It’s color forecasting season again, and I have a report back from up top about the direction of Color for 2009 from a range of sources, including Pantone and Benjamin Moore...
Apparently times are so tough that we’re looking to color for a little emotional leavening in our lives. As I dig around the internet and through these press releases I receive, the theme seems to be a palette of bright colors to temper gray reality, plus a little gray for reality.
Pantone has chosen Mimosa as its color of the year. It’s a warm yellow meant to be optimistic and reassuring in troubling times. I tend to resist this line of thinking (I still tend to find bruise colors more reassuring) and I’m suddenly tempted to turn this column into a survey. Thumbs up or down to Mimosa? Is it slightly encouraging, or is it putting rose colored glasses on to help ignore the pink elephant in the room? I actually like this color more than the pale wasabi green I see in every single catalog that comes in the mail.
Similarly, Benjamin Moore has chosen basically the same thing as its color of the year — St. Elmo’s Fire 362. This is a zesty citron yellow with a hint of green. It’s not quite as red as Pantone’s Mimosa, but still suggests a flicker of fire that conveys warmth and comfort in a sea of uncertainty.
Ben Moore has also released a set of several companion color recommendations that include deep pink Peony 2079-30, soft Wales Green 2028-50; and the sleek neutrals Dior Gray 2133-40, Stone Brown 2112-30 and Ebony King 2132-20:
![Dior-Gray_DetailME[1].gif](http://i-cdn.apartmenttherapy.com/uimages/ny/Dior-Gray_DetailME%5B1%5D.gif)
Color Association member Barbara Schirmeister would seem to agree. According to her, colorful mid-tones remain a favorite, and since no one wants a whole yellow house, keep in mind that the dominant neutral for her, too, is the gray or taupe that defines urban chic. Also, metal colors are growing in popularity including bronze and the copper family. Reader, let’s hear your thoughts.
Thanks to Eileen McComb at Benjamin Moore for insight and photos.
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Yum! I think I want to paint a wall in my kitchen BM's peony! I also like the dior grey.
That peony is fun! I tried Dior Grey it was too purple in my space.
The last picture of the bathroom Ebony King with the white is so fresh.
Not crazy about the Mimosa color, but I really like Peony. Ebony King is not a color I would think of choosing, but it looks fantastic in that photo with the white tiling.
oooh, i love that pink. i am looking for a pink color for one wall. i'll keep my eye out for that one!
Not a fan of Mimosa as a wall color, but as a nubby type fabric for an upholstered piece, say a Danish Modern chair or a couch yes, or a color similar to it.
I kind of like the St Elmo's fire color but again, probably not the entire room but would make for a nice accent wall somewhere. I think I like egg yolk much better on say a modern mirror frame.
The Dior gray and the stone brown are both nice. I'd take the stone brown and pair it with aqua or turquoise as the accent color.
HATE the Mimosa, and am not keen on that particular pink (here in Europe, hot fuschia is very popular, and I prefer that), but the other colours are beautiful -- particularly the green and brown.
We've had BM Peony in two apartments now. It's the 'accent' wall behind our hulking leather couch (it was also the color of my wedding dress). Alas, we've grown a bit tired of it and are currently looking for a replacement. Has anyone seen the new wall colors at Room & Board? Greys and dark blues. That's the direction we're headed next.
Also: Peony is not as neon looking as that image suggests. I would never get married in neon.
Gap is using Mimosa, not only would I hate this is a room I would not like wearing it..maybe fun for rainboots or Umbrella color-
http://www.interiordesign.net/article/CA6630487.html?nid=2068
I used "Peony" in my office/guest room closet and "Wild Pink" on the walls. I really like them both. The room is still a work in progress but you can see it here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/maryja/sets/72157612345235498/
I just bought a Lilly Pulitzer blazer the same color as that Peony paint...
Loving the rest of the colors too except for that banal Green.
I like the mimosa color for accents... maybe as a prominent color in a rug. I love the dior grey-- it's exactly what I've been wanting to paint my rented bedroom walls, though I can definitely see how it could be too purple in person in certain lights.
That yellow reminds me of banana slugs and the pink is slightly medicinal. I've been thinking about a mango-yellow in the kitchen but probably not this one.
The other colors are great, though.
Meanwhile, I'm obsessed with the flocked chair in the first picture - does anyone know where I could get that, or something like it?
My God. I need a glass of wine and a Xanax looking at most of those colors.
Love the green, grey, & peony but the yellow makes me think of piña coladas
Love the peony color! Incidentally, my living room is painted a similar color. So glad to see some saturated colors on walls.
I have been craving pink on my living room walls for about a year and my designer friend picked out BM's Peony for me a while ago. I had it painted this fall and I LOOOVE it. http://www.flickr.com/photos/kenzilicious/3066299622/in/set-72157610352542542/
My friend is clearly a visionary!
ADORE Mimosa. Not as fond of St Elmos Fire - yellow is one of my favourite colours, but I don't like the greener ones as much. Mimosa is more to my liking - my other favourite colour is orange, and this is a deep, gorgeous, luscious shade that brings out the best of both.
I really like Peony - using both that and Mimosa together would look pretty good, I think. I'd like to see it with Ebony King (in accents) and Dior Gray, to ground it.
I love the Mimosa color, but St. Elmo's looks a little sickly too me the green undertone...
I tried painting my bedroom a VERY bright almost neon green color when I first moved in and I absolutely hated it... it was blinding and I thought I'd never be able to focus on anything other than the wall color if I left it that way. I'm feeling similarly towards this St. Elmo's color... the rest are all very nice.
I love the mimosa and the peony. I'll keep my aqua walls and throw in a few accent pillows, though. I wouldn't put either on the walls.
Not a fan of Mimosa or St. Elmo's Fire, but Peony is great and I love Dior Grey. The bathroom in Ebony King is stunning - I wonder if it would look so gorgeous in real life? And would it make the space feel smaller or oppressive? It sure looks fabulous in that photo.
I'm LOVING the ebony paint use in that photograph. But I'm guessing it would be very tricky to pull off.. jeje
I love the peony colour.
I love color, but I can't imagine painting a wall mimosa - accents, yes, but walls, no. The peony is gorgeous, but my husband would never go along with that. Dior grey and stone brown are beautiful!
I'm suprisingly drawn to the ebony king the most - i guess the light room and bright rug make it work.
I adore the dior grey and the ebony king. My livingroom is painted in a simular color like stone brown. But i didn't painted it all the way, just two feature walls.
I think dark colors work, because they make a room elegant.. but that's just my idea..
Wales Green in person is a retina-searing experience.