Coatings World: What are the color trends for 2017?

Dee Schlotter: The PPG Paints brand’s 2017 Color of the Year is a unique violet hue with a quality that allows it to adapt to surrounding environments and complement a variety of design aesthetics. When paired with dark neutrals, the color unveils gray undertones, but when paired with whites, it reads as a purer purple. Its design appeal is similarly nuanced. Violet Verbena blends perfectly with many different surroundings, like a chameleon. It looks polished yet playful in a child’s room, and it is calming enough to be used in hospitals or other spaces that require tranquility.

PPG Paints Violet Verbena is the focal point of PPG’s four global color trend stories for 2017, which center on the theme of Pendulum: earth, water, fire and air. For the first time, the PPG Paints brand includes its Color of the Year in all of its trend themes, as the prevalence of this hue allows it to live in every story. The four themes are:

• HOURGLASS: A classic palette with a contemporary spin, this theme represents the earth element, with consumers finding stability in what they know and gravitating toward designs rooted in historical relevance. The palette incorporates rich, royal hues such as PPG Paints brand colors Burgundy Wine (PPG1053-7), Old Mill Blue (PPG1171-6) and Castle Stone (PPG1128-7), blended with a healthy dose of neutrals such as Pearl (PPG1087-2) and Go To Gray (PPG1004-1), to pair beautifully with wood, marble and stone tile. The lavender hues of Violet Verbena add to the royal nature of these colors, while still blending effortlessly with greens, blues and neutrals.

• ES/SENCE: This theme focuses on the element of water, purity and the premise that less is unequivocally more. In a time when many consumers are embracing minimalism, the colors in this palette evoke a sense of simplicity and relaxation. Watery blues, lush greens and soft blended tones provide a mellow, calming and refreshing mentality. Sea Mist (PPG1227-1), Ancestral (PPG1047-4), Almond Cream (1086-3) and Simply Elegant (PPG1155-3), a few of the colors in the palette, create a soft, calming ambiance and pair beautifully with soothing Violet Verbena.

• IMPOWER: Centered on change powered by the fire element, this complex palette incorporates deep tones, light neutrals and everything in between. It celebrates the fact that consumers do not have to define themselves by any specific design personality, but can exist somewhere in between. Consumers drawn to this palette can pair furnishings and colors from various genres and disciplines in a decadent yet easy fusion. Bold colors of the PPG Paints brand such as Azure Tide (PPG1231-6), Cenote (PPG17-02), Red Licorice (PPG1186-7) and Crushed Pineapple (PPG1213-7) pair with muted neutral tones such as Willow Tree (PPG1112-6), Gray Violet (PPG1014-5), Silver Screen (PPG1014-3) and not-quite gray Violet Verbena.

• BIOCENTRIC: This design story is representative of air and the idea that we are all connected, and the palette dazzles with space-inspired hues and saturated organics. PPG Paints brand colors Spinach Salad (PPG11-16), Blueberry Muffin (PPG1164-5) and Enchanting Eggplant (PPG13-07) give the palette an organic vibe, while Black Flame (PPG1043-7), Cavalry (PPG1041-7) and Witchcraft (PPG1037-7) offer blue-black mystery to the palette and pair beautifully with Violet Verbena. Incorporating these colors into the home gives the look of contemporary elegance and laid-back charm.

PPG’s OLYMPIC brand chose Cloudberry (OL677.3) as its 2017 Color of the Year, a soft violet that allows anyone to escape distractions of the outside world and find satisfaction in solace. Cloudberry appeals to individuals who increasingly find joy in pulling back from advertising, social media, the news cycle and other forms of information “noise” that throw off balance and harmony. The soft violet is serene and calming, helping people focus on family and professional pursuits without distractions from the outside world.

Additionally, PPG’s GLIDDEN brand selected Byzantine Blue (50BB 32/117) as its 2017 Color of the Year, which is a playful yet peaceful purple that pairs the best qualifies of blue, gray and violet. Byzantine Blue is elegant enough for any homeowner’s style, whether traditional, modern or somewhere in between. This color is perfect for anyone looking to create balance in life and to establish a home base in which to refocus energy.

CW: What are the main influencers of color trends and how do you predict color trends for the future?

Schlotter: PPG recognizes that we influence trends as much as trends influence us, and our forecasts represent and connect to consumer feelings and preferences. PPG’s color trends forecast gathers information from a wide variety of sources and societal influences, including runway trends, current consumer attitudes, consumer food preferences, current events, build material trends and many, many more sources. PPG also knows that it’s not simply about one color, but rather a combination of trending colors to create an overarching, and all-encompassing color story that resonates with our broad range of customers.

CW: Please provide any other information that you think would be of interest.

Schlotter: PPG’s more than 20 global color stylists gathered in February for the 2018 PPG Global Color Forecast meeting, an annual meeting held for the first time in Pittsburgh this year. During the three-day meeting, PPG’s color experts came together and discussed societal and regional trends, as well as overarching consumer insights to determine the following year’s color forecast, as well as the 2018 Color of the Year. Held for the eighth consecutive year, the annual meeting brings together insights from various regions around the world and from various PPG businesses to create a global forecast that resonates with PPG’s customers in these industries.