Color & Trend Forecasting

Photography: Studio Marcus Hay

Photography: Studio Marcus Hay

Photography: Studio Marcus Hay

We continue our series of Color & Trend Forecasting section at Studio Marcus Hay Finding inspiration in color combinations all around us, we use Instagram to capture the above images. Top image: It's still winter in the northern hemisphere but here at Studio Marcus Hay we are trying to be optimistic. Recently in LA where it is warmer, we shot this neon pink on a classic blue and white combo tile at a Hollywood mansion where we were lucky enough to be shooting at. The palette inspired us and echoed another bygone era. Middle image: A little razz ma razz happened in the Bergdorf Goodman holiday windows this year and Studio Marcus Hay was there to capture all it's neon glory. The high key colors really bounce off each other and really capture a celebration of bold color. The final image: For CB2's Spring Catalog, We created some geometric inspired artwork that complimented CB2's latest range of mint and pistachio vases, offset with a cool concrete grey.

We hope you are inspired by our latest series.  

Colorways/ A Golden moment

Photography: Marcus Hay
Left: Olga De Amaral, "Alqumia X111" Wall Hanging, 1984, at The Met
Right: Recently acquired Italian 1950's wall scone from The Garage Markets

Photography: Marcus Hay
Left: Detail of Holiday window at Saks Fifth Ave Department Store, NYC, Right: The Royal Palace, Sweden  

Photography: Marcus Hay, Left: The Royal Palace, Sweden, Right: A Syroco piece found at The Garage Markets

Photography: Marcus Hay
Left: David with the head of Goliath, Bartolomeo Bellano, C 1470-80, The Met
Right: Shop Installation of sprayed gold twig and net at ABC Carpet & Home

Photography: Marcus Hay, Left: Stencil set found from The Garage Markets, Right: The Royal Palace, Sweden 

Photography: Marcus Hay, Left: Detail at the Chelsea Markets, Right: A Greek Chalice at The Met 

Georges Briard products, Image to left from suitcase-confessions.blogspot.com, right: bunnypumpkin.com

Various golden design silhouettes from the Mid Century 

All that glitters is gold according to me, it has me quite transfixed but is gold a color? Not technically, it is really the color of our most treasured metal but regardless in decorating it is a current favorite of mine. I am not one to use it in a garish tacky way of course (which it can), more in a patina-influenced way like faded glory. I love the way gold looks in old European palaces, often used in a detail, in the molding on a wall or in other decorative elements. I particularly like paring it with dusty pastels, dusty butter yellows, aquamarines, pinks and lilacs for example. The Swedish and the French from others eras knew how to use it well in particular.

Gold does surface quite a bit in Mid Century design, In particular in the U.S with the work of Ukranian-born designer Georges Briard who moved to Illinois in 1937 and studied at the Art Institute of Chicago. Georges Briard is the name he used on his commercial work, but his given name is Jascha Brojdo. His whimsical designs featured gold heavily on such materials as glass, and porcelain in many forms such as vases, plates and other tableware. Gold featured heavily in many products of the period, the fifties after all was a kind of golden age where industry and design flourished. There was often a throwback to other eras in the movement known as Hollywood Regency when designers from Hollywood's Golden Age as early as the 1930’s, like William Haines and Dorothy Draper, encouraged West Coast film luminaries to decorate their home with overtones of glitz and glamour, with this a new design style emerged and has resurfaced as late as just as popular. 

Gold according to Wikipedia has been highly valued in many societies throughout the ages. In keeping with this it has often had a strongly positive symbolic meaning closely connected to the values held in the highest esteem in the society in question. Gold may symbolize power, strength, wealth, warmth, happiness, love, hope, optimism, intelligence, justice, balance, perfection, summer, harvest and the sun. Gold certainly makes me feel enlivened, while some may shy away I am embracing it’s optimistic values and finding while a little can be a lot, I really enjoy using it in my work and at home.  

