahead in 2005, we took a peek at some European fashion and lifestyle forecasts.

In a presentation at the recent International Home Furnishings Market in High Point, North Carolina, Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute in Carlstadt, New Jersey, offered some general observations on color:

• Orange. One of the biggest color phenomena in recent years, orange used to have a low-end perception (akin to polyester leisure suits and fast food). But now it's being used in industrial design, fashion, and architecture, all in very upscale ways. Designers are influenced by its multicultural connotations and relationships. And while the use of pure orange may have peaked, it hasn't disappeared completely. Rather, it's easing into softer hues.
• Yellow. A rapidly emerging color on the fashion scene, yellow is being touted as the new orange. Psychologically, it represents sun, lightness, and reflectivity, and is the color of highest visibility. The keyword that keeps cropping up is "Blonde," with all the golden tones that suggests.
• Red. Already brightening up the fashion scene, this trend has made the crossover into home decor. Bright cherry and lush "vixen" red, predominantly used as accent colors, add an element of fun and playfulness that is also very sophisticated. In more casual applications, intense use of red, red/orange, and bright pink adds a sense of liveliness to any product. The whole spectrum of reds — from orange through pure red to deep purple — is also being mixed with and used alongside of golden and earth tones.
• Purple. A complex color, purple's appearance in home decor is directed toward the fashion-forward customer. Within the purple family, mauve is re-emerging and being reinvented from its previous heyday in the early '80s. Mauve is now being used "around" other colors in distinctive combinations. One combination in particular, mauve with aubergine (a rich, luscious, brownish-black purple) has been well received by consumers.
• Green. If any color can be associated with social causes, that color is green. In the '70s, it was tied to the environmental movement; in the '90s, to the preservation of the rainforests; today/tomorrow, it takes on a more global significance, representing the preservation of the world. In this context, the yellow-green shades (which in some circles have been christened "Shrek" green) have the strongest influence, but not to the exclusion of the rest of the family. An organic color, green has come to represent that which is real in an increasingly artificial world. Look for it also as a natural neutral, used as a background that blends very well with a wide range of colors.
• Blue. Blue will always be a prominent aspect of style. Blue is calming, blue is tranquil; but the new blue is electric! Electric blue is stimulating and, like red, represents energy. Look for this exciting new tint used as an unexpected jolt of color.
• Brown. This is one color that is experiencing a total image makeover. Once utilitarian and "common as dirt," brown has become quite fashionable, indeed chic. It has an organic quality, signifying the richness of dense, fertile soil. But Brown's influences come mostly from food trends. It represents the robust succulence of a good cup of coffee and the delicious decadence of fine chocolate.
• Neutrals. Of course, the broader economy has an influence on the use of color, and in a less-than-energetic economy, there is a tendency to "regress" to neutrals — especially on high-end items. The traditional neutrals (black, white, beige, gray) are being used with stylish textures and/or patterns in a way that raises them right out of the boring range. Real mid-tone neutrals, such as a blue-gray and the new neutral green, also add a little life to neutrals.

The brown family should continue to gain strength throughout 2005 with its rich panoply of hues, reflected in the "Delicious" palette being presented by the British forecasting house, The Mix. This delectable grouping includes chocolates and mochas, as well as cinnamon-and-spice colors, tasty shades of cream and a soft, custardy yellow.

"Delicious" takes on a richer, more sophisticated tone than "Creature Comforts," Pantone's similar grouping for 2004, and incorporates some elements of the "Finishing Touches" palette. Texture and depth are suggested through subtle layering of color on color, such as the caramel-over-custard combination in crème caramel.

According to Pantone's Eiseman, black, white, sepia, and flannel gray will continue to gain strength as key color elements in 2005. This is also indicated by European forecasters, who are presenting these colors in pared-down palettes combined either with soft or deeply hued tones. The colors are also used playing off sheen and texture, with menswear influences of tweed, houndstooth, and twill, adding a feeling of vigor to the palette. Soft rose and mauve come into play on one branch of tints, and bright red continues to play out strongly on the other.

And what about that electric blue? In the Pantone forecast, it surfaces as a jolt of color juxtaposed against bright yellow in the "Global Warming" palette. Meanwhile, the French house Nelly Rodi Agency presents it as an accent against a background of rich brown/black/burgundy tones, with texture that enhances light and reflection.

The color wheel continues to turn — from one season to the next. And what's the forecast? Will it sell? Only the customer knows for sure.