Pacific Northwest: Design Professionals...Benjamin Moore's Color Pulse '09

Review of COLOR PULSE '09

by Julianna Hind, IRIS, DCI, RESA

As if getting a jump start on the hottest colors right now at the Benjamin Moore Style Forum '08 wasn't enough, I couldn't help but cruise on down to Portland, the day after the Seattle forum, and attend the Color Pulse '09 event at the Lawrence Gallery.

This event was extra special, as the inspiring color forecast for our future was presented by Benjamin Moore's talented Director of Color Trends for North America, Doty Horn.

The sophisticated Ms. Horn, wearing what appeared to be a red silk wrap blouse with a burnt orange skirt, mingled with the designers prior to her presentation. Doty has been traveling all over, and much in Europe, attending trade and fashion shows and exploring the cutting edge of trends, technology, culture, and humanity itself. With all of this, she and the Benjamin Moore North American team put together a color forecast -- predicting color trends months before they hit the market. Benjamin Moore has close ties to much of the textile industry, like Kravet Fabrics and Pottery Barn. With Doty's guiding influence, the Benjamin Moore palette resonates throughout the design industry.

Concepts of past and future are very much in play. Re-purposing still has a nostalgic yet cutting edge draw, as seen in the "hotel sewer pipes" in Austria, as pictured above. And while repurposing the past is still au currant, pushing the envelope in regards to technology is front and center. Rapid prototyping, represented by the expanding table above, creates layers and folds of intricate repition and endless possibilities. Fashion Animatronics, shown above -- on the catwalk as a dress that does not need to a draft from a city street to "sweep up" and show a bit of leg! Once again, we are seeing layers, which means variation and repetition of the same hues in varied tones. We are also seeing the influence of metallic, and crystal.

Places to watch? Doty says much of Europe, and Asian countries continue to provide an exciting array of colors, but a new focus is placed on Dubai, in the United Emirates, and also Vietnam. Doty says that since 1975, Vietnam has been "reborn." One might say that Vietnam is a cultural petri dish of sorts, a sudden fusion of old and new. Dubai is a city on the edge, aiming to be the destination of all. Creating it's own shorelines and unique definition of city, Dubai beats a pulse like no other city on earth.

The overall sense of color for 2009? The people at Benjamin Moore call it "Simplicity." Simplicty encompasses themes of raw earthy birth and degeneration, and forward movements technology, humanity and identity... seeking simplicity in an ever complex world. Sounds hard to grasp? 2009 is a vibrant color pulse, and is perhaps my favorite yet, because there is certainly much more to be surprised at, experienced, and awed, while still being touched by that inner pull of nostalgia.

It was a pleasure to meet Doty (pronounced with a long "O" sound -- typically short for "Dorothy.") My fellow Dewey Color System enthusiasts probably want to know Ms. Horn's favorite color choices -- and I can report she is a Red-Purple-Black... practical, resourceful, direct and visionary, Doty is a captivating entertainer who is able to help others prioritize issues and seeks workable plans and ideas that work!

Top Right Picture: Julianna Hind and Doty Horn at Benjamin Moore's Color Pulse '09 at the Lawrence Galleries in Portland, Oregon. Also pictured, some cultural trends affecting color trends in the future appearing in the presentation.

Related Articles: Benjamin Moore's Style '08 Color Forum

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