2020 Color of the Year According to Pantone: Classic Blue

We’ve seen it, you know it, and likely even own it somewhere in your life be it in fashion, home décor or some other facet of your life. Color psychology is an important part of design as colors are used to spark an emotion, entice the palate around food zones or in the case of blue, evoke an overall feeling of calm.

While the Pantone Color of the Year is a much-researched subject for the Pantone Color Institute- watching trends and exploring the world as we know it from every angle- in the end, it can be quite subjective. It can conjure up memories from your past as well as ideas for the future- color has this ability to transcend.

Looking back the color harkens back to the color of the year, Cerulean Blue, chosen in 1999 when we were about to enter the unknown of Y2K. Is our turn into the next decade conjuring up similar feelings of the unknown? The good news is we did not all fall into a black hole, the market did not crash and we all lived to see another day at the stroke of midnight in 2000, but this time around as the clock ticks forward another year I have confidence that the sky will again show us its Classic Blue hue and remind us every day is a chance to begin again.

Classic Blue is a comfortable color and one that relaxes most because of its prominence above our heads. Why not take it inside in 2020 and find a space for this timeless hue that reminds us that what is old is new again and often things remain classic for good reason. Below is a Wellesley kitchen renovation from a couple of years ago and it looks like this client was ahead of her time!