Pantone Color of the Year 2022

Each December, Pantone – the world’s leading expert on color – announces which color they have selected for their Color of the Year for the upcoming year. Of course, I always hope it’s a shade of purple or pink, my two favorite colors, but I also really enjoy reading why they chose a particular color. Color experts at the Pantone Color Institute^TM analyze color trends and influences across a variety of industries such as entertainment, art, fashion, design, travel, and more. They are thoughtful in their approach, aiming to capture what they predict will be the overall spirit and aesthetic of the coming year. Laurie Pressman, Vice President of the Pantone Color Institute, states that “The Pantone Color of the Year reflects what is taking place in our global culture, expressing what people are looking for that color can hope to answer.”

I have learned so much about the psychology of color because of Pantone and their Color of the Year. The way they describe the selected color is inspiring, and I can’t help but feel hopeful and optimistic about the future after reading their description. My favorite years were 2014 (Radiant Orchid), 2016 (Rose Quartz, which shared the honor for the first time with another color, Serenity), and 2018 (Ultra Violet). Pantone Color of the Year-inspired items pop up everywhere, and when the color is a purple or a pink, I am simply in heaven. While I can’t say the Color of the Year really has a huge impact on my day-to-day life, I do find it fun to follow the discussions surrounding the color choice. Even when the color is not something I would normally gravitate towards, I still enjoy reading Pantone’s rationale for selecting it. Often times, I come to see the color in a new, more favorable, light.

You may be most familiar with Pantone because of the Color Bridges they produce. They are used by virtually everyone in the art and design industries for color specifications for graphics, textiles, and coatings and pigments. I purchased a Color Bridge several years ago at my local independent art shop because I wanted to be able to visualize and translate Pantone colors into CMYK, HTML, and RGB for website design and printed branding materials for my business. I find that it also comes in handy when I am trying to coordinate felt, sequins, Swarovski Crystal beads, and embroidery thread colors for my heirloom ornaments. I even toss the Color Bridge in my purse when I go to my local craft and hardware stores and need to do color matching of any kind. It’s one of those tools I highly recommend to anyone pursuing design interests, as it is so versatile.

Very Peri

The Pantone Color of the Year 2022 is a brand-new color called Very Peri, which is a gorgeous shade of periwinkle blue with violet-red undertones. I love the mixture of cool and warm hues, as it creates an interesting combination due to its calming and dynamic properties. According to Pantone, Very Peri “displays a spritely, joyous attitude and dynamic presence that encourages courageous creativity and imaginative expression.” It would look wonderful paired with nature-inspired hues, neutrals, and even whimsical color palettes of bright pinks, yellows, and oranges.

“Creating a new color for the first time in the history of our Pantone Color of the Year educational color program reflects the global innovation and transformation taking place. As society continues to recognize color as a critical form of communication, and a way to express and affect ideas and emotions to engage and connect, the complexity of this new red violet infused blue hue highlights the expansive possibilities that lay before us.”

Laurie Pressman, Vice President of the Pantone Color Institute

After almost two years of significantly reduced interactions and isolation due to the global pandemic, I am absolutely looking forward to enjoying all of the possibilities this year will bring and appreciate the optimism Very Peri embodies.

Why I Love It

The Pantone Color of the Year announcement is always met with great fanfare. I was surprised to learn this year the internet is abuzz with people who are decidedly in two camps over Very Peri: those who love it and those who don’t. I have loved purple for as long as I can remember, so I am obviously squarely in the camp of those who love it. Sure, this moody hue is gorgeous in and of itself, and the creativity it inspires is exciting, but the real reason I love it is because of something much more meaningful. It is similar in color to three cherished family heirlooms in my home. What’s funny is that I have an even greater appreciation for them now that I know more about the symbolism behind Very Peri.

