Color trends, sigh…
Each year paint companies feature and promote a selection of colors and they have just been announced for 2016. Benjamin Moore has announced their ‘color of the year’ is Simply White and Sherwin Williams has announced four different color palettes for 2016, each palette containing six to ten different colors. Some are toned and understated and others are bold and bright, you take your pick. I love hearing about these announcements, they come with some slick high quality printed materials that are fun to look at and as a designer, the professionally lighted, designed and photographed images are inspirational. They might actually make you believe your room can look just like their room if you merely paint it the same color. They are certainly fodder for ideas, which is a good thing but what if your room doesn’t have the same light exposure, ceiling height or architectural style?
A space needs to be properly evaluated before colors are selected and they should not be selected solely because they are the trend. The foundation of my color consulting is color psychology and I always start with finding out how you would like to feel and experience a space first since the response to color is an emotional response. Colors can make us feel calm, comforted or warm, or agitated, uncomfortable and even depressed. Trend colors have a place in my recommendations not because they are trendy but because they are what works for the space. If a trend color is one you happen to like and use there will be a multitude of products available on the market at that time such as rugs, towels, bedding, pillows and accessories so I recommend you take advantage of it and buy up what you need. Once a color is ‘out-of-date’ those products will disappear to be replaced with the next trend color.
My desire is to help you select colors that truly work for your space and you will be happy in for many years because they do what you asked them to do, not because they are a trend.
Wenberg Color Design 