Jennifer Sheahan: How Pantone Colour of the Year influences home interiors trends

As one of the major colour influencers in the world, it’s interesting to understand the history of Pantone, how it comes up with the colour of the year, and why it’s important.

COLOUR INSTITUTE

Pantone began life in America as a printing firm in the 1950s and became famous due to its colour-matching system. This is a global standardisation framework of thousands of colours that enables any manufacturer in any location to print the exact colour, no matter what medium they’re printing on (such as paper and textiles).

Everyone, across every area of design, regularly consults Pantone for colour inspiration and references its codes for accurate colour matching. Effectively, Pantone has written the global language of colour.

COLOUR OF THE YEAR

In the year 2000, Pantone began declaring its “Colour of the Year”.

This colour was — and still is — chosen through extensive research with design trendspotters around the world, across multiple industries and mediums.

The idea was to create a conversation around colour, specifically around how it relates to culture. The colour is intended to “capture the zeitgeist” — meaning it should reflect the collective global feeling, mood, and outlook for the year ahead.

The very first colour chosen in 2000 was Cerulean — a sky-blue colour (The Devil Wears Prada, anyone?). On the eve of the Millennium, this colour was intended to reflect a sense of peace and hopefulness for the future.

INFLUENCE

For 2023 Pantone’s colour of the year has been “Viva Magenta”.

This may come as no surprise to you because I feel like this colour is everywhere this year! Viva Magenta is a very bright, bold, vivid, reddish, bluish, purple-pink colour. It is intended to represent those with a “verve for life and rebellious spirit”.

Motorola even re-launched its iconic Razr flip phone in Viva Magenta, in a very nostalgic move designed to appeal to the likes of me and my fellow Millennials (and it worked — I want one so badly!).

As you browse magazines, shops, advertisements, and social media sites now, review what you’re seeing with a critical eye. Can you notice the influence of this year’s colour trend?

You’ll likely also see the vestigial influences of last year’s colour — Veri Peri, a powdery blue with violet undertones. You will notice its influence in new paint colours, fabrics, makeup, wallpapers, business cards, flyers, clothing, accessories, TV ads, and hair dyes — everywhere.

A consistent statistic in marketing and consumer reports is that colour is the number one influence on the majority of purchases. Therefore, being aware of trending colours and the extent of their influence is helpful in your design and purchasing decisions.

IN OUR HOMES

Now that you know there is a prevailing colour of the year, and you’re aware of the wide-reaching impact that it has (consciously or subconsciously), you can be more informed in making decisions for your own home.

First and foremost, it is important to remember that there is a new colour every year, so letting the current trending colour influence the more permanent design decisions in your home may be a mistake. Being aware of this year’s colour allows you to discern which items are trending and which have more timeless appeal.

There is nothing wrong with choosing trends (if you love them), but the world of home interiors is much slower moving than other design areas such as graphic design or fashion — we replace our couches and our curtains much less frequently than our T-shirts! However, there are home interior items that you may replace more frequently — and for these items knowing the colour of the year can make your decision process a lot easier.

If you’re hosting a dinner party and you want your decor to feel effortlessly up-to-date, you can check out the colour palette that goes with the current colour of the year (on the Pantone website), and choose items such as candles and serviettes accordingly, safe in the knowledge that you are on trend.