Real estate is glowing these days as residential and commercial properties show off new colors.
In the early ’80s, homes and offices were flooded by a sea of mauve, gray and teal. Later in the decade, the chromatically correct moved from limited color to no color: influenced by recycling fever, beige and black spread from the graphic design industry to consumer products, apparel and interiors.
“We’ve gone about six years now of being without color. We’re ready to bring it back, to have a little fun,” says Leatrice Eiseman, director of the Pantone Color Institute and head of her own color consulting firm in Seabeck, Wash.
“Like children, we never outgrow the need to be titillated by color,” says Eiseman. “We may sublimate it, put it away for awhile, but we can only go so long without it.”
So what’s hot? Warm colors–shades with more yellow and gold-based pigment. Reds, yellows, and oranges are out in force as well mossy greens and other environmentally inspired shades.
“This is not the age of pastels,” says Penny Bonda, president of the American Society of Interior Designers and a director of interior design at The Hillier Group, an architectural firm in Washington D.C.
“The psychology of color, like the psychology of all design, is underestimated,” says Bonda. “People don’t realize the impact that color can have on their moods.”
Yet response to color is a rather murky issue. Color researchers once thought people responded universally to a particular shade, but current studies reveal that it is not possible to pinpoint emotional reactions to color. Response is relative, depending on an individual’s personality, cultural background and socioeconomic status.
“Color does sell. People are definitely affected by it. But you can’t control people with color,” explains Magenta Iglesias, a Washington D.C.-based interior designer and specialist on human response to color.
Still, color must be used carefully, particularly in the workplace. Too many bright colors can be distracting; too many complex colors can lead to depression.
“There are no bad colors but there are better choices,” Iglesias says.
One of the best colors for creative work is a medium gray beige, according to David Burnside, head of Burnside Mural Studio in Elmhurst: “It allows for the widest range of creative thought . . . permitting the creative mind to wheel and deal at the highest possible level.”
But monotony can be unsettling. Humans need both continuity and variation in their environments, stresses Burnside.
For offices where concentrated work is being done, Burnside advocates a gradual change of color–somewhat like a roll of Necco candy wafers. In common areas such as cafeterias, reception areas and washrooms, brighter colors can be used; they tend to be refreshing rather than distracting.
“Variety makes us feel better in our spaces,” agrees Bonda. “People like to have adventure, a sense of change as they move. Using color to create variance, you can make spaces interesting even if they aren’t interesting architecturally.”
Unlike past decades, no single color or combination dominates popular pigments.
“The ’90s is not about a particular look but about individual taste and relaxed spaces,” says Margaret Walch, associate director of Color Association of the U.S., a New York-based forecasting group.
Some folks want serenity in their home after a hard day at the office; others may prefer a high-energy environment.
Eiseman expects color options to expand even more next year–the new twist being warm colors used in combination with cooler, blue-based colors. Her forecast for ’97 shows hues headed in four directions:
– Technicolor. “Almost electrifying” colors, with inspiration coming from the computer screen. Bright, vivid colors that “pack a punch.”
– Quiet Zone. Relaxed, serene shades for people who want their home to be a haven.
– Ports of Call. Colors drawn from other cultures, reflecting the increasing ethnicity of America and heightened global awareness. These are more exotic colors and burnished gold and silver. Combinations are sometimes sultry, sometimes soothing.
– Homecoming. We’re talking country here, Eiseman says, but “this is not about cutesy hearts and flowers.” Shades with a rustic influence: mid-tone blues and greens with tawny amber, coral, rose and wine.
Today’s color revolution has multiple roots. Some experts link it with tighter incomes.
“Color gives people a change of pace. It’s cheaper than a trip to Paris,” points out Sara B. Jenkins, president of her own residential interior design firm in Chevy Chase, Md.
Technology also plays a role. New and improved pigments are more plentiful–and less expensive.
Beyond availability, technology impacts our exposure to color. Multimedia gives consumers a chance to view new combinations and applications of color, thus making them more understandable and acceptable.
“People are learning not to be afraid of color. Guys are wearing ties that would have got them laughed out of the boardroom 10 years ago,” says James Martin, president of The Color People, a Denver, Colo.-based consulting firm. “I think people have gotten an eye for color . . . they’re much more concerned with color on the outside of their homes than they used to be.”
Indeed, it’s not just interiors that are more colorful. Exteriors of both single-family homes and apartment buildings have moved beyond white, gray and basic brown.
“It’s a time of extremes as far as colors,” says Miriam Tate, a designer in Costa Mesa, Calif., who works with production builders. A greater variety of architectural styles are showing up in today’s subdivisions and master planned communities.
“Each architectural package requires a different color,” explains Tate.
“Homesteading” also is a factor, adds Tate, pointing out that consumers aren’t transferring equity and moving every year. Staying settled presents the time and desire to be more expressive, she says: “I think people are, by and large, looking for new colors to express their personality. Color is a silent form of communication.”
The workplace also is lightening up and brightening up. Stark, sterile environments are being humanized with splashes of color, say experts.
Practicality is partially responsible. As companies invest more capital in equipment, they’re spending less on aesthetics.
“Color is the least expensive way to personalize a space,” says Sheri Lake, president of Metrospace, a commercial design firm in Vienna, Va. specializing in government offices and instituitions.
“You can make a room more sophisticated or more playful just with a change of paint.”
Others note that casual has moved from apparel to environments.
“When you’re sitting in your office in comfortable clothes, it’s glaringly obvious that your office is uptight,” observes Martin.
In an era of downsizing, employees are being asked to work harder and longer.
“Most people don’t even go out to lunch any more. It’s very important they feel very vitalized and personalized in their space,” says Sue Ross, director of design at Monterey Carpets in Santa Ana, Calif., and executive vice president of the Color Marketing Group, a forecasting group in Alexandria, Va.
“You want to be surrounded by things that make you feel good and look good.”
Ironically, while homes and offices are warming up with colors, retail space is toning down. More neutrals are being utilized on display floors and walls, allowing merchandise itself to brighten the selling floor.
This turnabout has been largely demanded by consumers, say design experts. Retailers are realizing that too much color confuses time-crunched consumers, who already are overwhelmed by too much to do and a proliferation of choices.
“We still want excitement and romance in retail because selling is emotional, but today (color) is more subtle and more focused,” says Bruce Brigham, principal of Planet Retail Image and Design Studios in Seattle.
COLOR TRENDS
Color consulting firm owner Leatrice Eiseman has identified four directions that use of hues will take in 1997.
– Technicolor. Electrifying colors that are bright and vivid and pack a punch. Inspired by what we see on our computer screens.
– Quiet Zone. Relazed, serene shades for people creating a haven out of their home.
– Ports of call. Colors drawn from outside America, exotic colors such as bumished gold and silver. Influenced by the country’s increasing ethnicity.
– Homecoming. Shades with rustic influences; midtone blues and greens with tawny amber, coral, rose and wine.
