Coloring Outside The Lines
By John Filippelli
In the past, making a lifestyle statement with the kitchen or bath
may have hinged on choosing the right appliances, surfacing
materials, cabinetry or fixtures. But today’s kitchen and bath
designers are noting that, more and more, color is emerging as the
true catalyst for design.
Color allows consumers to communicate their individuality,
create a sense of safety in their homes and even dictate an entire
space’s style. On a more global scale, color trends reflect
societal trends, fears, desires and moods.
So, what are the hottest color trends for today’s kitchens and
bathrooms?
According to Leatrice Eiseman, president of the Bainbridge
Island, WA-based Eiseman & Associates LLP, and the Eiseman
Center for Information & Color, today’s color trends reflect
Americans’ desire for a safe haven from the world. Eiseman, who is
also director of the Pantone Color Institute and author of Colors
For Your Every Mood and Pantone Guide to Communicating With Color,
believes that, when it comes to what colors appeal to consumers,
“Words like ‘extravagant’ and ‘shock value’ are being replaced by
‘real’ and ‘comforting.'”
Speaking at a seminar, “The Impact and Importance of the Leading
Color Trends” at the recent K/BIS, Eiseman noted that a shift away
from brighter colors is currently in evidence.
She added that, while all people will not turn away from
brighter color in the coming year, there will be a greater
prevalence of palettes that lean more toward softer, darker or
mid-tone colors in 2003.
However, color is not about color alone, she stated, but rather
what effect the use of color in conjunction with the rest of the
design creates. What really matters for consumers, she is
convinced, is originality.
Thus, the complex trends in color palettes and how they tie into
other design trends is actually less about some fad than it is a
direct reflection of a more savvy and sophisticated consumer
searching for a comfortable and uniquely personalized space.
“Home as haven is an ongoing trend of the future, and there is
still a need for color in the kitchen, mainly because consumers
have learned how to use color and want to stay with it,” she
explained.
While kitchens today are certainly still showcasing the latest
in high-tech, commercial-style design, many consumers are choosing
color combinations in lighter, neutral ranges of creams blended
with soft green accents, such as cyprus green, to complement these
modern amenities.
These palettes not only work well with professional-style
stainless steel kitchens, but also blend with the rich, warm, wood
tones and Old-World styling.
She also cited an anticipated growth in a palette that she calls
“Discretion,” which embraces neutral colors and all things natural.
It is a subtle palette, found in the background of spaces and
featured in design techniques such as Feng Shui. This palette
offers browns, warm tones, tans, ashy tones and anything with an
earthy red, weathered tone.
Steffen Coleman, design consultant at Brookfield, CT-based Mary
Jo Peterson, Inc. believes that the trend toward softer colors may
be “a result of a sense of traditional qualities” that many people
are rediscovering, with the recent renewed interest in hearth and
home.
It is this traditionalist philosophy that is the basis for one
of the upcoming palettes for 2003, according to Eiseman a palette
called ‘Connections.’ This palette reflects Americana and includes
hunter greens, deepened blues, cranberry and burgundy reds, winter
whites and golden yellows. She points out, “This was the direction
we were going [before Sept. 11th], and there is a definite
importance to this patchwork that will continue through 2003 and
[probably] last longer than that.”
Gary Uhl, CMG, IDSA, ASID and director of design for North and
South America for Piscataway, NJ-based American Standard, agrees:
“We are seeing a lot of natural tones, probably with a greater use
of wood.”
Coleman concurs, stating, “There seems to be a strong interest
in the earthy tones, [with] the palettes becoming more earthbound
and ‘dirtier.’ In other words, the intensity is getting deeper and
is being lowered by adding complementary colors.”
Gin Guei Ebnesajjad, manager for product styling and development
for Wilmington, DE-based DuPont Surfaces, also sees natural themes
permeating color trends of today. “We are looking for balance, and
this has led to more
natural-looking designs. What we have seen in the very high-end is
that things are still very natural looking. [In the kitchen], there
is a definite moving away from white on white. It is now expressed
in a very natural color tone.”
The same belief is held by Todd Davis, partner with Houston,
TX-based Davis Peterson Collabora-tive, LLC and founder of the
Luxury Kitchen & Bath Collection show. Davis feels the key
emphasis today is on balancing color with texture and space,
resulting in an overall richness and warmth that defines the
space.
Ebnesajjad reaffirms Davis’ sentiments, stating, “We have come
into the mixing of materials and the color is the outcome of that,
featuring richer tones [that are] inspired by nature.”
metal appeal
Stainless steel remains a strong preference in the kitchen, due
mainly to its neutral tone and design-friendly color. As a palette
for appliances and faucets, it enables other colors to be brought
in, more or less becoming a neutral base for glass, wood and
ceramic material, according to Uhl.
“Metallics are huge and hot,” resounds Coleman, who adds, “the
interest in making the appliances stand out has led people to pick
up on the metallic quality as an accent to pull [all of these
elements] together.”
