Radiant Orchid - 2014 Color of the Year!

Pantone's Color of the Year

Every year, Pantone selects a "color of the year" and this year, the company has selected RADIANT ORCHID.

So who are they and why should we care?

Here is the description of the company and their "color of the year process" from wiklipedia (See full description:

Pantone Inc. is a corporation headquartered in Carlstadt, New Jersey. The company is best known for its Pantone Matching System (PMS), a proprietary color space used in a variety of industries, primarily printing, though sometimes in the manufacture of colored paint, fabric, and plastics…. Annually Pantone declares a particular color "Color of the Year". Twice a year the company hosts, in a European capital, a secret meeting of representatives from various nations' color standards groups. After two days of presentations and debate, they choose a color for the following year.

Radiant Orchid blooms with confidence and magical warmth that intrigues the eye and sparks the imagination. It is an expressive, creative and embracing purple—one that draws you in with its beguiling charm. A captivating harmony of fuchsia, purple and pink undertones. 

There is a lot of publicity about the "new color" and I was able to find many articles including renditions/photos of how to incorporate this color into everything from grocery store products to fashion to, of course, home design.

Here are some samples:

Chicago TribuneThe color purple would like to thank the global color authority Pantone for crowning it the color of the year for 2014. But it’s a color — Pantone 18-3224 Radiant Orchid, to be precise — so it can’t exactly talk. This blend of fuchsia, purple and pink undertones does, however, speak in murmurs of exoticism and enigma.Read more and see a video: see full story 

Wall Street JournalMove over, emerald. The color watchers at Pantone say the “It” color of 2014 is a pinky purple known as “radiant orchid.”Expect to see the peppy shade on everything from cardigans to coffee makers next year. Vibrant and inviting, it has enough warm tones to look good on most skin types, which makes it a natural for nail polish and lipstick. Pantone executives say that because it is nuanced and bold, the color suggests creativity and ingenuity, which may appeal to fashion-minded, tech-savvy customers in their 20s and 30s. The hue also offers a sharp contrast with emerald, Pantone’s color of 2013. Read more and see a video: See full story

Well, obviously this is a big deal for designers and manufacturers so they can get on board. For home design, however, it still looks to me like another strong push to support the use of "purple" in the home - a color that I like but just have not successfully integrated into my own decor and have not used in any of my refurbished pieces. I will try to change that this year.

I did pick up some lovely images of the use of radiant orchid in home decor:

Love these chairs and like the combo of this color with low-key metallics.  

Some of these images do appear a little more "fuchsia" than "radiant orchid" but they do come close to the color - at least to me.  We will see how much of this color I can use this year!