Several paint colors of the year are almost the exact shades of select steeped teas. A trend setting paint color paired with tea. Now that is the ultimate with incorporating tea in every aspect of your life!
Colors
Each new year various design entities pick a color of the year. In doing so fashion, cosmetics, interior design, and possibly even artists often utilize the named color of the year and elevate the color to a trending color. Color Of The Year is frequently referred to as “COTY” in the design, marketing and merchandising faction, as well as other industries.
Who decides the color that will trend for the upcoming year? There are institutions that study color, trends and forecasting the color. One such company is Pantone, LLC, established in 1962. They developed a color matching system that is recognized and utilized the world over. Anyone from printers, graphic designers, to the fashion industry can replicate and match exact colors without having to contact each other, send color swatches, and cross reference each other’s colors. Pantone has standardized colors so that various industries can access and utilize the colors simultaneously. For example, the Super Bowl football game will be played in the near future. Each team that will play in the Super Bowl has their own specific colors for branding, logos, uniforms, and merchandise. I am assuming specific, standardized colors can be accessed by graphic designers, printers, and textile and merchandise designers to develop the team's merchandise, printed and digital material in the exact NFL team’s colors.
Why choose an annual color? Personally, as a creative person, the world would be dull, and boring if the same colors are repeatedly used over and over again. Color forecasters (people who spot and predict trending colors) look at what is going on in the world socially, politically and artistically and perhaps psychologically. Color forecasting combines that research, the science behind how we see color, and the psychology behind colors to present colors that may evoke or represent moods that are prevalent in society at this time. Determining the color of the year is also a little bit of an art form and can potentially take a couple of years to predict a color of the year. In the auto industry, choosing the next trending color for cars does take a couple of years lead time due to the testing of the paint, and finding the right finish. Predicting and choosing a Color Of The Year (COTY) sets the tone (pun intended) for numerous industries including fashion, interior design, graphic design, print and merchandising for the coming year.
Color Of The Year 2022
Pantone has established this year’s COTY as a pretty periwinkle lavender with a hint of a red undertone. The color is called Pantone 17-3938 Very Peri. Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute states “...Very Peri displays a spritely, joyous attitude and dynamic presence that encourages courageous creativity and imaginative expressions.” According to Pantone this color represents “the fusion of modern life and how color trends in the digital world are being manifested in the physical world and vice versa.”
Sherwin Williams paint company has selected their own trending color of the year as well. They have selected a muted, evergreen color with a grey-blue undertone as the 2022 SWCOTY (Sherwin Williams Color Of The Year). Their color of the year is called Evergreen Fog (SW 9130) and they describe the color as “soothing, subtle, and a perfect shade to freshen up any space.” Several other influential paint companies, Benjamin Moore, and Behr included, have chosen similar shades of green as their paint Color Of The Year as well.
Tea Represented in Color Of The Year
I have been politely accused by friends and family of bringing everything back to tea. Yes, pretty much that is true. I enjoy looking at the world through tea tinted glasses. This year, ironically, I can look at my house, my clothes, and even my makeup through tea tinted glasses!
Pantone’s 2022 color of the year “Very Peri”, is a lavender color that is very similar to the color of steeped butterfly pea flower tea liquor. Butterfly pea flower, scientifically called Clitoria ternatea,is a native plant to Asia. When steeped, the blossoms leave a striking blue liquor in the cup. However, when the acidity increases by the addition of a splash of lemon juice, the tea liquor turns into a lovely periwinkle purple, very similar to the 2022 Pantone Color Of The Year. Lota Tea has a tea blend that incorporates the butterfly pea flower. The herbal blend Indigo Tranquility has a creamy mouthfeel, a minty and herbaceous flavor profile and a refreshing minty aroma. To obtain that deep fantastical periwinkle purple color to the cup, just add a drop of lemon juice. It is chemistry in the cup!
Several paint companies have also stated their color of the year, which can be a mossy, pale olive, or sage green color. The evergreen, or mossy Color Of The Year paint color called “Evergreen Fog” by Sherwin Williams, reminds me of a steeped Genmaicha green tea. Genmaicha has a fresh, green leaf aroma, the flavor profile has a buttery and nutty element combined with a vegetal note, with a smooth and medium mouth feel. This tea blend includes popped corn kernels to give it that roasted popcorn flavor profile and aroma. To me, the color in the cup is a lighter version of the “Evergreen Fog” paint color; a very calming color.
Whatever Color Of The Year that you gravitate towards this year, be it periwinkle or an olive-mossy green, there is a corresponding tea color to coordinate! Enjoy pondering the endless colorful possibilities while sipping colorful tea.
Making this year more colorful with tea and perhaps some paint,
Leslie
References
Behr, https://www.behr.com/consumer/inspiration/2022-color-trends
Benjamin Moore,www.benjaminmoore.com/color-trends/2022
Color Group Marketing, www.colormarketing.org
Pantone, www.pantone.com
Sherwin-Williams, www.Sherwin-Williams.com
About The Author
Leslie Sundberg is a World Tea Academy Certified Tea Specialist, a World Tea Academy Apprentice Tea Sommelier, a Specialty Tea Institute Level IV trained Tea Specialist, and a Tea and Business Etiquette Specialist. On any given day, Leslie can be found teaching, speaking or sharing in the joys of a cup of tea. No matter what Leslie is doing or where she is, one thing remains constant: 4:00 in the afternoon is tea time!