For Sarah Reep, ASID, CKD, CMG, of the Middlefield, OH-based
KraftMaid Cabinetry, this is all part of the ongoing “accent
revolution.”
“Metals and stainless are accents that coordinate well with warm
woods, such as cherry, [yet they also] work great with lighter
values to create a contemporary approach that is also emerging,”
she points out.
But the caveat, according to Uhl, is that if too much stainless
is used, the space can become cold and antiseptic. That’s why he
sees satin nickel growing in popularity in the kitchen because of
its warming qualities.
As Coleman points out, “Viking Range Corp. has a charcoal metal
finish on its appliances that is fairly warm. It is metal, but it
doesn’t harbor the starkness or brightness of stainless steel.”
And, according to Eiseman, we can expect more of this charcoal
color in the foreseeable future.
“This palette, termed ‘Retrospective,’ features a somewhat
grayed-over vintage color,” she explains. It is appealing to
consumers because it reflects colors that seem to have been around
for a while, and offers a vintage feel, harkening back to a time
when things were less hectic.
Softer looks are also evident in finishes in the bathroom,
manufacturers agree. For instance, Uhl notes, “It used to be chrome
or polished brass, but we are seeing more brushed nickel and
oil-rubbed bronze, mainly because it is a warmer color.”
He explains that wrought iron is another material that is
showing up in the bathroom, especially because it works well with
the furniture style that is so popular right now.
Coleman concurs, “I am seeing very little interest in pure,
polished brass or bright, polished chrome. People want the nickel
and the forged iron and the more antique finishes on the faucetry,
and that is true even for people doing more contemporary,
minimalist, Asian-influenced looks.”
getting the blues
According to the Color Marketing Group (CMG), a not-for-profit
group of 1,500 designers who forecast color directions for all
industries and manufactured products, the color blue has an
eclectic palette and remains a strong choice among consumers. The
reason for this, according to Eiseman, is that blue is associated
with cleanliness and water, making it a suitable choice for
kitchens and bathrooms.
“It comes as no surprise that Americans are choosing a color
that best evokes a soothing, calming tranquility,” Eiseman points
out.
Furthermore, the aquatic motif, associated with complementary
hues of blues and greens, impacts color in tile, fixtures and
appliances, Eiseman notes. Blue, and an array of neutral colors led
by aqua and lavender, reflect consumers’ need for back-to-nature
serenity and sanctuary, she adds.
Tim Mullally, president and general manager of the Norcross,
GA-based KWC Faucets and HANSA America agrees, saying, “Blue
reflects consumers’ desire for balance and harmony, and can
therefore work in many different environments from the kitchen to
the bathroom.”
Eiseman adds that, in 2003, “We will be seeing a lot of the
grayer tones in the blues,” while the greens will be influencing
this palette, as well.
On the white track
While white may be giving way to other neutrals in the kitchen, in
the bathroom, “white is as popular as ever,” according to Uhl. “It
is a good neutral base to accent around, whether it is decorated
tile or color countertops,” he says.
Coleman concurs, stating, “In the bath, I think we’re seeing
that whites are still here, and stronger than ever.”
“I am [also] seeing a strong preference for painted cabinetry [in
the bath], explains Coleman. “Even if we put white aside, there are
people interested in the creamy yellows with some character and the
antiquey blue-greens in that genre.”
The white bases and lighter values emerging in the bath also
allow designers to integrate soft creams or taupe glazes on a
bisque background, for instance, or white glazes on a cream
background making it more palpable for the client.
Uhl notes, “We are seeing more of an increase in the popularity
of white, with the white fixtures remaining in the basic background
and the consumers bringing furniture pieces into the bathroom, such
as accent pieces.”
Coleman adds, “If you took a white bath and a pale green or a
Corian beech glass, it offers that little hint of color. So,
consumers might be choosing all their fixtures in classic white but
doing their faucets in brushed nickel and getting a color in the
soft, aquatic-water feel.”
Summarizing, she notes, “We’re seeing two very schizophrenic
looks. One is the really strong, powerful, earthy, almost rustic
quality and the other is a very clean, elegant white-on-white and
pure bath look.”
The reason for this, according to Eiseman, is that consumers are
opting to mix colors, finishes and materials not necessarily
intended to match something that was once frowned upon, but now is
embraced as adding depth and interest to a design.
Coleman adds, “I think the fact that we have so many more
choices has really allowed people to do their own thing and make
their own unique statement. At one time, your choices were so
limited. With what we can do with counters, tiles or woods, it has
opened up the floodgates for us to do a lot more.” And, with more
sophisticated color choices comes a more sophisticated consumer,
she believes.
Says Uhl, “Consumers are becoming more educated, and I think
that is a good trend.”
Eiseman notes that it’s important to listen to what consumers
are saying about their design needs, and choose colors that reflect
that. “They need a quiet space in the home and that quiet space is
the bathroom. Both the kitchen and the bath are almost taking on a
religious fervor, and these spaces can be as much about art and
beautiful design as they are about function.” KBDN