Every season, the Official Deciders of Color (aka Pantone) put a huge amount of effort into determining what the color of the year will be – much like the Academy Awards of Color if you will.  This year’s 2011 Oscar Winner: (the envelope please …Honeysuckle! 

And Honeysuckle makes its acceptance speech and thanks all the little colors that helped make it what it is today: “Honeysuckle emboldened us to face everyday troubles with verve and vigor. A dynamic reddish pink, Honeysuckle is encouraging and uplifting. It elevates our psyche beyond escape, instilling the confidence, courage and spirit to meet the exhaustive challenges that have become part of everyday life.”  And Honeysuckle goes on to say:  “Honeysuckle derived its positive qualities from a powerful bond to its mother color red, the most physical, viscerally alive hue in the spectrum.”  (It’s always important to thank your mother when accepting an award!)        

What does that mean for Rejuvenation and our color choices for our store design?  Well, it is very safe to say Honeysuckle will not be on our short list of our in-store design package!

For starters:

-          We avoid trendy, but don’t mind being on trend. 

-          We preserve what we value from the past, but we don’t want to be typecast in any one era. 

-          We want to be color neutral, but not boring or staid. 

-          We’re sophisticated, but inspiring with surprising pops of bold color

-          We want our beautiful products to shine through (pun, intended). 

-          After all, we’re all about classic, American heritage

It’s a very tall order!

So, here’s what we’re working with, and why, for a few of our in-store collections. Let me know what you think!

                Art Deco:  Color was influenced by many different factors, including the movement of cultural ideas. Until the start of Art Deco, creams and beiges were common, but now more vibrant colors became fashionable.  Orange and acid yellow appeared on the scene, as did purple, green and lavender. Metallic finishes and reflective surfaces emphasized these colors. 

For us, that meant hush and poolside blue:

Victorian:   The Victorians liked to impress, and status was important to them. So their houses reflected this, and so did the ways they decorated the interiors. Decorating Victorian style means using color. There are a number of reasons why the Victorians used color as much as they did:

• Increasing trade produced wealth, and more people were able to afford to decorate their homes to a higher standard.
• Advances in chemistry and industrial processes resulted in paint becoming widely available and at affordable prices.

The Victorians used colors which were deep and rich, but were also warm. The colors were muted and restful, but not boring or dull as is often thought.  Deep reds and dark greens were among their favorites. The more definite colors were reserved for rooms where the family would spend time.

Our take: Gentleman’s Grey, which really looks like a deep navy.