2021: A Year In Review

The year 2021 ushers in a diverse and rich palette of paint colors from leading brands, featuring vivid reds, calming blues, and dramatic earth tones designed to both energize and comfort indoor environments. This trend reflects a growing desire among individuals to infuse their homes with joy and personality, especially as people spend more time within their living spaces. Industry experts, such as Gary Inman of Gary Inman Interior Design and an advisor to the High Point Market Style Spotters, emphasize the significant role color plays in shaping a home's atmosphere and how people are actively seeking ways to enhance their surroundings. Prominent examples of this trend include HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams' 2021 Color of the Year, "Passionate," a bold red from the "Delightfully Daring" collection, chosen to reflect a deeper understanding of what brings happiness and enriches the soul. Similarly, Farrow & Ball's "Preference Red" aligns with this vibrant direction. Global color authority Pantone made a unique selection for 2021, naming two independent colors: "Ultimate Gray" and "Illuminating." The latter, a cheerful yellow, works in conjunction with the gray to convey a message of hope and resilience, bringing a sense of warmth and positivity to any room, as explained by Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. Blue and green hues are also gaining significant traction. Benjamin Moore's 2021 Color of the Year is "Aegean Teal," while Glidden introduced "Aqua Fiesta" as its first-ever accent color of the year. For those seeking deeper blues, options such as Behr’s "Jean Jacket Blue" and "Nocturne Blue," Valspar’s "Blissful Blue" and "Lucy Blue," and Farrow & Ball’s "Ultra Marine" and "Pitch Blue" are popular. "Pitch Blue" is notably described as a strong cobalt blue with a black pigment, reminiscent of dark tar used in roofing, indicating a move towards more intense and sophisticated shades. Furthermore, there is a pronounced embrace of organic materials and colors, a trend attributed to the desire for serenity and safety, particularly in response to global events. "Nature equals serenity and safety," Inman notes, highlighting this shift. Sherwin-Williams' 2021 Color of the Year, "Urbane Bronze," a saturated gray-brown, exemplifies this earthy trend. Autumnal shades like cognac, cinnamon, and burnt orange are also expected to remain strong for several seasons, with examples including Behr’s "Maple Glaze," "Saffron Strands," and "Cellini Gold," along with Valspar’s "Maple Leaf." In an innovative move, PPG introduced its first-ever color palette of the year, named "Be Well," which consists of a trio: "Transcend," a midtone oatmeal; "Big Cypress," a shaded ginger; and "Misty Aqua," a watercolor cerulean blue, all part of a larger group of 14 natural hues. These selections collectively underscore a collective desire for comfort, joy, and a connection to nature through interior design. #HomeDecor #InteriorDesign #ColorTrends #PaintColors #DesignTrends #ColorPalette #HomeImprovement #Decorating

The article delves into the anticipated color trends for home interiors in 2021, showcasing how various leading paint companies and color authorities have unveiled their picks for the upcoming year. These selections are presented as embodying themes of resilience, optimism, wellness, and a desire for stability, reflecting the global context of the time. Pantone Color Institute, a globally recognized authority in color standards, announced a duo of colors for 2021: "Ultimate Gray," a neutral midtone, and "Illuminating," a vibrant yellow. This combination is described by Leatrice Eiseman, executive director at Pantone, as conveying a message of positivity underpinned by fortitude, blending practicality with warmth and optimism to foster resilience and hope. The article notes that this pairing is particularly suitable for living spaces, including home offices. Sherwin-Williams introduced "Urbane Bronze" as its color of the year, a grayish-brown shade that evokes the richness of natural materials like metal, stone, and wood. This color is positioned as ideal for creating a sense of sanctuary within personal spaces and harmonizes well with warmer earth tones. Holistic interior designer Gala Magriñá suggests using "Urbane Bronze" for home exteriors or as an accent color for doors or focal walls, recommending its pairing with blush pink to add warmth and a contemporary touch. Benjamin Moore selected "Aegean Teal," an oceanic blue-green, as its color of the year, accompanied by a palette of 12 earthy shades. Andrea Magno, Benjamin Moore’s director of color marketing and development, explains that these colors respond to a human yearning for stability amidst uncertainty, highlighting their potential to positively influence emotions and well-being. Lilit Devejian of LuxySpace finds "Aegean Teal" relaxing and suggests pairing it with white, noting its vintage yet modern feel, suitable for minimalistic millennial lofts. Behr's Color Trends 2021 Palette features 21 colors, including popular neutrals like "Smoky White" and "Barnwood Gray," which has a subtle green hint and is versatile for both interior and exterior use. Warmer tones such as "Almond Wisp" (taupe) and "Sierra" (earthy) are also gaining traction. Designer Katie Rosenfeld observes an '80s vibe in the palette and mentions her current preference for chocolate brown, beige, cream, nude, and various yellow shades. Backdrop, an online paint company, through co-founder Natalie Ebel, highlights earth tones and blues like "Surf Camp" (dark blue with green undertones), as well as warm terra-cotta hues such as "Ghost Ranch." Ebel also points to uplifting yellows, including "Disco Nap," as having a significant moment. Magriñá suggests using energetic yellows like "Disco Nap" in breakfast nooks or home offices to create an uplifting atmosphere, recommending pairings with whites and blues. PPG Paint Brand's "Be Well" palette comprises 14 colors, featuring "Transcend" (mid-tone beige), "Big Cypress" (ginger orange), and "Misty Aqua" (muted tropical turquoise). Katie Sprague of CallisonRTKL emphasizes the wellness-promoting and calming effects of these colors, drawing parallels to their use in hospital environments for their impact on healing and mental well-being. Clare, another online paint brand, uses sales data and customer feedback to identify popular colors. Their best-sellers are whites and neutrals, with a notable increase in sales for cheerful yellows like "Lemonade" and pinks such as "Rosé Season," indicating a consumer desire for brighter, more uplifting shades. Angie Hranowsky, a designer from Charleston, S.C., advises against relying solely on online color views. She recommends finding color inspiration from existing decor, narrowing down options, and testing paint samples directly on walls, as digital representations can differ significantly from real-life appearance. The article also mentions a new device, the ColorReader EZ, which helps match desired colors to major paint brands, retailing for $59. #ColorTrends #InteriorDesign #PaintColors #HomeDecor #Pantone #SherwinWilliams #BenjaminMoore #Behr #PPGPaint

