Twice a year, Pantone - the people who provide color standards for the graphic, interior and fashion design worlds - release a color trend report for the upcoming season. The Pantone 2010 Spring/Summer Color Report is out with its top 10 colors for 2010. It's focused on interior design, decorating and fashion trends, but so are flowers and floral design. Use flowers to bring the hot colors of the season to accent your home or set off your event décor, or to perfectly complement a chic, fashion-forward wedding party.
And the winners are :
Turquoise - also Pantone's "Color of the Year". Think vital and tropical. Turquoise doesn't appear often naturally in the flower world - morning glories, maybe, but they're not found in arrangements often. But that doesn't mean you can't introduce it in other ways - ribbons, silks, vases. Be creative!
Tomato Puree - is a timeless, pure red with just the right blue-orange balance. Of course, there are scores of red flowers - but look for the more saturated, less "orange" toned varieties: Regular and mini carnations, gerbera daisies, amaryllis, and red "Opium" or "Forever Young" roses.
Spring/Summer 2010 Color Trend: Vibrant Brights and a Splash of Sun and Surf
Fusion Coral - is a refreshing, pale orange with pink undertones. Look for salmon rose varieties like "Movie Star" or "Amsterdam". Or include peach mini-carnations, pink limonium, orange snapdragons and salmon tulips.
Violet - If you remember back to your Crayola days, the big 64 crayons sets (the ones with the sharpener!) came with a "Blue Violet" and a "Red Violet". Pantone's 2010 "violet" is in the red-violet direction. Asters are a great filler flower in this vein, and the Blue Curiosa rose is an elegant and romantic violet. Don't be fooled by the names - the purple freesia and hyacinth are a better here than the their more-blue violet varieties. Others that will work are purple anemone, dianthus, gladiolus and liatris - all leaning more to red than blue.
Aurora - Named for natural light displays, this yellow has a greenish undertone. It's not a bright canary color, but adds bold pop to the palette. This spring, bring in some yellow tulips or some yellow cream roses. Yellow oriental lilies or yellow limonium will also bring in green hint you're looking for here.
Amparo Blue - It can be challenging to work natural true blues into floral arrangements because it's not a hue that occurs much in the plant world. Amparo Blue is even tougher - it's a warm but very bright blue. The closest match you'll find is a blue hydrangea, but keep in mind how varied hydrangeas can be. The other blue standbys, like delphiniums, really lean too far to the red/lavender undertone and miss the spirit of Amparo.
Pink Champagne - is a beautiful, elegant and delicate neutral, which you can find with a peachy cream carnations, or in the hint of color in the rose "Vendela".
The Neutrals - Tuscany, Dried Herb and Eucalyptus are soft, rich tones that complement the 2010 Spring/Summer collection. When you work in greens, try including some Curly Willow, or Spanish Moss, or some Seeded Eucalyptus. Think a little less bright green than the more traditional foliage.
Go give it a try - but remember: Pantone creates (and recreates) its color palettes in a nice controlled lab. Nature isn't always so accommodating. If you're working with Pantone's latest palette, or any other color plan, expect - and embrace - a little natural variation in hue and saturation, and you won't be disappointed.
