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Colors influence how we
feel, how we look and what our homes and car say about us. People naturally
associate certain colors with special people, special times and places. And, as
we all know, color trends like fashion trends tend to repeat themselves.
Well, watch out. The
60’s and 80’s are coming back… in color! According to The Color Association of
the United States, the color palettes for the juvenile industry in 2005 will be
reflecting retro and classic hues - from the bold and outrageous to the subdued
and calming.
The three main color
families that were listed as prominent in the children’s market are already
being seen in juvenile home furnishings such as crib bedding. They are the Mod
look from the 1960’s, the 1980’s Neon Colors, and Not So Traditional Pastels.
These eras
had interesting color. For example the 1960s had bright lively colors,
especially jewel tones and used strong primary and bold secondary colors. The
1980s began with some bright cheerful jewel tones, but by mid decade the rise of
street style saw black reduce the color palette to a shade card almost as dull
as camouflage. Lucky for us, it is the neon’s of the 1980’s that are popular
once again.
We all remember those
Neon Colors. Colors that were so fluorescent you needed to wear shades. They are
back and will be seem in bedding for juveniles, especially the teen market. For
girls there is focus on punk pink, bright cherry red as well as fuschia and
violet and for boys the trend is toward the color combinations like neon yellow
and acid green.
Inspired by Pop Art,
the 1960’s Mod Inspired colors include saturated orange, pink, red, and brown as
well as royal blue and yellow. Patterns with stripes, large florals, checks, and
plaids will play a role in fashion but will they make the switch to the juvenile
market.
The Not So Traditional
Pastels continue the metallic trend of Fall 2004 and include soft background
neutral colors for girls, and silver and gold tones for boys. Also coming up are
splashes of quartz orange and sand tones for boys, and shell pink and robin's
egg blue for girls. A little twist on the traditional!
Colors to
choose from for 2005 include:
dusty
apricot, old gold, mustard yellow, honey, yellow gold, banana cream, topaz,
burnt ochre, camel, stone, sepia, peach, orange, brown, bronze, chestnut,
tobacco, wood tones, cocoa, chocolate,
ballet
pink, bright pink, rose, sugar pink, dusky pink, hot fuchsia pink, coral,
chili red,
berry, scarlet pepper, garnet, bordeaux, burgundy, beetroot,
Green
will be very big this season and luckily there are many shades to choose.
Choose
from lettuce, cucumber, eau de nil, avocado, asparagus, clover green, kiwi, pea
green, moss green, leaf green, pistachio, olive green, parsley green, Kelly
green, sage, mint, basil, bay, ivy, pine green, emerald, olive,
jade, verdigris, sea green to aquamarine, washed out blue, ice blue, pale
blue, ecru, beige, blue, denim blue, sapphire
lilac,
lavender, true purple, amethyst, violet, aubergine, grape - purple and
lavender will abound,
grey,
charcoal and of course black, cream, oyster and white, crystal white and ivory.
With so many fun and
exciting colors, it is easy to incorporate them into ones home and steer clear
of those primary colors typically used for juveniles.
Recently, Designer Show House
featured a baby nursery done in white, bright greens and fuschia. The room
included a skirted crib, topped with a sheer white canopy. The furniture was
hand-painted with a fun mix of florals, checks, and dots. The hip colors and
vibrant patterns, however, were cooled with white in the flooring, trim, and
fabrics.
For nurseries, the trend
seems to be going away from a room that baby will outgrow quickly to creating a
room that the baby can grow with. Personally, I am not a big proponent of
“theme” kid’s rooms, and definitely not juvenile themes. I think it is nice to
decorate around a child’s interests.
The trend in
kid’s furniture is maple furniture and furniture with mixed finishes such as
maple tops and painted drawer fronts. It is fun to play mix and match atop the
bed with accessories and necessities-- not just one pattern but rather a happy
young jumble such as blue and white truck sheets with red white and blue
sailboat pillows.
First and
foremost when decorating, consider the existing style of the home...if one is
working with a traditional home, I would use a softer color palette that works
with the rest of the house. If the home is more modern then a bright color
palette would be more in keeping with their aesthetic.
When children
are old enough to know what their favorite color is, you can have them be a part
of the process. When they help make the decision then the room will last longer
because they helped pick the colors and won't get as tired of it. We once did a
room that was dark purple that the child loved and the mother…well, did not. We
added some fun plaids and animal prints and both were happy.
With this all
said it is most important to have fun. Happy decorating!
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