The year 2021 presented a series of fluctuating events within the design world, ranging from significant architectural problems and design ethics debates to revivals of classic furniture and public art installations. One notable architectural issue involved 432 Park Avenue, a luxury skyscraper in New York City. Despite its initial allure, residents reported numerous defects, including elevator malfunctions, flooding, and electrical issues, leading to a lawsuit against the developers. This incident highlighted that high-end aesthetics cannot mask underlying structural and safety problems. In the realm of design integrity, the Instagram account @designwithincopy gained prominence by exposing instances of design plagiarism. This anonymous platform juxtaposes original designs with their alleged copies, sparking discussions about intellectual property, inspiration versus theft, and the effectiveness of public shaming in the design industry. Culturally, Afrofuturism found a significant stage at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art with the installation “Before Yesterday We Could Fly: An Afrofuturist Period Room.” This exhibit explored a hypothetical modern-day Seneca Village, a 19th-century community of free Black individuals, using objects from the Met’s collection to imagine a future rooted in African diaspora culture and history. Furniture trends saw the resurgence of the Camaleonda sofa by Mario Bellini, originally from the 1970s. Following its reissue by B&B Italia in 2020 and its appearance in a celebrity’s Instagram post, the modular, blob-shaped sofa became highly sought after, inspiring interest in similar designs like Afra and Tobia Scarpa’s Soriana and Michel Ducaroy’s Togo. Alongside this, decorative plate walls experienced a revival, transforming functional dinnerware into aesthetic wall art, blending rustic charm with contemporary design. Public spaces underwent notable transformations. Little Island, a floating park on Manhattan’s West Side, designed by Heatherwick Studio and Signe Nielsen, emerged as a new urban destination. Constructed on 132 concrete tulip-shaped structures over the Hudson River, it features an amphitheater and diverse botanicals. While offering a unique experience, it also drew criticism regarding resource allocation and access to green spaces in less affluent areas. Additionally, the Moynihan Train Hall in New York provided a much-needed aesthetic upgrade to Penn Station. Housed in the James A. Farley Building and designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the hall offers a skylight-capped concourse and refined waiting areas, enhancing the commuter experience. Art and architecture converged in projects like the Bourse de Commerce–Pinault Collection in Paris, where Japanese architect Tadao Ando integrated a modern concrete rotunda within a 16th-century commodities exchange, creating a dialogue between historical preservation and contemporary art. The iconic Arc de Triomphe also became a temporary art installation, wrapped in silvery-blue fabric by Christo and Jeanne-Claude, fulfilling a decades-long artistic vision posthumously. This public art event transformed a Parisian landmark for several weeks, highlighting ephemeral installations. Conversely, _The Vessel_ at Hudson Yards in Manhattan faced significant challenges. Initially conceived as an interactive sculpture, it garnered controversy due to accessibility issues and, tragically, became the site of multiple suicides, leading to its indefinite closure. This underscored the importance of considering safety and human impact in ambitious architectural designs. On a lighter note, designer Jenna Lyons ventured into furniture design, launching a collection for Roll & Hill that brought her signature quirky-meets-traditional aesthetic to interiors. Real-life interiors also gained prominence on television, with shows like _The White Lotus_ and _Succession_ featuring authentic settings, such as the Four Seasons Resort Maui and a luxurious Tribeca penthouse, respectively. Finally, a viral TikTok video by Samantha Hartsoe captivated audiences by documenting her discovery of a secret, empty apartment behind her bathroom mirror in New York City, sparking curiosity about hidden spaces within urban dwellings. These diverse events collectively reflect the dynamic and often contrasting facets of the design world over the past year. #DesignTrends #Architecture #InteriorDesign #PublicArt #UrbanDevelopment #FurnitureDesign #Afrofuturism #DesignEthics #ArchitecturalFailures