A rich take on hope, growth, and freshness was offered with Pantone’s 2013 shade Emerald. Much like 2010’s Turquoise, this natural stone inspired colour has long been present in building and decor. It was chosen to counteract our complex world, as Executive Director of the Pantone Colour Institute stated “Symbolically, Emerald brings a sense of clarity, renewal and rejuvenation”. The green shade also fell in line with the growing interest in tiles’ role in sustainable construction and a focus on ‘indoor air quality’.
The tile world demonstrated its appreciation for this colour in many ways, allowing it to play the star role in various ranges, or adding a subtle and calming pop of brightness alongside neutrals.
By 2014 Pantone’s choice of Radiant Orchid finally (almost) met the tile world’s love for lavenders and lilacs. The luxurious air offered by purple is here mixed with an earthiness and warmth. It is less of a rich, vivid shade than one might expect given the name, and is more on the pink side, rather than the bluer tinged violet that tile manufacturers favour.
Despite the growing popularity of purples, Cersaie was overrun with wood-effect tiles, distracting from the use of colour in favour of natural look planks. However the surface design show had taken to the purples in spades. Industrial looks were prominent throughout as cement and moody textured neutrals flooded the scene.
At halfway through the decade we’re met with a truly earthy tone. The reliability, authenticity, and warmth offered by Pantone’s Marsala is what we needed in 2015 as the UK faced another general election, terror attacks rocked Paris, planes continued to crash, the Greek debt crisis became ever-present, and the growing number of refugees were offered no measure of relief.
It is a hearty shade, with a richness from the wine that provides its name and the tile industry had no trouble incorporating it into their designs. It could be found in multiple collection releases, and throughout shows such as Revestir thanks to its relatively neutral essence and natural appeal.
The final shades of the decade will be explored in tomorrow’s colour review round-up.
A new post by Hanna Simpson, Diary of a Tile Addict, January 2020.