Colorways/ The Power of Gray

From Nina Holst'samazing blog stylizimo.blogspot.com

Provincetown pastings, Song Dong's exhibition at MoMA, Photographs: Marcus Hay

Manhattan skyscraper, concrete path, Wall art in Monteal, Canada, Photographs: Marcus Hay

A stormy sky on the Met's rooftop, NYC, London Fog, Photographs: Marcus Hay

Marble etching in Pisa, Italy Photograph: Marcus Hay, Jenna Lyons Brooklyn Interior,
Photographer: Matthew Williams

Jenna Lyons Brooklyn Home, Photographer: Matthew Williams

Street Art in NYC, Metal Props Photograph: MarcusHay, Danish Interior

What is it about gray right now that seems so appropriate a choice of this month’s color way? Well at least on this side of the world, In New York we seem to have been covered in a layer of gray all January, The snow which fell white after a few days seems to become a speckled shade of gray that quite often matched the sky.

One could argue that gray is not actually a color at all! Wikipedia says: Gray describes the colors ranging from black to white, These, including white and black, are known as achromatic colors or neutral colors. Many people would argue also that gray is dull, holds no life, I disagree. I think gray is a staple, hard working color that compliments any other shade of any color, It is utilitarian and super slick, but however you see gray, In decorating terms it is very important and it is one of my favorite colors/ shades to work with.

Gray does seem synonymous with Winter somehow, although in Australia where I grew up, Gray could be seen quite differently, reminding me of hot scorching concrete in the summer and the color of the sky when it’s about to burst in crazy but amazing thunderstorm. Talking of weather, when I was in London one winter it was all about the fog and the mist of gray that crept over the heaths, For me in Italy, it’s all about the cool gray marbles used in works of art and plaques on period buildings.

Gray also reminds me of itchy winter weight school woolen trousers but also soft gray knits or the blue/ gray coat of a Burmese cat, The color of cardboard, newsprint and the classic quality of a black & white photograph. As mentioned before concrete and glass used in buildings and paths are my backdrop for living in Manhattan, Gray is the color of nature in this town.

In interiors, At Casa atcasa.corriere.it recently ran shots on Jenna Lyons home in Brooklyn, New York which was shot by amazing photographer Matthew Williams matthewwilliamsphotographer.com, Jenna is the Director at J Crew  and her home really is a sea of very sophisticated grays, In particular the kitchen and bathroom which just feel so streamlined and chic.  

I like to use gray with pops of other color, I recently painted a wall in my apartment a slate gray and could not be more happier, the mood of the apartment instantly changed and it just made everything next to it seem so much more richer, The power of gray, don’t underestimate!  

Colorways/ The Power of Purple

NYC Highline and Interior

Props at Prop Haus

Produce at SF Growers Market

Artichokes, Coral Fern and Lilac

Yayoi Kusama, MoMA "Violet Obsession" 1994, Allium Purple Sensation Flowers

When I was in primary school, we used to sing a song in music class called "Purple People Eater" probably one of my conscious acknowledgements of purple, it was written and performed by Sheb Wooley, that reached #1 in the Billboard pop charts in 1958 (way before my time I may add!), in high school it was Hubba Bubba" purple colored grape bubble gum, I can still smell it now, I was seriously addicted to the stuff. Purple was a color my mother wore with pride when going through her late 80's "feminist phase" and of course there was Prince, the “purplist” of them all. Purple is one of those colors that people seem to drift back and forth from, in Styling, I have styled many purple trend/ decorating stories, used purple as accents and since living in the States, using a lot of purple with Thanksgiving/ Fall stories, for some reason it just resonates with all that pumpkin orange!

I personally painted my living space recently a very dusty lilac, much to my own surprise, as I usually hate the color, it was only because the mysterious color spirits told me to do it and for the space it works even though sometimes I fear I was having a Quentin Crisp moment.

