Fall for the New Fall Colors

Bring a ray of optimism into your décor with Pantone’s fall pick for 2012 – Tangerine Tango. They do it every season. Pantone, the leading authority on color, releases new colors that you will see in every product where color is a variable: in fashion, in furniture, in automobiles … and in rugs. Dedicated followers of fashion look forward to the hot new colors every season. But even if following trends doesn’t inspire your personal choices, chances are you will find a new color to love. So let’s examine the new colors for Fall 2012. Pantone tells us that Tangerine Tango is the number one hot color for this season, followed by French Roast, Honey Gold, Pink Flamingo, and Ultramarine Green. The color trends for fall are not surprising since they follow closely the trends we saw in the spring that suited the mood of the country — optimistic, yet reserved. Consumer confidence continues to climb as 2012 nears its end, clearly demonstrated in the orange, pink, and green colors that are so lively and vibrant.

At the same time, the country is taking it slow and moderating its optimism, obvious in the complementary earth tones of deep brown and gold. What does this mean for you? These colors are strong, yet familiar. If you like being on the cutting edge, you’ll be able to comfortably slip into this color-way while trying something new. There are sure to be fashion-forward ideas for updating a room or decorating your first home. If you know what you like and don’t want to change, you might find these colors make excellent highlights, complementing your current favorites.  Place these modern glass vases to add a pop of vibrant color. What does this mean for your home? If you decorate (or redecorate) with these trends in mind, you’ll find it easier to match complementary accessories in your local retail outlets. Stick with a basic brown and gold base for your furnishings. Then add the bright, optimistic colors in your rugs, pictures, pillows, and window treatments. Set a bright tangerine orange rug in your den under your deep brown leather sectional. Go ahead and bring a loud, happy pink plush shag rug into your bedroom to brighten up a room that’s held traditional dark wood furniture and kept you stuck in yesterday. Start small if you’re anxious about making big changes. Add orange, pink, and green pillows to every room, for example, or switch out your dried flower dining table centerpiece with a modern glass vase in one of the new colors. These optimistic tones speak of renewed vitality, prosperity and fun. Fall is a season of change. Make yours one to inspire! Pantone is the company that sets the color trends year after year.

The business was originally founded by Lawrence Herbert in 1963 to solve problems encountered by graphic artists who needed help producing the most accurate color matches in their work. Herbert came up with a spectrum of coordinating and matching colors that artists could rely on when faced with difficult choices. The innovative fan color format has since morphed the company into the global authority on colors. Industries ranging from fashion to paint, from digital design to plastics, and from textiles to advertising rely on Pantone and its renowned language of color to set the pace for trends.