The Color and Texture Forecast

Trend forecasting is a subtle science, comprising equal parts research, intuition, and artful conjecture. It’s also big business, with textile, automotive, and interiors companies laying out huge sums for insight into tomorrow’s consumer impulses. Given the gloom and doom in the global economy, it’s no surprise that positivity is a key motif in marketing circles today. Take Pantone’s color of the year, Mimosa, which, like its bubbly namesake, should nudge viewers (or drinkers) toward a sunnier outlook. “Yellow exemplifies the warmth and nurturing quality of the sun, properties we as humans are naturally drawn to for reassurance,” says Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. But color is only one piece of the design-forecasting puzzle—texture plays an essential role as well, particularly when it comes to textiles, carpets, and wall-coverings. To better understand how these attributes are driving product and interior design, Metropolis polled 22 industry experts, asking each to choose a color and a texture that seem especially relevant now. Their answers form a sort of metaforecast of the look and feel of 2009 and beyond.