Purple historically has a lot of connotations and in human color psychology, purple can be associated with royalty and nobility, In medieval Europe, blue dyes were rare and expensive, so only the most wealthy or the aristocracy could afford to wear them, In more modern times we have “Purple Magazine”, A magazine that has became associated with the "realism" of the new fashion photography of the 1990’s, with names like Juergen Teller, Terry Richardson, Wolfgang Tillmans, and Mario Sorrenti.

In my images here I have included images shot from the stock at New York prop house, “Prop Haus” www.prophaus.com, As stylists we are lucky with many prop houses that they color code their stock so as we edit for a story, we cut down a lot of time if we know what colors we need to pull for. I also do the same when visiting growers markets and floral markets, where I often take pictures of produce and botanicals to show Art Directors what I have in mind, Many of these were shot during a recent trip to the San Francisco Growers Markets at The Ferry Building.

In terms of interiors, Purple adds some opulence, especially if purple velvet, this image here is from French magazine, Maison Francaise. I also love Yayoi Kusama's "Violet Obsession" which was showing at MoMA, It is sewn and stuffed fabric over a rowboat, wry commentary on virility and power,  My favorite purple moment happened on New York’s High Line, where last year all the flowers were purple themed and at night purple light flooded the underground passages, it was truly spectacular.

Colorways/ The Green Machine

What is it about green? It's so fresh, so alive! Green really does take you head first into the natural world, Nature comes in all colors but green seems to dominate. Wikipedia says: “Animals such as frogs, lizards, and other reptiles and amphibians, fish, insects, and birds, appear green because of a mixture of layers of blue and green coloring on their skin. Many creatures have adapted to their green environments by taking on a green hue themselves as camouflage”

Green sometimes can also be described as someone who is inexperienced, jealous, or sick, depending on where you are from; green can have broad and sometimes contradictory meanings. In some cultures, green symbolizes hope and growth, while in others; it is associated with death, sickness, envy, or even the devil.

We all know that political groups have put their stamp on green as symbol of environmental protection and social justice, and thus consider themselves part of the Green movement, some naming themselves Green parties. And of course the advertising industry and business not far behind any influential movement means many companies are marketing green/ environmentally friendly products.

I love crisp greens, like that in a rainforest, crisp, dewy and succulent, like a sugar snap pea that makes that sound and smell when broken. I also think of green glass, green grass and the green that effects the copper used on our older buildings.

In terms of green influences in my other green world, I think of green leaf motif wallpaper, Here in New York, the Martinique Banana Leaf Wallpaper at Indochine, www.indochinenyc.com is famous since the 1970’s, If interested you can source it on www.designerwallcoverings.com, A recent design classic is the Leaf series by Lievore Altherr Molina for Arper, www.arper.com and at ICFF 2010 in New York a few months ago I spotted the relaunch of Acapulco chair which is made from powder coated steel frames and vinyl cord, handcrafted using a Mayan weaving technique. INNIT, www.innitdesigns.com, a contemporary furniture producer from Mexico are now producing it again, Of course I love it in green. Lastly I always think of those amazing green fabrics at Marrimekko (amongst others), www.finnstyle.com/marrimekko.htm with their large range of designs influenced by the natural world, a clique I know but often our best source of inspiration.

Colorways/ Thinking Pink!

Pink is one of those colors that conjure up immediate connotations, In terms of my childhood, the color was a color deemed only for girls, seen in packaging for Barbie and most toys for girls. Wikipedia says: In Western culture, the practice of assigning pink to an individual gender began in the 1920s. From then until the 1940s, pink was considered appropriate for boys because being related to red it was the more masculine and decided color, while blue was considered appropriate for girls because it was the more delicate and dainty color, or related to the Virgin Mary. Since the 1940s, the societal norm was inverted; pink became considered appropriate for girls and blue appropriate for boys, a practice that has continued into the 21st century.

