January 2021 Color Alert®

Calm Down

HEX #8592c8, NCS 2040-R70B, sRGB 134, 145, 200

Calm Down

Take a breath and Calm Down

What a perfect way to begin the new year with the reminder to Calm Down. Although that’s always a good thing to do, it’s even better when it is wrapped up in a color as soothing as Calm Down. Inspired by nature’s relaxant lavender, this color was selected to heal the mind and spirit to meet the challenges of the day.

Calm Down is a color with international appeal. Predicted at the CMG Asia Pacific meeting in 2019 to emerge in 2021, the healing and relaxing properties of Calm Down’s lavender hue are especially relevant now around the globe. As an emerging trend color, Calm Down foretold of a time that our environments, clothing, and peripheral items would embrace a hue that connotes gentle, slower, and more pleasant moments.

Interior environments, whether residential or commercial, will be created to exude a feeling of respite. Calm Down appears slightly warm and grounded with its red base, but then adds a cool freshness with strong blue undertones. It is an interesting play of two hues that, from wall paint to interior textiles, rugs, accessories, and appliances, allows Calm Down to add a sense of tranquility.

Sheen levels will offer unique takes on Calm Down. High gloss will suggest the cleansing property of water, making bathrooms and spas feel sparkling and refreshing, while matte finishes will appear powdery and enveloping to make bedrooms, great rooms, hospitality, and office areas inviting and comfortable. Whether wrapping an entire room or appearing as a single piece of furniture, Calm Down consistently backs up the message of its name.

Fashion, whether in garments or accessories, will be harbingers of eased life as Calm Down becomes a color for all ages and genders to express a relaxed moment. The depth of the color keeps it from appearing too sweet and childlike, while the balance of red and blue open the color for women or men, girls or boys. In addition, textile offerings will add a layer of interest to the color. Whether satin, cotton knit, or wool flannel, Calm Down exudes a sense of stability that is nature-based in color and relaxing in meaning.  It is a new color badge that says, “We’ve been through a lot, we need a moment to Calm Down.”

As a color derived from nature, it suggests nature’s power to regenerate and to heal your mind. Color has always had an important role in design and daily living but is now more crucial than ever to help deliver a message that everything will be okay if we allow it.

Take a moment to heal your mind, recharge, and take a step forward, simply by taking a moment to Calm Down.

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January 2021 CONTRIBUTORS:  Sandy Sampson, Mark Woodman, Samantha MacLean, Judith van Vliet, Katinka Champion

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