Color Trends of 2024: Why Are They Dark and Moody?
Opinion Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the author/producer’s interpretation of facts and data.
By Bill Primavera
Color has always been of interest to me ever since the time I decided as a young child that I preferred Technicolor movies to black and white. And when my mother upgraded my 12-color watercolor paint set to one that had 24 colors, I was in heaven.
I always preferred my watercolor paintings (not originals but from my coloring books) to be in primary colors. One of my favorite subjects was a farm scene with a big red tractor as the focal point. Don’t ask me why I favored a farm scene when I lived in the depths of South Philadelphia, surrounded by concrete with nary a tree for shade. Maybe it was an early form of escapism.
I remember that when I finally got my own bedroom, after my older brother with whom I shared a room joined the Army, my mother allowed me to pick my own color when it came time for a painting. I chose a bright red that looked like fresh blood (as in not yet dried and darkened) had just been sprayed on the walls. My mother gave my creative vibe free reign, but when it came time to sell the house, she was dismayed when potential buyers would say “Wow” when they viewed that room.
In searching among style influencers for top color choices for 2024, I find that the trend is now toward dark and gloomy. Yes, it’s true, underscored by Behr Paint’s color of the year called cracked pepper. Cracked pepper? Who thinks of these names? Why not just dark grey? I guess I’m just not imaginative when it comes to naming colors.
While the trend may be toward darker, even gloomy, colors, I have more recently gone for the lighter and airy tones. Perhaps I am influenced by the mistake of that bright red room I created as a teenager.
Today I live in a home where everything is painted an off-white (and only slightly off), and I’m very comfortable with that. Where I formerly lived in an historic home that featured darker or wallpapered walls, I now open up my space with lighter colors.
Downsizing from a 4,000-square-foot, six-bedroom home to a 1,750 square-foot two-bedroom condominium is mitigated by that off-white color which tends to extend the feeling of open space. It also tends to be, let’s face it, boring.
But secretly, I am harboring a repressed desire to find a more enclosed space with a darker color; perhaps my office which only I occupy. Who knows, before I’m finished contemplating a new look for 2024, I may choose a bright red, the color of fresh blood, as a nostalgic throwback to my taste as a teenager.
Bill Primavera is a realtor associated with William Raveis Real Estate and founder of Primavera Public Relations, Inc., specializing in lifestyles, real estate and development. To engage the services of The Home Guru and his team to market your home for sale, call 914-522-2076.
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