IN LIVING COLOR

“Over the years we have seen a progression towards warmer, more saturated color,” Hannah Yeo, Color Marketing & Development Manager at Benjamin Moore , explained to RUG INSIDER. “Fearless colors are used for self-expression, which creates one-of-akind experiences with color. However, foundational colors with longevity and versatility have been at the forefront of home design … For some, adding a saturated color into the home may be done in a small gesture of color; for others, the time has come to make a fearless color statement.”

According to paint and color forecast authority, today is the perfect time “to take a confident step forward in our color selections to truly embrace the transformative power of color and paint.”

Yeo elaborated: “For 2023, we felt the need to bring upbeat energy to the home—a quality that Raspberry Blush can surely deliver. This desire to bravely dive into color brings excitement and a new-found vitality that comes to life with Raspberry Blush and the rest of the Color Trends 2023 palette.”

Benjamin Moore’s 2023 Color Trends forecast reflects a deep dive into the impact of expressive colors.

“We looked at the ways that artists from the past and present express their feeling through color and shape and the beauty of natural changes in color,” she went on. “These influences came together with a strong need for an impactful color statement—one that pushes beyond our comfort zones and truly celebrates the dynamism of color.

Each of the eight confident hues in the palette (pictured right) offers inspiration and creativity.”

As that mentality relates to area rugs, here’s a snapshot of how some key companies are translating emerging color trends onto their latest product offerings:

Capel Rugs

TROY, NC

Cameron Capel, President – Sales & Marketing

We’ve brought in a lot of color [this season], and I’m so excited about it. We feel people want happiness, which color brings. It makes you smile. Our new collection Verve is aptly named, as it brings enthusiasm and energy! Same with our new outdoor collection Captiva. It’s colored for easy-care performance rugs.

We introduced green a few markets ago for those customers who were looking for it, and we’re still hearing mixed reports from retailers and designers as to how important it will be. But we definitely have green in all styles.

But people definitely want to see more color. Color is cheerful, and we all want the joy and optimism color can supply. We crave happiness amid all the negativity we see today in the news with the economy and illnesses.

Creative Touch

FAIRFIELD, NJ

Baki Ildiz, President

We are seeing a shift towards color in general. Green has been gaining popularity in many of the projects we are working on either in a more earthy tone, like a sage green, or even a more dramatic jewel tone, like an emerald green. Keeping these tones of green in mind, we are focusing on incorporating other earth tones (chestnut brown, clay, rust, lilac. etc.) and jewel tones (ruby, amethyst, amber, etc.) to create a whole palette of complimentary color options.

Seeing the shift towards accepting color in home decor has been refreshing and inspirational. Handmade rugs have historically been made using rich and lively colors, and it feels like we are seeing a resurgence in the appreciation of how beautiful color can be.

Color not only evokes emotion, but it can also be a conduit to achieve individuality. We hope that the shift towards color means consumers are looking for something unique and special as opposed to the same copycat type home decor.

(HRI) HAROUNIAN RUGS INTERNATIONAL NEW YORK, NY

Lee Harounian, President

The color trend we are seeing is definitely toward clearer, cleaner colors— fresh, coastal yellows and greens in particular, versus soft washed neutral palettes.

One of our oldest collections, Antique Heriz (a grouping of museum reproductions in classic traditional designs), is really trending right now and we believe it’s because of the deep, rich colors in every design.

Going forward, we are going to continue introducing transitional looks in these trending color palettes and in new and unique constructions while also reintroducing our existing collections of beautiful, traditional and timeless Oriental designs.

JAIPUR LIVING ACWORTH, GA

Asha Chaudhary, President

Along with the rest of the industry, we’re seeing large swings towards warmer color schemes. Our end consumer seems to be shifting away from cool grays and leaning towards creams, camels, and ochres. We’re also seeing the advent of burgundies, rusts, and oxblood on the deeper end of the assortments as well as the ever-present love of pastels.

We try to stay ahead of these trends, so our interior design community is well-stocked to design towards these color trends and even be ahead of the curve.

For us, it’s all about enabling our interior design and retail partners to be more successful. We see that in times of economic downturn, individuals are more inclined to make their home a truer expression of themselves, rather than worrying about resale in the market. We expect to see a color-lovers market in the coming years now that housing prices are starting to plateau.

KALATY HICKSVILLE, NY

Ariel Kalaty,

Spokesperson

At Kalaty, we go to great lengths to offer a variety of colors, weaves, constructions and style genres ranging from traditional to transitional to southwester n and tribal to styles with a more moder n edge.

Trend and color forecasts are important for us to take note of as we plan our product launches. However, as we have said in the past, we continue to find that trends and color preferences tend to be regional in nature, especially here in the USA. For example, the colors and styles that sell best on the West

Coast are not necessarily what will sell on the East Coast. The same goes for what sells in the northern states versus what sells in the southern states. This being the case, we plan our lineups carefully to be sure that we have a range of products to cover regional style and color trends.

Today’s “new thinking” isn’t actually all that new, but it does emphasize the need to be aware of what is going on in the fashion and design world. No doubt that ours is a fashion industry, and fashion and home fashion businesses are cyclical and in constant states of change and evolution. Also, consumer attitudes are always changing due to socioeconomic and cultural variables.

KALEEN DALTON, GA Monty Rathy, Chief Operating Ofcer

We work ahead of the color trends to for mulate our own forecasting. Right now, the industry is seeing neutral palettes with hot accents of color for a fresh take. We aim to balance trends with timeless designs, and our Luxe brand of carpets and custom rugs is the perfect example of this—based on neutrals but enlivened with pops of color.

LOLOI INC. DALLAS, TX

Austin Craley, Vice President of Sales

Loloi always strives to have products that work the best with other home furnishings. They have to work in the home environment. As far as specific color trends, colors such as green are trending up. Not as a fully green rug but rather in neutrals which whisper green. While we have been grayed over for the past 10 years, now the palette is warming up—a bit more taupe, brown, red, yellow, etc. are being added. As always, it is a slow transition. In addition, the lines in the interior space are softening. Rounding is becoming important versus hard edges. Cosmetic colors like dusty blue, soft blush, dusty sage green, and terracotta are all doing well— more desert tones, less industrial.