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Sometimes, color can evoke emotions we didn't even know we had. When Doug Wilson, one of the designers on The Learning Channel's popular "Trading Spaces", designed a sunroom for a homeowner in Philadelphia, he painted the walls a bright aqua. The rest of the woman's house was filled with the earth tones she said she adored -- browns, terra cotta, beige. "I gave her something as far away from earth tones as you could get," Wilson recalls. "And she loved it. When she saw it for the first time, she burst into tears. It was just so emotional for her to have that bright color and freshness in her home. With color you can give people something they didn't even know they wanted."
As more and more color permeates everything from our favorite TV shows to our cellphone covers, we're also growing more aware of -- and confident about -- using color in our homes. "People feel more capable of making intelligent color decisions on their own instead of slavishly following trends," says Jay de Sibour, president of the Color Marketing Group.
The past few decades have seen an "oatmealization of America," as Wilson puts it, "where burgundy, green and oatmeal go into every house." (Think about the avocado green and harvest gold of the '70s or the mauve of the '80s.) Color philosophy now, he says, is based more on "what feels good for the space" than what's currently hot.
That's not to say certain colors don't ride waves of popularity. They just don't saturate every aspect of décor anymore, and color preferences change so fast that even color experts can barely keep up. The Color Marketing Group, made up of design professionals across many industries, meets twice a year to predict what colors will be hot in 18 to 24 months. Some trends, such as the faltering economy, are easy to spot; others, such as the fervent patriotism and renewed nesting that followed the events of 9/11, are impossible to forecast.
Some ways in which news events affect color trends:
In tight economic times, people generally are more conservative and favor traditional colors: colonial blue, taupe, hunter green. People want value and longevity from what they buy (including paint), so they're less likely to purchase something that might go out of style in a year and need to be replaced.
Concern about the environment has moved from "hysterical" to mainstream, de Sibour says. Colors that reflect that concern (blues, greens, browns) are settling in to continued popularity.
A year after 9/11, there's a sense that people want to renew and refresh, so colors are becoming cleaner and brighter, de Sibour says. That means more bright red, cobalt blue and warm yellow.
Ethnic influences also appear in color choices. "When people migrate, they don't leave their colors behind," de Sibour says. Hence, vibrant south-of-the-border reds, yellows and oranges are popular, as are Asian-inspired hues like jade green and Chinese red.
Color experts agree: Don't worry about trends. Think about what makes you feel good. "We go to the home store and ask Bob in the light bulb section if he thinks this color will look good in our house," Lowell says. "Don't give away that power!"
Portland, Ore.-based writer Kathleen McCleary has a honey-colored living room accented with cherry red.
Originally appeared in the 29th Setptember, 2002 issue of USA WEEKEND. Reprinted with permission.
Living colors
Why color has such power?
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