The Carpetology Blog: Ultron Color Trends - Seattle Designer Event Insights

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Ultron Color Trends - Seattle Designer Event Insights

In this post, brace yourself for fascinating insights from designers in Seattle about color and color inspiration...

“Don’t go for fashion; create a space for people to work.”

Ultron Color Trends - Designer Workshops gives you background on these designer insights. In short, Ultron carpet fiber brought together seasoned designers in a first-ever series of four workshops to discuss color trends. The events took place in 2008 over an eight week period in four cities around the country: Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago and New York. Eight to 12 designers were invited to each event and asked to bring inspiring color chips, samples, magazine articles, photos and swatches.

Ann Hurley acted as facilitator and guide for the sessions.

Here follows color family details and insights from the Seattle session:

Neutrals

Charcoal is an incredible neutral that can be used in place of black all the time. It has richness to it, without the starkness of black. Very sophisticated – can go with cool or warm.

This linen is a refreshing alternative to the ubiquitous “warm white” and an easy choice for a field color on interior walls – goes great with hot oranges & orange-reds, as well as dark browns.

Clients love beige, and that will never change. Safe, versatile, available -- it’s classic. Luckily beige also has lots of texture and pattern options.
Warm grays are the happy alternative to black. Warm grey is edgy but still safe.

This dark charcoal color works well to bring drama and intensity to a space. It is severe in depth, but not as stark as black. It works especially well juxtaposed against the warmth of many oranges and yellows. It is also reminiscent of a very raw, industrial aesthetic with steel and iron, which makes it feel unexpected in an interior environment.

Oil black is power, money, greed, waste, ethical, political. Timeless. Attitude based on which color it is paired with.

Brings the atmospheric weather indoors. Soft, tranquil color. Joseph Albers in brown.

Blue- Green

Light blue grey. It’s sophisticated and rich without being ostentatious saturated and a potential classic – could infuse a lot of life into traditional interiors.

Grass green is natural and invigorating – it’s a color seen everyday, but it’s somewhat unexpected in an interior. A “feel-good” color.

Ah! Aqua. Like the acidic yellow it seems to be all over fashion and design. Instead of being excessively teal like the 1980s, it is now redefined, more soothing and androgynous. It’s a bold color that both sexes can agree with.

Clear blue green is a traditional color but with the twist of sheen and transparency. Color that holds up to tropic sun. Use with whites, blue, silver in resin panels, glass, accessories.

Sapphire blue is drama, night sky, mysterious, dreams. Use on floor, wall, upholstery. Use with sparkle silver, or pearl white.

Yellow- Orange- Red

Acid Yellow is a great accent color – unexpected, emulates light, and looks great with cool neutrals.
Influenced by pop-art painting. This is one of those colors with punch for modern office spaces.

Acidic yellow/chartreuse is all over the place… NY fashion week Spring ’08, Paris Fashion Week Fall ’08, it’s everywhere? Giving a nod to 1970, but giving it a more cutting edge techi/spin, makes it a very sexy color.

Rust/Bronze is one of those great colors that bring an interior and exterior color scheme together. It can be both masculine and feminine depending on how you use it. It adds a lot of depth and saturation as an accent.

Clearly an important accent in fashion and home. A hopeful, optimistic color. Rebellious Mauve.

Next, the findings from the Chicago Workshop.

In case you missed it, here are the findings from the Los Angeles Workshop.