Color Pulse 2009

I recently attended Color Pulse 2009, put on by Benjamin Moore Paint. Color scouts for Benjamin Moore travel the world gleaning what’s happening in color and design trends and come back with what they’ve reconnoitered. An excellent slide show, a veritable visual treat, was presented and their forecasts were divided into four themes with edgy names: “Raw”, “Urban Silence”, “Simplexity” and “ Private Identity”.

“Raw” was all about nature and natural materials. Think sand and weathered wood. Khaki and variations of the grey scale. Furnishings made from sandbags and cinderblocks were presented as well as orange crates and metal poles.

Once again, heaven forbid, there is an embracing of white. A boutique was shown in which the shopper has to first travel through a completely white, glossy, unadorned space. No color, no signage, only a black rod iron staircase that signals to descend into where the color finally dwells. This supposedly allows one’s palate to be cleansed before seeing the ensuing palette. White on white will be prevalent once again.

Next was “Urban Silence” which I believe is an oxymoron, don’t you? It’s about bringing nature back to city dwellers. We saw a massive rooftop garden at a Ford Motor Plant carpeted entirely in sedum. Also showcased were contemporary spaces by architect, Rene Gonzalez, whose innovative use of materials is both tactile and experiential. Patrick Dougherty’s installation, a building on LA’s Melrose Avenue wrapped in swirls of twigs and plant materials was intriguing. And most unusual was the Das Park Hotel in Linz, Austria. Each room is a concrete manhole structure.

Check out this cool video:

As you can imagine, with the greening of urban steel and concrete, the predominant colors of this theme were gray once again, but this time mixed with fresh greens. Brown, embraced by many different cultures as well as with both men and women will also be big.

“Simplexity” was the next theme and that’s just what was represented. Think origami. You’ll be seeing folds in design as well as cellular structures and fitted puzzle pieces. We saw furniture covered entirely in thumb tacks or safety pins or ribbons. There were patterns with a kaleidoscope effect and rapid prototyping. Be on the lookout for the evolution of reds intermixed with ocher.

Lastly was “Private Identity”. Individuals will be seeking to make their own mark and choose their own individual identities. From the cutting edge Zona Tortona show in Milan, a giant thumb print as company logo revealed a landscape upon further observation. On display was the “chapter chair”, a chair with multiple folding backs that resembles a book. As in the “Goldilocks Approach”, the user can decide which adjustment is right for him. Designers were sketching in mid air via the use of holograms. These sketches are echoed in fabrics and other materials. Bright directional color dictates here.

Just as every day people don’t wear the outrageous fashions that runway models wear on the catwalk, obviously these over the top ideas won’t be recreated in the average space. But quotidian color and design trends are born from such spectacles.