Six colors have captured the attention of the Brentano Design Studio for 2014. Distilled from an analysis of reigning trends, innovations in fashion and the shifting tastes of designers, the colors comprising Brentano's 2014 color forecast anticipate the needs of interior designers and will direct the Design Studio in their color selections for the coming year.
"Every year we see new, exciting colors emerge — like the Seafern and Coral we're forecasting for 2014. These 'emerging colors' typically aren't prevalent on the market yet, but they show signs of popularity," says Brentano Design Director Iris Wang.
"While emerging colors make great accents and can quickly update a space, most interior color trends move more slowly to accommodate the permanent fixtures in a design. Our fifth annual color forecast reflects that pace," she says.
"We included two 'continuing colors' from last year, natural Linen and Sapphire. Sapphire has moved towards navy, but it's still that rich, very usable jewel tone. The two colors we call 'evolving colors' are Gold and Charcoal, both cooler tones than the Saffron and Graphite we forecast for 2013."
Seafern : An unconventional pastel both brighter and greener than seafoam, seafern comes straight from fashion with a vivacious new intensity. Light and clean and very cool, seafern emerges as a stunning design accent.
Coral: Lighter and more informal than red, but also richer and more romantic than orange, coral combines the best of both. The bright, fresh accent injects some fun into traditional and experimental schemes.
Linen : The beautiful depth of color in natural linen has a rich subtlety that makes it a fascinating, adaptable neutral. Relaxed, yet luxurious, linen remains as popular as when it first appeared in Brentano's 2012 color forecast.
Sapphire: A near-navy blue first forecast by Brentano for 2013, sapphire doubles as a standalone classic and an elegant backdrop for rich, layered spaces. Sophisticated, deep navy blues like sapphire have a timeless appeal.
Gold: Shifting from the saffron yellow forecast by Brentano for 2013, gold moves in a cooler, yet rich and opulent, direction. A mid-tone gold (not soft and light nor dark and bronzy) makes a usable color and a fun metallic accent.
Charcoal: Neutral grays will continue to shift in 2014 into cooler tones. A deeper, darker, cooler color than 2013's graphite, masculine charcoal makes a rich complement to cool accents or an elegant, powerful statement on its own.