Color and Design Directions 2011/2012 from PPG Voice of Color

Get ready for a grown up attitude and one large dose of color, fantasy, organization, real beauty and innovation.  

Color trends reflect who we are as a collective and where we are going; they reflect what’s going on inside of us as well as in our world. 

Some of us may not see ourselves at all in the new color and design trends; but rest assured, there’s a subtle scent that will find you whether you shop at Target or Neiman Marcus, some of this beauty and structure is wafting into your life, or you will want it soon.  In my post about the upcoming energy of 2011, you’ll see that these color and design trends help us each and all stay focused on what is really important.

We are different this year than last, more positive and victorious, yet we understand that true victory over adversity means we stay focused on what got us out of the mess and into the sunshine.

Design Directions Follow Emotional  Needs and Values

We are making choices based on what we value, regardless of our age, income or social status.  What we value now is deeper, richer and more a reflection of the beautiful humanity within each of us.  We are similar and we are different, and we are more aware of the need to take care of our own worlds, to make our individual homes reflect that nourishment we need and to live and let live, thrive and let thrive.  We are also looking for meaningful beauty, design and products tied to our core values for a richer, wiser planet.  The colors and design are a reflection of who we are and an illustration of our highest desires and ideals. 

Some companies introduce one “color” of the year and hope that that one color will tell the whole story for everyone.  When PPG introduces colors to Homeowners, Architects and Designers, in context of a color palette, of trending designs, and of overall zeitgeist of the era.   Beyond that, Voice of Color doesn’t imagine these trends will appeal to everyone, and don’t feel that trends should never override your particular taste and style but embellish it.  

Take a look at what is being predicted to be the “color trends of the year” for interior architecture:

Because a trend is never about just one color but rather about all the colors in a room or space, The Voice of Color creates a signature five-color palette card that expresses the mood of each new palette and offers colors for paint, fabrics, flooring and accessories.

The four new “Wow Color Now” palettes in PPG Pittsburgh Paints’ The Voice of Color® program for 2011-2012 are:

INstinct

The soul of this palette is warm and authentic. It fuses the ancient, the mythological, the raw, and the primitive with a highly technical and minimalist modern-day aesthetic. A mix of ethnic

exoticism and modern urban sophistication, this style befits the grown-up taste of a true citizen of the world. This palette is the most muted and grounded, organic rather than adorned. It blends light and dark woods, burnished leather with raw utilitarian stitching, and deep browns and natural charcoal stones.

The palette is refined but essentially basic and showcases the colors of materials with rich earthy qualities—leather, minerals, wood, and fur—enabling their natural beauty, grain, and texture to emerge.

GLamour

With a focus on the “amour,” Glamour is mysterious, sophisticated, sensual, and intricate. It’s déjà vu from a contemporary perspective; always intentional, never shy. Slightly theatrical, conjuring an atmosphere of a new-age Sleeping Beauty, Glamour’s take on pattern is bold and sharp, with plays on negative space to constantly surprise and delight.

The palette incorporates glorious neutrals inspired by the most sumptuous materials, and inspires thoughts of time-worn limestone, starkly modern crystal, magnificent black marble, the warmest gold and other color-infused metallics. PPG Pittsburgh Paints colors include Dark as Night, Timber Beam, Angel Food, Almond Cream, and Rum Runner.

Personality exudes from every inch of New Bohemia through a whimsical sense of design, a rebirth of craft, and the appearance of secondhand objects and other quirky and nostalgic elements. It’s a vintage aesthetic for a contemporary age, at once authentic, romantic, imaginative, and poetic— it positions the room as a discovery center or personal scrapbook. The style is gypset, fusing the ease and carefree lifestyle of a gypsy with the sophistication of the jet set.

With fantasy, fairytale, floral prints as an inspiration, color is innocently romantic and untamed. PPG Pittsburgh Paints colors include Red Cedar, Happy Trails, Hat Box Brown, Green Wave, and Aqua Fiesta.

The green movement grown up, UPcycle is about living simply with beautiful, useful, and sustainable objects. It is a philosophy steeped in the desire for clarity, function, and craftsmanship; it repudiates wastefulness and embraces the authentic, the meaningful, and the simply fun. Honest yet elegant, UPcycle is optimistic, clever, and proactive.

The palette is simple, honest, and upbeat, as the colors coordinate with wood, basic yarns, wool, cotton, untreated metals, and simply glazed ceramics in tone-on-tone. A color-blocking effect injects the dose of “up” into this color cycle and lights up pale wood tones. PPG Pittsburgh Paints colors include Brown Basket, Allspice, Gold Buff, Chalkware, and Adventure.