What Influences Color from the Runway to the Living Room

Styles, patterns and colors would leave the runway, appear on pages of the fashionable glossy magazines and then end up in our closets. People’s home fashions would never directly reflect the fashions that they wore. In recent years the world of interiors has seen about a 2 year lag from runway to living room.

Now that gap seems to be closing in at a much faster rate, according to Gretchen Aubuchon Editor in Chief of Fashion + Decor. ”Style your home…Style yourself. Fashion + Decor takes fashions from the latest runways and pairs them with a match in home decor. Fashion + Decor is the largest and the only online tool that inspires readers to bring their personal style out of the closet and into every single room of the home.” Aubuchon believes that “The social media drive seems to be bringing the creative minds and the creative worlds together.”

Image via Fashion + Decor

You may have seen and read alot about The Color of the Year on Twitter, on Facebook as well as across a myriad of design blogs. So what, exactly does this mean? Pantone has been a leader in color for both home and fashion. For 40 years Pantone has reflected the worlds of politics, art, media, fashion and music. From the avocado green of the 1970s to the Emerald green chosen as today’s color choice, Pantone understands that color illustates and highlights our memories of days past and punctuates the memories that are being created today.

According to Aubuchon, many those have already been in the planning for several seasons. Currently, we know not only what’s hot in the Spring 2013 lines, but we are getting glimpses of the Pre-Fall 2013 lines. So while most furniture makers know which pieces will be featured at High Point Market his fall, there’s still time to add some emerald to the mix, maybe even a few will try to toss some into the Spring market in April.

High Point is highly influencial, it’s where one goes to find the earliest look at emerging trends at the High Point Market, the legendary design destination. There are many factors involved in determining what will become the newest styles and trends and smart manufacturers will, however, rush to create a few smaller pieces to offer in their lines for the next season. Aubuchon describes the difference between a style and a trend is that “styles have staying power, while trends come and go. Trends can, however, turn into styles.”

These Color of the Year choices influence our decisions as consumers on how we want to dress and decorate and furnish our homes. Interior designers then go in search of certain select items of these colors or within varying shades of these colors for their clients. This is a perfect example of social media’s influence on both the fashion and the home-front. When Pantone announced that Emerald 17-5642 was the 2013 color choice of the year, social media in all forms, from blogs to Twitter to Facebook, shared this information almost immediately. Pantone says that Emerald Green is “Lively.

Radiant. Lush… A color of elegance and beauty that enhances our sense of well-being.” Suddenly images of bright green graced and infiltrated our computer screens.  This shared information, in real time, has more influence on the general consumer than a glossy fashion or decor magazine who, at time of press is completing issues for publication several months into the future. When the print publications get the word out and start featuring all things in Emerald, the news will be old news.

Bursts of happiness infiltrated our homes, from paint color to accent pieces such as cushions, throws and pillows, to accessories such as dishes and lamps. Small kitchen appliances too would embrace these colors, as would the pages of popular home decor catalogues such as Pottery Barn. Again, the bloggers and social media experts had much bearing on the quick spread of this popular color. Orange seems not to be going out of style anytime soon and this trend could very well have staying power.

This includes more subdued, bolder and brighter alternatives. So while Emerald Green may be the color of the year, we will see many shades and varying forms of the color green infiltrate our wardrobes and home decor.

Aubuchon states that while we are seeing a resurgence of bright and vibrant colors on the runway, and predicts that we will see “color, color and more color” on the runways this fall there will always be a place for the beiges, blacks and greys.  ”They’re not going anywhere. They’re staples in our homes and in our closets.” Furthermore she adds that an all black wardrobe or a grey room is here to stay.” Aubuchon says the best advice she can give is to be true to who you are, how you live and your style. Don’t go out and buy an emerald green blouse or rug if your personality is more blue and beige.

Via: What Influences Color from the Runway to the Living Room