When I think of pink commercially, I personally think of Hubba Bubba bubblegum, Barbie, The Pink Panther, Snagglepuss the Lion, Elvis’s Pink Cadillac and P!nk the singer, but pink can be one of those misunderstood colors, quick to put in a box, pink has been over branded. The color Pink itself is basically a combination of red and white. Other hues of pink may be combinations of rose and white, magenta and white, or orange and white, it’s here that we get our blushes and apricots and peaches. Pink can be subtle if allowed!?

Moving away from the more obvious, I love the graduating tones of pink ruffles on a Valentino gown, the intensity of a pink peony rose, the quality and purity of neon pink paint, pink felt, go grain ribbon and stitching, as seen on www.purlbee.com

I have featured in my previous “yellow post” The clever design for the Theatre Agora by UNStudio in Lelystad, Amsterdam, whose exterior is a bright yellow, but parts of it’s interior are actually shockingly pink. In Karishma Shahani’s final-year collection at the London College of Fashion this year, Her collection “Yatra” (“pilgrimage” in Hindi) is beautiful representations of her native India, the land of saturated color, pink being one heavily featured.

Thinking pink in a new way while appreciating it’s potentially cheesy predictable side is the way to go, for me as a Stylist, I use it sparingly but also try to use it unexpectedly, I personally live with “dots” of pink and love it, but a whole room would send me into a sugar high and teenage identity crisis, In that case, I am happy it be one for the gals! : )

Colorways/ They call me mellow yellow!

In my eyes, mellow is hardly a word you would call yellow, When Donavan sang "They call me Mellow Yellow" in 1966, It was rumoured he was singing about smoking dried banana leaves, Maybe it was just a color that had popularity in the 1960's as soon after in the same year the Beatles released "Yellow Submarine" with Donavan's help, he was obviously into the color!

One of the oldest coffee shops in Amsterdam is called "Mellow Yellow", opened in the 1970's, but the latest significant yellow building in color is actually in Lelystad, Amsterdam, The brilliant design for the Theatre Agora by UNStudio in Lelystad, Amsterdam, Netherlands is part of the Master plan for the city center of Lelystad, was designed by West 8. Opened last year, the theatre has a forthright architectonical look, not un reminiscent of a more colorful, boxier Frank Ghery, It is a beacon of yellow happiness. UNStudio (UN stands for "united network") is an international architectural practice, situated in Amsterdam since 1988, with extensive experience in the fields of urbanism, infrastructure, public, private and utility buildings on different scale levels. Check out more at www.unstudio.com, They are truly an amazing practise.

My first impressions of yellow were formed largely through a "Sports Car" book that was given to me, The car that I immediately wanted to own when I grew up was a yellow Lotus, The "Lotus Esprit" produced by the English racing car company, "Lotus Cars" is arguably the ‘wedgiest’ production car to come out of the 1970s, It was angular, It was sleek, It was sexy. It looked like the future, I always loved the way the Lotus color could slip in and out of ranges from a process yellow to a slight hint of orange yellow. Later studying Art at school meant studying Van Gogh was mandatory, his yellow sunflowers capture their essence like no other, when you think of yellow sunflowers you think of him, As a flower of choice, Sunflowers had much popularity in the 1990's, They lost there way for a bit on the popularity scale but now I think it's time to embrace their brilliance again! Other contemporary artists like Jeff Koons also use yellow and has done in his balloon series, produced in stainless steel with mirror finish surfaces, I saw his "balloon dog" on the top of the Met in NYC a couple of years ago.

Yellow always captures your attention and that's why it is associated with the word "caution" and is the second light on stop lights, It can be used in less attractive ways such as cowardliness, aging and race description, but for me I try to see past those connotations! : ) I like most, see yellow as largely happy!

As a Stylist I love using yellow, It is a color that just jumps out at you, I have used it in many still lives, like the one above shot with Photographer Hallie Burton, I also own a collection of yellow Dansk pots and pitchers that I use regularly in kitchen stories to add some zest. "Zest" is the word to describe yellow, bring some back into your life!

Colorways/ Orange Cool!

