2014 Color Report

As winter wears on, spring colors and patterns start to give us hope that there is something to look forward to beyond the drab, gray sky.  Color plays such a pivotal role in everything we surround ourselves in - clothing, paint, fabrics, etc.  And even though it seems like such a simple, almost unchanging thing - it is anything but simple.

Like anything else in our culture, color is something that has a trend.  Where does it begin? Typically we look at color trends during New York Fashion Week as designers unveil their Spring collections for the following year.  This really sets the stage for what the consumer marketplace will offer come spring.  The color palette each year is large and encompasses everything you can imagine from warms to cools.  In a lot of cases the colors are various hues from seasons past.

Let's take a look at the Color Palette for 2014…

As you can see there are a lot of jewel-tones, brighter pastels and calming neutrals.  So by looking at this palette, we can determine what will be flooding our marketplace this coming year.  So if we want to be ahead of the trend, we can start planning accordingly.

Fortunately, the wonderful color experts of Pantone have narrowed that large palette down to the top 10 colors of the year, as determined by percent of designers utilizing the color.  Our top three colors are all trending in the bold, cool color family:  dazzling blue, violet tulip and radiant orchid.  Coincidently, radiant orchid (ranked third in the mix) is also Pantone's color of the year for 2014.

bold cools:  dazzling blue, violet tulip and radiant orchid

Next on our list are bright warms.  Here we see those colors usually associated with summer appear.  Interestingly, Pantone has paired these colors, like the bold cools, with names that give the color some additional life.  Violet tulip, radiant orchid, celosia orange, freesia are all floral in name and perfect for that shock of spring.

bright warms:  celosia orange, freesia and cayenne

Lastly, we have our calm pastels:  placid blue, paloma, sand and hemlock.  Again, Pantone has cleverly marketed these colors with word associations that are both plant-like and peaceful:  paloma derived from the Latin for dove, sand reminiscent of the beach, the hemlock plant, etc.

calm pastels:  placid blue, paloma, san and hemlock

Either way you look at the list, we have 10 fresh colors to design, paint, sew and live with, and around, this year.  Of course, fashion and fabrics will be most impacted, so you might take notice of these trending colors when you begin planning your spring wardrobe this year.

The other area, aside from fashion, that will be impacted by the color trends of 2014, is weddings.  Weddings are such a large industry that the 2014 palette has been tweaked to accommodate the most fashionable and color-conscious bride.

wedding trend:  similar tones of our 2014 palette

Almost immediately you'll notice similar tones in mustard yellow, satsuma orange, burlap brown and quarry gray.  We also have an earthier version of our green in cedar and a jewel-toned deep teal that is brilliant enough to stand on its own against dazzling blue.

For anyone that has picked up a Serena and Lily catalog lately, you'll notice some of their staple colors appear throughout the 2014 palette.  So we are already seeing these colors impact our marketplace, not only in fashion, but in the world of home decor.  In fact, my shower curtain is a feather-patterened mustard from Serena and Lily.

As a designer or consumer, color is huge.  Whether your acknowledge the trend in colors or let the buyers of your favorite store determine them for you, color is all around us.  Concrete proof is only a Amazon search away.  Pantone has really capitalized on the concept of color trends by marketing mugs, cell phone covers and books devoted to their own palette of colors.  (I've included some of my favorites below.)  Ultimately we all are drawn to our favorite color or colors, and Pantone has marketed to that uniqueness.   

Pantone iPhone Cover

Pantone Mugs

Pantone Coasters

So what do you think?  Are you color conscious?  Is there a color for you this year in Pantone's 2014 spring collection?  Will this impact any of your buying decisions?


Speaking of designing with color…here are the latest designs for wedding season inspired by this year's palette…