The Magic of Color: Color Trends 2009

Color. Our world is saturated with it, from the bright yellow of fresh daffodils to the dark rusty red of an exposed brick wall; color can change the whole look of a room.

In Designer Monthly's The Magic of Color, we look at a different color each month. As you learn in the first Unit of the Sheffield Complete Course in Interior Design, a designer has available an infinite range of hues, both natural and man-made. When painting, you can combine colors to form other colors, in an endless array of shades. Manufacturers of everything from throw pillows to lampshades can also produce this vast palette. And then you must also consider the artwork that will hang in the rooms you design.

Welcome to the world of color. Everywhere we turn, there it is the deep indigo blue of a favorite old sweater, the glossy green of rhododendron leaves in a rainstorm, the rich brown of the soil as you begin to plant your spring flowers. We hope you'll join us each month on this exciting journey, as we take a close look at a color we love.

With the economic sinking faster than Bernie Madoff’s reputation, with much of the northern hemisphere blanketed in snow and sheltered with grey skies, it’s time to start thinking about color. Rich, wonderful, mood-changing color.

To find out where color is headed for 2009, we went to the people at Benjamin Moore. There, we got some good news: neutrals are in — way in — but they’re brightened by organic bright colors. The neutral backgrounds set off these brights, making them really pop, and bringing a room to new life.

According to Doty Horn, color forecaster for Benjamin Moore, the new colors will be complemented by a more simple design, which is to be expected as we move into more lean economic times.

“Simplicity is the theme for 2009, and this is reflected in the way we will pare down; there will be a rawness of living and the acceptance of what is,” she said.

The colors, however, are sure to pick up our spirits.

“As we move into 2009, timeless neutrals can be splashed with organic brights, a sign of hope for a brighter future and sound economic times,” Horn said.

And the use of neutrals isn’t because we’re all too depressed to be able to think about color; to the contrary, the neutrals help give us comfort and stability in difficult times. “The economic times will influence us to rely on the neutrals mentioned above and ‘ground’ or stabilize our surroundings,” Horn said.

Where last year saw an increase in the use of black and white, this year that color is shifting to bring in more neutrals. “The neutralization of color has gained momentum. The fusion of the black and white story has brought the grayscale, and all of its nuances, to the forefront. These grays are accented with rich and complex color,” Horn said.

This doesn’t mean that the colors are only neutrals; in fact, they’re balanced and complemented by more complex colors. This means a designer will be looking at which tones in a neutral will be best complemented by which complex colors.

“The mix of organic and the urban grey/neutrals are also key,” Horn said.

The use of color, of course, varies around the world, which each culture and sub-culture identifiable by its predominant colors. As interest in China, Russia, and the Middle East increases, so do does interest in the colors of those places.

One big influence on color is to be found in the changing political landscape in the United States, and with the influence the new First Lady brings to design. Michelle Obama, Horn pointed out, is partial to wearing brights, and the reverberations of this will be felt for quite some time.

“This can single-handedly influence the fashion direction we may see in seasons to come. Nancy Reagan did with the ‘Reagan Red’ and Barbara Bush with ‘Bush Blue,’” she said.

— Sarah Van Arsdale

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