The 24 shades selected by Sherwin-Williams color experts travel back and forth across the borders of four key trends: Techno-Color, Conscious Luxury, Local Momentum and Global Tapestry.
Forecast Influences
 Today's color influences converge in a beautifully modulated palette. See how the color families were influenced
At Sherwin-Williams, a global team of experts has spent months analyzing color influences, from consumer electronics to international street style, to identify the hues that will define architecture and design in the year ahead. This year, those influences are converging in new and surprising ways, resulting in a complex, sophisticated palette, according to Jackie Jordan, Sherwin-Williams’ director of color marketing.
“Color has been so bold and saturated for the past few years that we’ve been overwhelmed,” she says. “We’re looking for a change, something more relaxing.”
The economic downturn also appears to be nudging color in a less chromatic, less intense direction, says Kathy Andersson, color marketing manager for Sherwin-Williams Product Finishes Division. “People are trying to be more conservative in their consumer attitudes, spending and color selection.”
There are other color influences at play, but one dominant one remains the green movement, which has matured and gone mainstream. “It’s not even a ‘movement’ anymore, but a global common denominator,” says Carol Derov, global color and design marketing manager for Sherwin-Williams’ International Division
Global Tapestry
In our hyper-linked era, the world has flattened again, with color influences from many lands now woven together into a brilliant tapestry. Hues from Russia and East Asia continue to be dominant threads, blending seamlessly with those from Latin America, the new hot zone. Popular travel destinations contribute new shadings: the colorful rainbow of pressed-tin buildings from Buenos Aires’ La Boca barrio, or the vibrant fish of Roatan Island, Honduras’ barrier reef.
“Consumers are savvier about what’s happening all over the world,” Andersson says. “They’re traveling more and want to bring those color memories home into their surroundings.”
And even those who don’t travel are increasingly exposed to global palettes via the Internet and high-definition big-screen TV, Derov notes. The 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, for example, brought China — and its traditional red and gold hues — into living rooms all over the world, while the 2010 Soccer World Cup will rivet all eyes on South Africa
The local movement, with its eco-friendly emphasis on locally sourced ingredients, has spread from the food community to a modern way of life. Natural resource-conservation features, such as green rooftops and backyard vegetable gardens, are a source of community pride.
Raw natural materials and handmade items by local artisans are the new look of local, along with locally inspired color palettes from the natural world.
“People have an increasing sense that they’re losing their heritage, and they are looking to support and celebrate their community,” says Andersson.
What color is your local? Look around you. Maybe it’s the blues and sands of the nearby seashore — or the urban hues of steel and concrete. Putting a local spin on the color wheel has never been more timely.
Techno-Color
Nothing new under the sun? Hardly. Technology continues to upload innovations that expand our design and color possibilities in wonder-filled ways. New fiber technologies turn animal and vegetable proteins into tactile fabrics. New finishes add color interplay, dimension and luminescence. Biomimicry-inspired products borrow from Mother Nature’s design lab, echoing the function found in whirlpools or Nautilus shells.
And going green has never been easier — or more colorful. Eco-minded consumers are no longer defined by soft greens and rustic earth tones, Jordan says. “Now, thanks to technology, the green spectrum has opened up. We can create environmentally friendly colors that weren’t possible a few years ago.”
Technology-enabled design is also creating new green products and terminology like “upcycling,” the practice of converting waste materials into products of greater value, such as beer bottles into building materials
Conscious Luxury
Affluence has a new face. Today’s young, green-minded customers are savoring life’s luxuries but bringing their consciences with them. Their five-star resort must be eco-friendly, their cuisine organic and their gemstones “conflict-free.”
“People with money still want to surround themselves with luxury, but they want to feel like they’re doing something good at the same time,” says Derov. They’re biking to save fossil fuel — on a $3,500 custom-built bike.
The new luxury palette reflects botanical hues, evoking eco-tourism in exotic destinations, and natural flower and root dyes to tint the finest silks and cashmeres. “Mineral” hues, such as mother of pearl and warm metallic shades, combine earthy sensibility with refined taste.
For these new affluents, green has definitely outgrown its rustic roots, and ethical indulgence is the ultimate status symbol
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اللهم اغفر لي و لوالدي و والدتي و المسلمين الأحياء منهم و الأموات
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