Current Newsletter

Color Trends 2007-2008

Oranges&lemons friend and color marketing expert, Aimee Desrosiers from California Paints, has recently returned from the annual meeting of the Color Marketing Group with news about 2007-2008 color trends. She was kind enough to share her notes from the discussion. “Culture and nature are driving color in 2007 and 2008,” she says. 

One of the biggest drivers for the next couple of years is nature.  This extends beyond the usual greens and browns to stone tones, neutrals and sunrise colors.

Some of the cultural influences we’ll see include the following:

The 2008 Beijing Olympics will bring yellows, reds and jade greens into the forefront.  Juxtaposed against nature-inspired neutrals, these colors will really explode.

India, which Aimee refers to as “the land of color” will influence colors to be more “vibrant, festive, citrusy and zesty.” Golds will add elegance throughout 2007. Orange will be taking center stage, in combination with yellows and greens. 

Hispanic culture, from Central America to Mexico to South America to the Caribbean, presents a variety of inspirations. Watch for a “rich, warm and vibrant palette” with reds, oranges, golds and purples.

The trends Aimee cites have clever names and they present many home decorating opportunities.

Sticks and Stones:  “Elemental color and design touches every surface of home interiors in 2007 and 2008,” Aimee reports.  Wood tones, stone, undyed or naturally dyed tetiles and the natural iridescence of shell and leather. These neutral and natural tones are easy to combine.  Think grays; warm bronze; a merging of browns with pinks; warm, unbleached whites.

Sunrise: “Colors that change throughout the day, because they are complex mixtures of several hues,” says Aimee.  If you have ever heard of metamerism, you will get the picture. With Sunrise color combinations, green/yellow and orange are accented with brown or midnight purple. Aimee also talks about “fusions of yellow, green and brown.” Watch for mixtures of those colors.

Goldi-Luxe: Gold, brown, orange and coppery golds will be everywhere in 2007, creating a sumptuous, opulent touch.

Orange-You-Glad-We-Said-Goodbye-To-Pink:  Pink is trending down and orange is trending up.  Orange will naturally look great with green or yellow (think of a bowl of citrus fruits.)

Purple-Craze: Purples like orchid and lilac will be paired with yellows, golds and greens.

Pop-Rocks: Expect to see “pops of accent colors burst off of everything from textiles to glassware, paint, plastic and ceramics.” Saturated reds (both warm and cool) will be with us in 2008; also watch for deep jade green and turquoise.

  In early 2007, California Paints is planning to release sample sizes of a number of colors from these new palettes.  Picture colors with names like Sub-Lime, Pucker, Karma, All That Glitters and Get Jaded and think about how much fun they will be to add to your home.