apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I don't like Blue Iris. It's too bright for my taste. A darker version of this might be nice.

Awful.
Indigo maybe.
This? Bleck!>*(#U!

Actually I can kind of see it working with certain bits of Delft-type blue-and-white china, etc., but I think that it may end up being not quite reassuring in this complex world.

The economy is about to get very hard, and people's color decisions tend to get VERY safe since they think they'll have to live with them so very much longer, so I'm thinking that half the nation will stay with primary colors and white, and the other half will go with earth tones. Just my guess, off the top of my head.

Looks like blue painter's tape!

Paint manufacturers have been promoting "mystic," "calming" blues and purples for at least a year now, but the trend sure isn't showing up on AT, is it? Do these colors just not work with the prevailing MCM aesthetic?

My sense from fall shopping was that this year's colors are beiges and grays -- very neutral, except for Pier 1's foray into bright red, and Pier 1 hasn't called trends correctly lately.

But maybe my dislike of that blue is speaking...

Hmmm. Not really a fan.
Maybe I'm behind the curve, but I'm still into more subdued naturals and neutrals.

It's an okay color, but I don't really see it fitting into any room in my home.

I'm glad to hear this because I've been preparing to paint my living room navy blue and I wasn't sure how it would go over. I get very mixed opinions when I tell people...I think I just have to make sure its done well.

It's always amusing to see how any field in the fashion world goes from one extreme to another from year to year. For instance, short and curly hairdos are trendy in one year--then next year it's long and straight, so how do those who went short and curly switch over? At least with decorating you can fairly easily repaint, use furniture covers and switch accent pieces. Blue is my favorite color so it will be fun to see what comes up at AT in the future.

I would love to have a dress in this color ... maybe even a car. However, I would not paint a room this color. It's too overwhelming. Then again, I don't like chocolate brown walls, either, and those seem to be very trendy lately. I can imagine this color showing up more in accessories, though.

kuroneko - good point about fashion's swinging pendulum - i've noticed how it works in the interior design world, but at a slower pace. i do like to keep up with what's going on, but at the end of the day i ignore all of it and stick to what i love. this "color of the year" is not "terrible" but it's not "it." we'll see what next year's winning color is :)

This colour has been going strong in fashion for about a year now. I've put it in my last 3 collections. People are starting to work it into their wardrobes a lot more (think satin, or a smooth viscose jersey drapy top, or leather shoes) but I think it is MUCH harder to work into home decor. It's a very strong colour. But perhaps as an accent chair? or in a rug?

Meh. Color is such a personal thing for me. It's all fine and dandy if the "experts" want to forecast color trends, but I'm going to continue using colors that make me happy and make my home the lovely place that it is. I love blue and my upstairs is predominantly cool colors with shades of light blue mixed with chocolate browns and even some kelly green as an accent, but I just don't care for the bright cobalt blues and this Iris blue is just not my cup of tea.

i think it's great in bits and pieces. as a throw or a pattern on a runner, etc. it would look great next to a vibrant orange, chartreuse, or mustard.

just my two cents!

Curtis, very astute.

Beautiful color - it's definitely well-represented in my closet. I think this would be pretty painted on one wall in a bedroom - the wall behind the bed.

Curtis' economics-related observations do apply. But then again, the jittery middle class has never been known for being on the cutting-edge of decorating trends.

And I always wonder - do people really re-decorate based on what Pantone declares trendy? Or is Pantone simply seeking to capitalize on grassroots decorating trends?

Like the blue and can well believe blue could be a trend. don't believe this blue will be it.

I love this colour (on my moniter anyway). I've been searching high and low for blues in this range: I guess I'll just have to be patient--and even more so, if Curtis is right (and I think he is).

i absolutely love it. We'll be starting from scratch with a home and I am sooo tired of the warms, browns, earth tones, etc. This is so refereshing and I think if achored with enough neutral it could be amazing. People are always reluctact for change!

As a little kid I had 2 favorite colors: Deep valentine red (when I was very animated) and this color (when I was feeling shy and angelic). I had trouble describing to grown-ups that my favorite blue wasn't just plain blue. Even "royal blue" didn't cut it (the closest I could find was violet).

But childhood favorite or not, I really can't see this exact pantone color being used on housewares or walls. It's really far too "80's garish" to be used for anything other than fashion or accessories.

Nowadays I prefer a more subdued version: mixed with a pearlescent light gray to make more of a bluish slate color.
I've mixed it in as soft items (pillows, bedding) to complement the dark brown, burnt red, and beige colors in my apartment.