Vintage Glass Christmas Baubles

These glass Christmas baubles belonged to my mom’s aunt, who lived next door to us when we were young and was really more like a grandmother to my siblings and me. She attended all of our birthdays and graduations, celebrated every holiday with our family, spent countless summer evenings in our backyard sharing a meal, and stopped by daily to chat over a cup of tea (always half a cup). For many years, she worked in a small boutique on Main Street, and each Wednesday on her day off, she would pick us up in her blue Plymouth (or maybe it was a Dodge), and we would head to lunch together at the cafe inside KMart (does anyone remember them?) before doing some shopping within the small mall. I used to wonder if she knew everyone in town, as she ran into someone she knew every time we went out. She always made a point of introducing us to her friends, which made me feel like she was very proud of us. My family and I have been texting each other the last few days, trying to remember all the details of these excursions with her, which has been great fun. I think she would really appreciate knowing we were thinking of her and trying to remember every last detail of our time together. She definitely enriched our lives, and it’s amazing how often something will remind us of her.

After her husband passed away, my siblings and I would go next door to her house to help her set up her Christmas decorations. She had many of these vintage (to us) glass baubles on her tree, which she displayed each year. After she passed away, we each received a box of her ornaments. They aren’t in the best shape; some have chips, others have scratches, and the original box in which they are stored has seen better days. But each year, I hang them on the Christmas tree in my home in Houston, and I think of her and all the memories our family shared. I’m reminded of the times we helped her decorate for Christmas, and I always laugh because she never would have imagined her ornaments would one day reside anywhere outside of Connecticut. The fact that they are in Texas would likely be inconceivable to her. After all, she lived in the same town, and even on the same street, her entire life. All of these vintages baubles are so special to me, and I especially love the small purple one in the center. I love it so much that it served as the inspiration for The Natalie, one of the sparkly heirloom felt ornaments I designed and created for my Etsy shop in 2020. The Natalie was not a best seller in my shop, but it is one that I treasure the most, knowing what (and who) inspired it.

Claire T Painting

My dad created this painting about 20 years ago after seeing an ad in the Classifieds for a boat for sale. He is an extremely talented self-taught artist who thrives in various media – pencil, acrylics, watercolors, and more. He is also an avid boat enthusiast who dreams of living on a houseboat one day. Although that particular dream is unlikely to become a reality anytime soon, he still loves to peruse the Classifieds to see what’s available. When he came across the ad for the Claire T, he was immediately struck by this gorgeous vessel and thought acrylics would be the best medium for capturing the mood he was trying to create. He chose to imagine a new scene for it, out on the water, sailing towards safety and light after being shrouded in darkness. I think it’s such a great metaphor for the time in which we are living, eager to emerge in a new, post-pandemic world, full of light and opportunity.

I have several pieces of my dad’s artwork on display in my home, and the Claire T is probably my favorite. He gave it to me years ago because he knows how much I love purple. While I love the colors, I am even more fascinated by the light streaming out of the boat and reflecting off the water. I always imagined people aboard having a great time, laughing endlessly, and cherishing every moment of their time together. I phoned my dad the other day to learn more about his design process and what he hoped to achieve with this painting. When he told me he wanted to achieve a ‘moody look’ and capture it sailing out of darkness heading into the light, I remarked that ‘moody’ is exactly how I describe Very Peri and that his description of the scene is so appropriate for 2022. We had a good laugh that he was so ahead of his time, but now this painting will always symbolize our shared hope for a bright future post-pandemic.

Vintage Hand-painted Ceramic Vase

If you have been following along for a while, then you will likely know my maternal grandmother has been very influential in my life even though she passed away several years before I was born. I definitely inherited her love for glittery and sparkly things, and I was inspired by her creations to start making my own heirloom felt ornaments. You can read more about her here and here. She was extremely talented and very creative, making curtains, pillows, and various needlepoint projects for their home, as well as several hundred beaded sequin ball ornaments. She also dabbled in ceramics and painted various pieces including a large, multi-piece nativity set my parents display each Christmas.

I brought this periwinkle vase with me when I moved to Houston, as I was so intrigued by it. My grandmother painted it in 1969, according to the date she hand-carved into the bottom (along with her last name). The piece is so unique, and I love its overall shape, the intricate details along the handle, and the sweet cherub faces. In person, the color is more of a dark periwinkle, just like Very Peri, though it looks more blue in photographs. As soon as I learned Very Peri was selected as the Color of the Year, this piece came to my mind immediately. Then when I read the meaning behind Very Peri, I thought yes, Pantone got it right, Very Peri does indeed represent creativity, imagination, joy, and hope – these are the same qualities my grandmother embodied.

xo, Tiffany