2010 Color Trends and Environmental Influences

There is a huge surge of interest in 'going green' and focusing on organic or environmentally friendly products. With it has brought us consumer products in colors that relate to all the attributes of life…water, light, earth, and atmosphere, from paint to fabrics to cars.

Blue relates to the oceans and water, which is essential to life. Derivatives of blues are relaxing and promote tranquility, peace. Yellows, reds, corals, and coppers relate to flames, in particular the sun and light. They are vibrant and promote vitality. Earth tones naturally relate to soil and metals. Grays and browns are neutral in color and help promote comfort and give us an opportunity to create pleasing contrasting palets of color. Light neutral whites, beiges, and creams relate to air and our atmosphere and promote serenity. They are ethereal, with a weightless luminescence becoming somewhat spiritual. All of these components lead us to green, the symbolic poster color for life. Green is mother nature’s neutral. Botanical elements in a design convey renewal, rebirth, and growth providing a sense of serenity and revitalization.


FOUR COLOUR THEMES FOR 2010
First up are the thoughts from Lee Eiseman, Pantone Colour Institute.



1. Molecular
Includes a purpled wine, a very deep green, a navy black and a coffee brown


2. Byzantine
Includes metallics, shimmery gold, rich reds, vibrant blues and purples.



3. Deconstructing – Reconstructing:
Includes ochre, brown and black are accented with topiary greens and lipstick red.



4. Multiple Identity:
Includes blues, irises and browns along with pink, browns, and roses.


TOP 10 COLOUR TRENDS FOR 2010

Here are the thoughts of Victoria Redshaw, from Trend Forecasters, Scarlet Opus.

1. TURQUOISE: 2010 is a big year for blue and a strong shade of turquoise sets a summery tone that is sure to give an upbeat vibe. Turquoise is very versatile and looks amazing with all sorts of unexpected colours such as Red, Hot Pink, Coral, Chocolate, Malachite Green, Mellow Yellow and Grey!
2. INDIGO: The blue renaissance continues with a deep Indigo. It’s the new Black! It plays a crucial part in moving the whole ‘tribal’ trend forward and gives a sophisticated African aesthetic.
3. MELLOW YELLOW: Get in the mood with Mimosa! It’s time to rethink Yellow and team it with some trendy partners like Grey or Indigo. Yes it gives us a sun-shiney vibe but it can also create very sophisticated room schemes, is unisex and projects colour-confidence without being ‘in your face’!
4. COPPER: Metallics move away from Yellow-Gold towards warmer Copper tones. Expect to also see Bronze and Rose-tinted Golds…and Blackened Gold!
5. GREEN: From Moss to Malachite, Kelly to Chlorophyll…greens are used in 2010 as a literal expression of Green issues being so high profile. Look out for sharp Lime accents popping up in unexpected places!
6. RED: A bold block of rich red delivers sumptuous glamour to dark room schemes and
is also a fantastic peppy accent colour for existing neutral or black & white rooms.
7. PUTTY: 2010 is a year dominated by femininity in design…curvaceous furniture
shapes, soft handle fabrics and nude tones including shades of putty, intimate pinks andsoft blush peach.
8. GREY: This new neutral is here to stay! Use shades of Grey in the same way as you
would cream, beige or white as it works with just about every colour you can think of.
9. CORAL: Striking Coral shades alongside Pink jewel tones and rich Maroons provide an exotic vibe…but Coral can also play a starring role in neutral room schemes that have a calm, beachy aesthetic. It looks great next to the pebble Grey shade!
10. WHITE: It’s the future!

Summing up, yellow, green, and grey will be great colors to work with if you're planning a remodel in 2010. Yellow brings a vibrancy like no other while green is calming and soothing. Combined they can make quite a statement. Just be careful not to overstimulate the yellow. Use yellow in a kitchen, it can stimulate and motivate and even aid in digestion. Another great combination is yellow with grey. This combination is sophisticated and stylish. Meanwhile, using green in a bedroom can create a calming, earthy escape. Purple will also begin to make a comeback. Rich plum purples and vibrant violet purples will be ideal for 2010. They represent a unique standpoint, romance and global diversity, among others. Various shades of orange will also help bring vibrancy to a room. Pairing purple and orange can be a great way to add rich, vibrant color to a space. Of course, be sure not to overdo it unless you're going for a scary Halloween effect. Turquoise has been declared the color of the year. And given recent events along our Gulf Coast, the selection of turquoise as the color of the year pays homage that the sea is key to our livelihoods. Turquoise and blues paired with reds or corals may turn out to be the next trendy color scheme.

Of course, these are only a few of the colors you may be seeing in the design world this year and next. Color is very personal with no specific color being bad. Just take care to work colors properly with balance, structure, and texture. And an interior designer can help you accomplish that goal.