Pantone Announces the Color of 2011: Honeysuckle

The Pantone name is recognized worldwide for establishing a system for referencing colors which dates back to 1963.  Pantone colors which can be referenced in fan decks and color chips allow design professionals to communicate color selections to others, to match and provide for color accuracy, and to create color palettes.  These color tools have been utilized by interior designers, graphic artists, fashion and textile professionals, industrial designers, and many others. 

The Pantone institute studies and provides forecasts on color trends and inspiration for many realms of our everyday lives- clothing, cosmetics, sporting goods, home goods, graphics, advertising, interior paints, children's items……

Pantone’s Color of the year, Honeysuckle (Pink) has been described as: 

• A Vibrant Reddish Hue

• Encouraging & Uplifting
• Courageous
• Confident
• Vital
• A Bold Spirit
• A Healthy Glow
• A Reminder of the Pungent Scent of Honeysuckle on Carefree Spring and Summer Days

Below are some images from the Pantone website and color announcement: 

Could it be that we are drawn to this color because of the Spring and Easter holidays?  Items that surround us this time of the year?  A color that reminds us of youth and sunny days?

Many of the magazines I have picked up recently show color influence of Honeysuckle Pink through titles on articles and in advertising campaigns.

 

Clothing



Traditional Home Magazine

Beauty Products & Cosmetics

Textiles & Patterns

Advertisements

So the next thought/ question....

This Honeysuckle color trend seems very oriented toward the feminine population.  Is this color a response to research that shows that women make 70- 85% of the financial and spending decisions for their households and 91% of the home buying decisions????? 

I am going to answer with a "yes."

But really this trend towards pink is not really new.  Pink has been the color and symbol of breast cancer awareness for the Susan G Komen organization. 

2011 has been projected to be a year of more "Social Awareness" and renewed interests in social responsibility. 

So I suggest that we "Think Pink" and see it not just in a fashionable sense, but hopefully a focus on life and the relationships with those people around us.   

The Role of "Words" in Interior Design

In commercial interior design words are used for way finding (entrance, exit, office, customer service,) for signage and branding (Target, Regal Cinema, Amazon,) listing services/ options/ menus, or words can be displayed to evoke a feeling.

In residential and other types of interior design words can be used to express a life philosophy, to be used as a reminder, to show ownership or personalize a space.

I have adopted several quotations that I believe define my life......

• "Live life by principle rather than by inclination."
• "If you love what you are doing, then it is never a waste of time."
• "Too much of a good thing can be a wonderful thing."

I found an inexpensive book a while back that was full of statements and quotations based on the idea that "It is never to late to......."  Many of the pages reminded me of things I did not want to forget so rather than putting the book on a shelf and forgetting about the sentiments, I cut the pages apart and framed the pages and used it as artwork. 

Example of Life Philosophy

As a designer and a person with a creative spirit, I try to never forget that the greatest sense of achievement comes from "dreaming" up an idea and then completing the steps to see it come to reality. 

An inexpensive way to add words to interiors is to paint or write on a blank artist's canvas.  Below are some photos of my home office. (Don't let the photo mislead you. It is never this organized!)

 

After my husband and I built our home, I searched high and low for something to hang over the fireplace in our kitchen area. We both had items from our separate residences, but nothing seemed to fit.  I considered the theme, the colors, and the scale of what would be most appropriate for our home. 

I finally came up with an idea after visiting my sister in England.  I decided to create a "menu board" for our family kitchen.  I re-used a large frame on an existing piece of artwork, removed the glass and artwork, and re-finished the frame.  I got a piece of wood cut to fit the frame and then painted it with chalkboard paint.  With paint pens, I added  menu titles to be permanent and then with standard chalk the menu items could be erased and updated.

Personalize Your Space

My husband, who I often mention in my blog, has quite the entrepreneurial spirit. His life motto comes from being self employed since the age of 18 and from learning to take risks. As a gift a while back for his office, I painted his motto on an art canvas to hang on the wall. This sparked him to have some banners printed and hung in the manufacturing plant.

One of the banners is a reminder "Measure Twice, Cut Once."

His life motto is
"If you try you might, if you don't you won't."

Following my husband's lead and trying to learn to be more of a risk taker, I have created this design blog. "Blum-Grady-Signature" is an example of a risk for me personally. To put myself out there on the internet and to create an online portfolio to illustrate some examples of my design skills, creativity, and personal philosophy.  

I hope that you will find this blog inspiring and it will provide you with creative ideas. (Maybe ideas you can find a source of achievement in.)  I truly believe that we are a product of the environment we live and work in.  It is important to personalize our spaces. I suggest we look at using "words."