The color experts at Pantone are seeing green in 2013 — emerald green to be precise. It’s called Shade 17-5641 and it has been crowned Pantone’s Color of the Year. The company describes this year’s trendiest shade as “lively, radiant and lush”. And as the year goes by you will see its influence in everything from home decor to clothing to nail polish.
Emerald replaces the sizzling Tangerine Tango which was Pantone’s pick for 2012. While Emerald has a bit less firepower than its predecessor, Pantone promises that Emerald will please with its richness and depth.
“Emerald, a vivid verdant green, enhances our sense of well-being further by inspiring insight as well as promoting balance and harmony.” the company says.
How do you balance adding this jewel-tone trend to your home decor without making it appear you’ve relocated to leprechaun land?
Pick the Space
Begin by adding this color to the rooms most suited for the emerald green treatment. Pantone suggests main floor living spaces — entryways, living rooms, dining rooms, studies and powder rooms.
Accents and Accessories
No need to rush out and begin shopping for top-to-bottom emerald green decor. First, try accents and accessories to add touches of emerald in your rooms. In a neutral landscape an emerald green table lamp and shade will steal the spotlight.
Switch out some familiar accessories on your tables and shelves for an occasional pop of eye-catching emerald ceramics, pillows and glassware.
Or maybe pull all eyes to the floor with a throw rug that is literally a carpet of green beneath the feet that is reminiscent of a luscious lawn in the spring.
On the Walls
Adding emerald to all four walls may be too much for all but the biggest color adventurers. But a stand-out accent wall in emerald will be the focus of any room.
The color experts at Pantone suggest pairing that accent wall with other walls in more subdued neutrals like medium grays and fawns. But emerald will also come alive when paired with crisp, bright white.
In Textiles
Emerald is considered a luxurious color that works well when paired with luxurious fabrics like soft velvets and thirsty Egyptian cottons.
Emerald velvet curtain panels could wrap a room in on-trend luxury. And if you’d like to experiment with bedding, pillows and bath towels in emerald, retailer JC Penney has paired with Pantone to roll out a color of the year line in February that will offer those products online and in stores.
The forecasters at Pantone say they scan the globe looking for the color that will define the year. And in 2013 the road has led them to an emerald city.
By Carla Turchetti
