JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA –
Just as styles come and go, colors used in interior design also follow trends. To learn what’s new in home design, Judith Sisler Johnston, president, Sisler Johnston Interior Design and ASID member, recently attended a color forecast seminar with Lisa Jenkins of Sherwin-Williams.
“I have a responsibility to my builder and residential clients to stay on top of color trends,” Sisler Johnston said. “When I design a model showhome or a client’s private residence, I want to provide them with the latest colors coming into the marketplace rather than what may be leaving. Selecting the top colors, styles and materials can add lasting value and enjoyment to a home’s interior.”
Many things influence color trends and preferences, including technology, psychology, the environment and the economy. Technology systems and LED lights have created a yearning for bright, vivid, clear colors. Technology is creating many changes and, in some cases, challenges in our environments. As a result, the trend is moving to colors that are warm and predictable. There is a growing interest in environmental colors and in preserving the environment by choosing paints and materials that support and sustain it. The economy shapes color preferences. A robust economy sees more vibrant and optimistic colors, while more people gravitate towards gray when there is a downturn.
Demographics also influence color trends. Generation Y (born between 1981 and 1995) are comfortable with technology, something they have been exposed to since birth. This group is globally minded and at ease in the coffee shop culture with a mocha in one hand and a laptop in the other. Their color preferences reflect their interests, including mocha latte, grey screen, cyberspace and even “Shrek” green for the young teens.
Generation X (age 25-45) seeks colors that give them a sense of security and distance from the technological world they live in during the work week. They like colors that reflect their global interests and connections, frequently choosing escapist décor themes and colors from Asia, Africa, India and Morocco. They choose confident, saturated shades with names that are alive with the feeling of faraway places, such as river rouge, smoky topaz, Kendal green and quiet coral. They prefer to use these colors in combination with dark (often distressed) exotic wood finishes.
Baby Boomers “have it all” and like the unexpected. They prefer natural colors
that blend the outdoors with the indoors, organic materials, wicker furnishings, floral prints and weathered copper. Colors that appeal to this group include indigo, auburn, jade, blue, orange and mocha.
For all groups, brown is the color that continues to grow in popularity. Brown is earthy, organic and grounding. It makes people feel more connected. According to Sherwin Williams, brown is the grounding color for the next several years and color cycles.
Another company, ICI Paints, also finances extensive worldwide research on color preferences, forecasts and trends. The company releases detailed information on color trends each year. Compared to recent years, their color futures team sees a greater contrast between light and dark colors, clean, saturated colors and dedicated neutrals in the new palette colors.
ICI Paint’s 2006 master color palette includes several changes. The red palette has added dusty pinks and fleshy pinks. In the orange palette, last year’s fiesta brights have given way to softer tones. The yellow palette re-introduces warmer shades to round out last year’s citric and acidic colors.
The green palette has expanded from watery green-blues to stronger hues, such as emerald and teal. The blue palette is also more intense and includes duck’s egg and peacock blue. The violet palette is less important than recent years, although dramatic violet accents are still a powerful trend.
 The warm and cool neutral palettes continue to remain important. The warm neutrals have a green influence at their core. ICI Paint’s team selected kiwi yellow
enhanced with green as the 2006 color of the year. The soft green gold is listed with ICI Paint’s reconstructive palette, one of five themed color groups contained with the company’s master palette.
“Their 2006 color of the year is expressive, naturally restorative, vital and nourishing,” Sisler Johnston said. “Both companies have great, user-friendly Web sites that illustrate the full range of this year’s color forecast trends.”
Sisler Johnston Interior Design of Jacksonville creates award-winning interior designs for the real estate industry, hospitality industry, commercial, and residential clients. The company celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2004.
The Sisler Johnston team of licensed, highly trained and gifted designers successfully creates living spaces from concept through realization throughout the United States. Judith Sisler Johnston combines experience, knowledge and professionalism to help clients develop their vision while analyzing their design requirements. The company has been recognized with more than 70 industry awards, including Aurora, Laurel and Excel awards. For more information about Sisler Johnston Interior Design, call (904) 288-0908 |
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