Radient Orchid

Just in case you haven't heard.  Radiant Orchid is Pantone's 2014 color of the year. Who is Pantone you ask? They are the world-renowned authority on color.  They help forecast color trends and help communicate color from designer to manufacturer to retailer to customer.  Which means, you are going to be seeing Radiant Orchid on everything from walls to purses to electronics.

This is an intense color that some of you would love to paint from here to the ends of the earth with and others, cautious color consumers, will only be able to take a more measured amount of it in a wallpaper, table lamp, or pillow.  I see lots of success in fashion accessories ahead for this color.

I thought I would share this color with you in a little less conventional way.  I'm sure the nice weather has greatly influenced that decision.  I'm just going to take my little chip and pair it up with a few colors from nature and items in the yard.  I mean it does look like a lovely summer flower.  Nature is a great provider of clues for color parings.  If you prefer to see some beautiful studio shots of the color do not fret.  I will provide you with plenty of links to check it out.

Click on any of the images to make them larger.  You knew my winterberries would show up.  Look how beautiful this color is with red.

I got all excited at Lowe's when I found out that Valspar was manufacturing the Pantone paint.  You can check out the Valspar Pantone Universe here.  While you are there use the Valspar Virtual Painter to try all the color combinations on a wall.  You can upload a picture from your computer or you can us one of their interior or exterior pictures.  Want to know how the color of the year is chosen?  Click here to watch a video.  To check out mood boards of all kinds of products in Radiant Orchid click here.

If you clicked on all of those links I know you are feeling like a color expert.

Enjoy the year of Radiant Orchid.   -  Marianne



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