Wednesday, June 5, 2002

Trends: The colors of life

Earthen white and sandbar expand neutrals

What colors are hot now? The trend is toward organic neutrals and soft neutrals that offer just the suggestion of color.

"There's a new design aesthetic that's sweeping the culture and the marketplace," said Theresa Millard, lead designer - Decorative Products, Kohler Co. "Colors, materials and textures are softening, intermingling, flowing. There's a strong trend towards blending."

The new wave is a restrained, harmonious and sometimes eclectic expression that is both timeless and personal. And with colors like sandbar and earthen white, designers and consumers can deliver subtle colors to an interior or they can be blended together until they almost disappear.

Where do these new colors come from?

"Some of them come from us!" says Diana Schrage, interior designer, Kohler Design Center." It takes a lot of resources and a great deal of vision to be out in front in color, but at Kohler we believe that we all have deep connections with color, that color can express who we are and even influence how we feel. Whether it's a bathroom lavatory, a soaking tub or your kitchen sink, color isn't just a color chip anymore. Color is design. Color says something about how we want to live."

Kohler often looks to nature for color inspiration. Earthen white, for example, a new variation on white, has a warm milky hue and luminous qualities that are light, airy and varied. More than one designer has likened its translucence and easy blending with a broad range of colors to a sea shell.

The natural, layered, glowing quality of earthen white is actually sophisticated "natural technology" at its best. Over the last four or five years, Kohler has developed special translucent glazes for its limited Artist Editions line. Because consumers and designers were transfixed by the depth and clarity of the finish, the technology is now being applied to mainstream colors like earthen white. The process requires two layers of glaze, an initial coat the color of soft brown clay followed by a coat of cool, translucent white. The result is a texture and depth reminiscent of hand-crafted pottery.

"I think we're seeing in a new way," said Millard. "Earthen white is just one of several near-whites that I think of as 'air neutrals.' We also have 'earth neutrals' like sandbar which draw on the natural undertones of wave-washed stones and sun-bleached sand. Sandbar is very organic and mixes effortlessly with slates, ceramics, woods and stones."

According to Millard, over the last decade, Kohler Co. has committed even more energy to understanding how design and color play a more important role in our lives.

"I don't think you could have predicted the heavy influence of design and color that has become part of the market," said Millard. "Today, top designers are reshaping our automobiles, our computers, and even everyday objects like tea kettles and soup ladles.

"One of the biggest trends that we see is the importance of being honest. Whether it's wood, stone, glass or ceramic tile, we're seeing products that reflect the intrinsic value of the materials. Even the metals and plastics on cars and computers are being refined into sophisticated, nuanced expression. And color is an important part of the honesty."

Whether the colors are ethereal or earthly, Schrage points to a convergence of major trends in culture: nature, design, health and technology. "More and more people are making the home a retreat," said Schrage, "and the master bathroom is embracing elements that make it a personal spa a sanctuary, a private place to support emotional and physical well being. The Kohler color palette is neutral, soothing, rejuvenating. We've reached a harmony between products and function and emotion."

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