Blue is the Buzz Word for 2014 Color Trends

Checking my inbox and headlines this morning I noticed an MSN post on the trend and style updates from the Stockholm Furniture Fair. The fair is this week, trend reports hit the news media up to two months ago preparing fair-goers (designers) what to get excited about. It was also trending on Bing, Yahoo and Xinhua e-news search engines:  The below report is directly from Yahoo! News.
       

Palette by Jan Rundgren

Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair is underway, displaying the very best in Scandinavian interior and industrial design. Here is a quick overview of the key interior trends for 2014 and 2015, as selected by designer and trend expert Jan Rundgren.

Pure classics

Interiors are becoming more individual, and this trend encourages the mixing of styles to create a more personal look. Color palettes are discreet and the trend features a lot of warm metal, white marble and stone.

Secret garden

Floral trends are in fashion for 2014 / 2015 and this applies to interiors too. The Secret Garden trend will see contemporary romantic vintage pieces mixed with contemporary furnishings and vibrant colors mixed with neutrals. Flexible furniture suitable for both indoor and outdoor use will become increasingly popular.

Natural elements

Nordic design is famous for its contemporary use of natural materials, and the coming season will embrace that trend, focusing on materials such as stone, wood and glass. Creations will remain contemporary thanks to the combination of natural materials like leather and wood with metals. Techniques such as basket weaves, plaited details and washed linen will be prevalent, while color palettes will remain neutral.

Aqua marine

An update of the traditional maritime décor scheme, the Aqua marine trend sees blue, green and turquoise colors teamed with white, and it will be on everything from chinaware to upholstered furniture. Painted wood is the most dominant material for furniture in this style, with the gray ‘driftwood' wooden furniture effect becoming increasingly popular.

I love color trends, Blue is the buzz word for this year (and guessing that we have had all forms of blue and brown in our market place for the past 6 years or so), forecasters identify the transition of color in the marketplace over time.(from one year to the next)  Well, looking at the above palette, I am amused by the color selection in this trend forecast. 

Like all things fashionable, and for those of us "old enough" to experience such phenomena, color trends are really fashion trends.  What goes around comes right back again, just give it time.  Believe it or not this was THE color palette of the late 80s early 90s.  The very same grouping of color used EVERYWHERE in industry that inspired me to leave the commercial textile industry!  Yup, home furnishings color of the time became so homogenized, that I needed to have my own color voice.  Like tunic shirts and leggings with booties, all we need are the hair styles and we are right back there. 

Me in the Studio of TexUnion USA, being surprised for my birthday.  Look at the color-ways on the wall!  Oh and my big hair, and bold jacket, and big glasses, this was 1991.  Oh and yes that is a polaroid picture!  Talk about retro. 

And I am not the only one out there with this observation, (Read the Quad Cities posting about their impression as well).

I implore creative designers everywhere to BE creative and add your pop and throw colors into the mix.  Please juxtapose textures, negative space and whites.  Look to other media for trend as well and stir up this palette.  Be a leader not a follower and put your spin on this palette, stick some real retro looks with these colors (think 50s and Scandinavian) it will work, really.

 Here is what I mean by how these colors mix. 
The above photo is from artist Janette Schuster, of Visual Apothecary, who has quite a collection of 50s dish wear and home accessories.  Would you agree about Jan Rundgren's color palette working with retro?