Interior Decorating: Color Trend 2009
By Katie McGovern, Décor Designer, Décor & You – serving Fairfax County including Centreville, Clifton, Fairfax, Great Falls, and Arlington, Virginia.
This year, and over the next two to three years, color is evolving according to predictable influences: the Economy, given our recent recession woes, Fashion, as usual, and Nature, in alignment with a continuing concern for living “green.”
First, economic concerns have initiated a trend toward rising conservatism in decorating. Many homeowners are choosing to “stay in place,” and are looking for viable and affordable ways to refresh and invigorate their homes. Practical remodeling decisions are one way to do that—expanding living spaces or creating more storage, for instance—and color is another. The conservative trend is being felt in a resurgence of safe but updated neutrals, and a trend in pattern toward plaids. Gray is the new black—halfway between black and brown, gray can be warm or cool, but is always calming, solid and assuring. Plaids are reflected from menswear, seen as safe and traditional, easily updated with a color accent; a colorblocking trend in runway fashion also plays into plaids resurging in home design.
Despite economic concerns, a return to optimism is seen in bold, updated color as accent—just as a man’s tie creates that same color burst within his gray suit. This year’s showstopping color is yellow. The quintessential color for optimism, yellow is warming and energizing. Yellows with a citrus cast, in either green or orange undertones, dominate this year.
Fashion trends, however, are running counter to the conservative trend noted above; instead, Fashion is influencing Interior Design in a different way: focusing on fun, whimsy, and escape. Influenced by the runway, the bold accent colors noted above are adding the fun “twist” to otherwise neutral decorating schemes. Bold accents are easily—and economically—changed with the times or the trend. Colors reflecting this fashion forward trend are reflected in a significant return to purples, especially those that are red-based. Purple as accent will be seen in a variety of hues and saturations, and will even enter the neutrals category as a “grayed-out” plum. Confident, luxurious purple runs a close second to yellow as accent for 2009. Bright pinks and oranges are also hot, along with a retro trend to paisley, spiral, and psychedelic patterns, as Fashion revisits the 60’s and 70’s.
Finally, the Environmental movement has us all going back to nature for inspiration. “Being green” is a fixture in society these days, and color trend is strongly influenced by it—though this year, the new green is blue! The spectrum of blues highlight the oceanic side of our Earthly concerns, as green takes a backseat to this soft, soothing color that is as changeable and versatile as the ocean itself. Blues translate to tranquility and calm, safety and security, and will be used in every shade from deep navy to watery aqua. A return to nature also influences our bolder tones, bringing in citrus and other produce-inspired colors, as well as exotics, such as oranges, reds and teals. As our world becomes more multicultural, and our access to formerly out-of-reach places extends, exotic colors and influences increase. This will also be reflected in use of unexpected materials, such as exotic woods, reclaimed metals, shells, and grasses.
Color choice is a reaction to the world around us. When making yours, while trend and influence is important for inspiration, in the end, be sure to choose those that make you happy in your home.
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