There’s something so exciting about each New Year’s color direction, isn’t there? Almost like a sneak peek into our future happiness, plans, and hope. For those who love color, and use it in our work, an unexpected color choice from experts in the industry can inspire us to go beyond what we may have pushed towards on our own. It can give us new direction in our work, and an advantage in our offering by using it.
Color is the number one reason purchases are made. It can take a simple product and make it so much more. It’s the most exciting part of any project I work on and the reason I love working as a color consultant.
2022 Colors of the Year
The 2022 Colors of the Year have a lot in common this year and speak to a trend that is occurring worldwide.
In the last 2 years, nature has taken a more personal role in all of our lives. As we’ve struggled to stay within restricted boundaries, what’s right outside our door has taken on new meaning. We’ve gained a new respect for nature and appreciate the value it adds to our lives. Rather than something to manage, we’ve started collaborating and cohabitating with nature. The products we choose to have in our homes reflect this. From more natural and exposed raw edges in furniture and products, to the increased number of house plants, to outdoor spaces that expand our home. We’ve depended on nature to help us get through.
It’s no surprise then, that so many of the 2022 Colors of the Year are in the green family. Nature becomes a steady that grounds us as we venture into the chaos of the world, and then return to it to recharge and renew ourselves. It’s become a part of our homes, our lives, our families, and we use it to expand our personal environments.
Behr’s 2022 Color of the Year, Breezeway, speaks to blending inside and outside as we expand our relationship with nature. On their website, Behr promotes Breezeway as “a relaxed and uplifting sea glass green expressing peace and tranquility for forward movement.”
PPG’s 2022 Color of the Year, Olive Sprig, is an “elegant, grounded, versatile and highly-adaptable grey-green, this color represents regrowth in a post-pandemic world, mimicking nature’s resiliency.”
Sherwin Williams 2022 Color of the Year, Evergreen Fog is a "versatile and calming hue, a chameleon color of gorgeous green-meets-gray, with just a bit of blue. It's a simple but sophisticated wash of beautiful, organic color for spaces that crave a subtle yet stunning statement."
Glidden’s 2022 Color of the Year, Guacamole, is a “spirited yet soothing green” that “brings an organic energy to any space.”
Etsy's 2022 Color of the Year, Emerald Green "symbolizes harmony and growth, along with royalty and refinement," and is the "perfect color to remind us to find balance this year."
Pantone’s 2022 Color of the Year, Very Peri, offers a “courageous presence” and “encourages personal inventiveness and creativity.”
Wait. Very Peri amidst all the green? Actually, it makes perfect sense.
Paint companies are product based, looking to promote and sell colors that consumers would readily accept into their homes right now. Essentially, they are offering advice on which color would best speak to what is currently going on in the marketplace with furniture, accessories, and art. It’s part of an overall picture that the consumer can visualize in their homes and utilize immediately.
Etsy’s color, pushes the limits a little taking the trend in a more dramatic direction that still speaks to the overall trend, but offers something that forward-thinking consumers find exciting and ahead of the curve. Their products are maker-focused and customizable, making them easy to turn trends on a dime. It’s a beautiful color that again, works well with what is going on in the marketplace with home décor.
Pantone, on the other hand, is setting the tone for what’s to come further down the road while complementing what is working today. On the color wheel, Very Peri is actually a complementary of the green ranges we see from other forecasts. That makes it a bold statement in contrast, yet workable and pushing us toward what’s next.
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