Last week Pantone announced their color of the year for 2022.  I am always fascinated by Pantone's color choices,  and surmise that there is a particular “color forecast team” that conducts research into trends, studies fads and fashion, and makes note of shifts in popular culture and directions to come up with a particular shade.

Pantone did something a little different this year

The Pantone color for 2022 is called “Very Peri”. Now, if you are not up on your color tones and variations, you may not know that “Peri” stands for Periwinkle, which in its purest form is a kind of a light violet blue.  But Pantone did something a little different this year.  It started off with “normal” periwinkle, added red undertones and darkened the overall shade, coming up with the moniker “Very Peri”.

Because fashion houses, architectural firms and advertising companies often incorporate the new color into their designs, it is often interesting to learn exactly how and why a particular color is chosen.  This year Pantone identifies the time we are in as “transformative”, as we are emerging from an intense period of isolation.  They go on to describe the color as a symbol of the “global zeitgeist” and the transition we are going through. “ Our physical and digital lives have merged in new ways, and digital design helps us to stretch the limits of reality, opening the door to a dynamic virtual world, where we can explore and create new color possibilities.”  So says Pantone.  They lost me at “global zeitgeist”.

Call me old school, but I still believe that we are all affected by color regardless of our digital connections, virtual worlds, or color manifestations.  Surely with the trends in gaming and the expanding popularity of the “metaverse”, (I have yet to learn exactly what THAT is…..), Pantone feels that digital design helps us to stretch the limits of reality, opening the door to a virtual world where new and exciting colors can be created. That is an exciting concept.

The color itself is described as displaying a “spritely, joyous attitude and dynamic presence that encourages courageous creativity and imaginative expressions.”  That sounds like a lot of pressure for just one color, but hey, as I have said a thousand times before, colors affect us all differently. If Very Peri can give just one of us a joyous attitude, then I am all for it.

But here's the rub: When it comes to interior spaces, color becomes one of the most important features. It would take a very courageously creative individual to actually paint their walls in “Very Peri”. The majority of us tend to feel most comfortable with a quieter background, allowing our furnishing to stand out.  And because  this color is in the blue family, which in and of itself is a “cool” color, you need to be very careful about the shades you place around it. Stay away from colors with warm undertones like cream, beiges, or yellows.  Bright white walls, a carpet with a blend of blues, grays and purples and a chair or two upholstered in “Very Peri” while incorporating a few accent pieces in a cool print will allow you to be of the color moment while still remaining slightly understated.

Admittedly, I really do not follow color trends per se.  I am a traditionalist after all, and believe that it is the colors of nature that create the warmest and most comfortable surroundings. I may never truly understand the metaverse.  But I do understand color, and the effect it has on us as individuals.  So, if you are courageously creative, go find yourself a paint store and have them mix you up a can or two of Very Peri. Then give me a call.  I would love to see how a color that has been digitally designed translates into a welcoming living environment.  We may be on the verge of a color revolution. Thanks, Pantone!

Patricia Cove is Principal of Architectural Interiors and Design in chestnut Hill, and can be reached through her website: patriciacove.com.