2007 Color Forecast: The 'green' movement

The green movement, this time meaning environmental rather than color, is affecting the color forecast for 2007 in numerous capacities. As people experiment with environmentally safe practices, they want their homes to incor-porate the same principles.

"I think the green movement is picking up speed right now, the velocity is almost tactile" said Michelle Lamb, senior editor of the Trend Curve. "There is a greening of America that is one reason wood is going to be so important for the next few years, I see Lucite falling back as a material because wood is nature-specific. The movement has an emotional connection to it.

"Exotic woods are not over," Lamb said. "Because there is a lot of manufacturing overseas, there are a lot of species that we don't know about that are making their way into the American market. Consumers like it because they can create a more personalized environment."

This movement's impact on color is expansive from the return of neutrals with linen, taupe and beige to materials like raffia, bamboo and exotic woods. The new earth tone palette includes a lot of gold tones, Lamb said, as metallics warm up to copper, gold and rose gold. Browns are no longer the leader of this palette but instead are part of the story along with gray, olive and red.

Pantone Color Institute's take on the organic movement is called Aux Naturale, a paring down and cleaning up of color where the most important shades are creamy whites, sandy beiges, tans, taupes, gray and mellow browns accented by rose, lily pad green and a true-denim blue.

"The whole natural palette is no longer trendy, it's become a classic," said Catherine Stein, president of The Color Council. "The green movement is strong with bamboo gaining popularity as a floor covering. People ask for natural materials on a consumer level."

"There's going to be a huge environmental outlook for 2007," said Chow, of the Color Association of the U.S. "The new direction is a lot warmer with middle tone browns such as honey, sienna and amber that work well with blues. The environmental outlook is toward a landscape, looking at nature as the basis but using urban influences to bring in contrast with coral, yellow and citrus green in modern design. We're seeing a huge interest in wood, with people gaining interest in the wood itself, more natural finishes and exotic woods playing into exclusivity for the consumer".

Asiaphile uses natural resources for the modern bamboo footed bowls. eLink 714