The future looks bright, according to the Pantone Color Institute.
In mid-December, the venerable design firm unveiled its 2019 color of the year, “Living Coral” (Pantone 16-1546). According to Leatrice Eiseman, Pantone’s executive director, the “sociable and spirited” peachy pink “welcomes and encourages lighthearted activity.” Its name evokes one of the world’s most diverse and colorful ecosystems. “In its glorious — yet unfortunately more elusive — display beneath the sea, this vivifying and effervescent color mesmerizes the eye and mind,” Eiseman said.
To make their pick, Pantone’s experts combed the world looking for new color influences. Their research included the entertainment industry, art, fashion, design and popular travel destinations, as well as cultural stimuli, such as new lifestyles and technologies, political events and socioeconomic conditions.
The selection resonated with scores of industry professionals, who praised the hue’s cheerful connotations, versatility and numerous floral applications.
“I’ve had a love-hate thing with the color of the year,” said David DiVincenzo, events director for Planterra Conservatory in West Bloomfield, Michigan. “It’s so rarely something you’d find in nature! You have to turn to linens, lights, dresses, etc., to pull it in. But with ‘Living Coral,’ flowers will really get to shine.”
Check out all of their top floral selections in the February issue of Floral Management.
Katie Hendrick Vincent is the senior contributing editor of the Society of American Florists
