Knowledge is Strength: Pantone's Color of the Year 2014, Radiant Orchid

It seems Pantone, the world-renowned authority on color, has surprised many in the industry with the selection of Radiant Orchid, 18-3224 as the upcoming Color of the Year. The PANTONE® name is known worldwide as the standard language for color communication from designer to manufacturer to retailer to customer. Need a color to match exactly from one end of the globe to the other? Pick a Pantone color!

Last year's color Emerald served as a symbol of growth, renewal and prosperity. This year's color Radiant Orchid is an invitation to innovation, expanded creativity and originality. Cheers to that!

Radiant Orchid is quite a unique color. At first I thought "Wow, where would I use that"? Perhaps a powder room, child or teen's room, as a small accent color...which surprises me because the last thing I ever want to feel is limited by color. I like to believe I can use color anywhere, at any time, depending on adjacent colors, what proportions have been used, and the values (lightness and darkness) or chroma (intensity of a color) used. So I started doing a little research and looking around for inspiration. Best thing to do whenever a road block starts creeping in!

I ran across this lovely view of famous designer Kelly Wearstler's office on Instagram today. Lo and behold, I see Radiant Orchid!

Gorgeous artwork! Pinterest/Jeannie Mills – Aboriginal Art Centre – Anaty 1105 “Bush Potato”

And of course, nature will always give you the most exquisite color findings.
Pinterest

 Pinterest

 I love this this room, the purple and orange combo, the ethnic vibe. It's fresh yet warm at the same time. Pinterest

 Ditto with this dining room! Pinterest

A little retro mod to balance out the selections. Pinterest

 How's this for a funky barn?! Pinterest

And of course, all I had to do was look above at my blog header to see a more saturated version of Radiant Orchid in this foyer I designed. In fact, I found two other rooms where I used versions of this year's Pantone color!

Not quite as unique and unusual an application as I had initially thought. How many other areas in your life can you bring in this type of questioning and conclusion? Challenge yourself. Knowledge is strength.

Later gators, Susan 

Where has Susan gone??? Oh yes, and Pantone 2013 Color of the Year!!!

Well as you can tell, when I'm a busy working woman, in addition to those other areas of my life...mom, wife, girlfriend... my posts go out the window. Not complaining, being busy in my field is a good thing (thank you Martha).  Not that I don't have anything to write about either.  In fact, topics pop into my mind numerous times a day, in addition to the little birdie sitting on my shoulder saying, "When you get home, sit down, and make it short and sweet." Yes, well a lot of good that birdie did for me.  Thank goodness it's flown south for the winter.

The number one issue I HAVE to talk about is the new 2013 Pantone color of the year -- #17-5641 Emerald.  I love it!  But I'm biased since green, and all of its variations, has always been my favorite color.

Let's look at some of my favorite Emerald Green room designs, shall we?

 Infamous Stark Carpet advertisement

 Photograph by Michael Eastman

Interior design by Tobi Fairley

 Interior design by Jamie Drake

 Soft mint green in this front room, but notice the stunning emerald green square, not the whole wall, behind the shelving in the distant room.  Interior design by Jamie Drake

Image from The Decorista

 Interior design by Kelly Wearstler

I use a lot of chartreuse (more of a yellow green) in my interiors, but not a lot of Emerald Green.  That's my goal for 2013!

On to Oz!  Susan

TCDC "Doing the Tangerine Tango"

Doing the Tangerine Tango

Tangerine Tango (gotta love that name!) is Pantone’s Color of the Year for 2012!!  And you thought last years Honeysuckle was intense…ha!  Just saying the name Tangerine Tango puts me in a good mood.  Here’s what Pantone has to say about the color:

“Sophisticated but at the same time dramatic and seductive, Tangerine Tango is an orange with a lot of depth to it. Reminiscent of the radiant shadings of a sunset, Tangerine Tango marries the vivaciousness and adrenaline rush of red with the friendliness and warmth of yellow, to form a high-visibility, magnetic hue that emanates heat and energy.” Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®.

Couldn’t have said it better myself!  How do we transfer that “radiant shading” to a paint color we can actually use?  So glad you asked!  Below I’ve selected similar paint colors from some of the leading, and readily available, paint manufacturers in the Twin Cities.

(Continue reading this post where I guest authored over at the Twin Cities Design Collective.  See examples of this color used in environments as well as color selections from popular paint manufacturers!  Click:  Twin Cities Design Collective )

~~ Happy Hues!!  Susan ~~

Care to Tango baby?

Pantone, the worldwide standard language for accurate color communication, from designer to manufacturer to retailer to customer, and across a variety of industries and the creative community everywhere, has selected it's color for the upcoming year 2012:  Tangerine Tango!!  Check it out below.

Fabric swatch

Journal

Coffee mug

Love the mug, don't  you?  Tango your heart away!

~~~Susan~~~

Pantone Postcards

I saw these Pantone Postcards at C.S. Post on line recently.  I love them!  Being the color enthusiast I am, they would be so perfect to send out a quick note (that's right with a stamp, NOT email) to clients and other color lovin' folk.  Are you listening up family?  Holidays are right around the corner... hint, hint, hint...

Each box contains 100 qty. 3-3/4" x 5-1/2" cards all for $19.95 + shipping.

Pretty sweet deal!!  Susan