Color Trends – Beyond Wasabi Green

Lesley Hamilton, one of the color gurus behind the incredibly popular wasabi green, talked of color trends and made a few predictions on CBC radio this morning.

In times when our minds are on war, she says, people are traditionally more conservative, trending toward neutral colors for high-end consumer goods that they are unsure they’ll be replacing in the near future. Bright and trendy colors show up more in fashion, when the world gets serious…

Other current events come into play, too. The recent growth in interest in Japanese culture will continue with an expanding appreciation of Asian style, Lesley says, when the 2008 Olympics set for Beijing.

Our growing concern for the environment means that nature will continue to be an important inspiration for colors in both fashion and home decor.

(I’ve always maintained that green is a neutral, in fact! — and it plays so well with every other color.)

Green is the color that the human brain can process most easily, Lesley explains. Our eyes can discern a wide range of greens, and we find the color restful. In contrast, yellow is more complex and challenging.

If you’re going to use yellow in the home, do so judiciously. I’ve found that yellow is great in a kitchen, or as a strong accent in a living room, but perhaps not the best color for a bedroom or other area where a more soothing, less stimulating color might be a better choice.

Lesley Hamilton predicts that yellow will be the next hot color trend for fashion, however, and “I’d go with canary or dandelion; stay away from mustard yellow.” Like orange, Lesley’s current favorite fashion color, yellow can convey that you are a vivacious and lively person.

In the home, however, “vivacious and lively” may not be the effect that’s wanted. More likely, we want people to feel relaxed and welcome in the environment we’ve created. The home is a refuge from the over-busy outside world… and soothing, restful colors from the blue and green range provide that background.

If you love bright lively trendy colors, by all means go wild with those shades as an accent — throws and throw pillows, tabletop accessories, lamps and shades, even area rugs can be changed up to follow the trends in fashion while keeping your investment in home decor from getting outdated too quickly.