Orange is one of those colors, some people embrace it with relish, for others it frightens them, Too much a slap in the face perhaps, orange is not shy. In my world of styling orange is actually used more than you think, It’s one of those colors that sells magazines, When at Real Simple, Orange was a core color, Think of T Mobile Orange, CB2 or Alessi, Orange also sells products! In all honesty though I am not sure that people know really what to do with it with confidence in real life. Personally I love it but I can’t really live with it, same with Lime or Bright Yellow, hits of it are great, but if I had to live with it on mass, it would feel like drowning in a big bottle of Fanta for me.

I really like the combination of orange with other colors, For instance pink and orange conjures up images of an Indian Summer, Everything looks sophisticated with gray, but especially orange! Of course orange can slip into “rust” as well which always looks great, the rusty orange of a Greek urn for instance paired with black can be very chic. In the States orange is probably the official color of Fall, In the months leading up to Fall jobs, for me orange goes into overload mode, like the Holidays/ Christmas, the smell of tinsel can upset my stomach, only because I have to deal with it on mass.

Orange always occurs best in nature, pumpkins, cumquat's, clementines, a rusty sheet of metal, Japanese carp fish, even the orange mould and fungi growing in your bathroom can be alluring, trust me!

In terms of an era, you would have to say the 1970’s spoke orange than most from shaggy rugs to cool hotted up cars, In London’s Brick Lane, I spotted a sporty number, compact, cute and very 70's “New Avengers”, I almost imagined Joanna Lumley’s fish netted leg to come poking out. Orange is racy and it’s loud, embrace but control it, otherwise if in a race it’s likely to overtake the color world like that fungi in your shower!.

Colorways/ Paint the town red!

I continue my colorways series with that ever so sexy color red, sin, guilt, pain, passion, blood and anger, It just is such a guttural color, perhaps the most relevant to the human races as our bodies have it running through every vein. Red seems to be the color of life in many ways, It can be a warning!, It can grab your attention, It's little wonder most large companies use red as their main color, McDonald's, Macy's, Virgin, Colgate, KFC, Nestle and Lego to name a few!

I personally use hits of red in my own personal decorating, A little goes a long way for me, however in my last apartment I did have a movable wall painted in bright red that surprisingly I enjoyed living with, In styling, I use it also to add life or drama.

As of late (At least this week) It's red that I have been photographing, My trip during the week to MoMA had me gravitating to red anything, I realized in the design section, that many iconic designs have been produced in red, particularly in the 60's and 70's, from sexy sports cars to alarm clocks. In the amazing Picasso exhibition that is running currently, A beautiful series of pages from a collaborative project with Pierre Reverdy, using his work Le Chants des morts (The song of the dead) are framed from a book published in 1948 are predominantly red. Some billboards and artwork plastered on a wall in Williamsburg, Brooklyn seem to marry different pieces slapped over each other, I always love this randomness, to me the best art is seen on the streets!

A piece of ceramic that I love is the fish series by Swedish Pottery company "Gustavsberg" attributed to Britt-Louise Sundell on a design site, unfortunately SOLD!

Red is a mood enhancer, but what color isn't really?, Red is loud, It's unashamed and it's always gonna pack a punch!

Colorways/ Blue on Blue

It goes without saying Color is my best friend, lover and confident, without it I would be lost. It could be said that all of us feel the same way, but as a Stylist, our pick of color determines everything. I often think what would have happened if I had been born colorblind, would I be an accountant right now?

I love color, I love the way that on it's own it's a brilliant flash of energy and then in combinations, the right hit of color with another can send shivers down ones retina, what are my favorite combos, I would say pale blue and scarlet red, emerald green with a dusty purple, chocolate brown with turquoise, yellow with sharp lime etc etc, the list could go on and on.

Wikepedia says: Color or colour is the visual perceptual property corresponding in humans to the categories called red, green, blue and others. Color derives from the spectrum of light (distribution of light energy versus wavelength) interacting in the eye with the spectral sensitivities of the light receptors.

For me, I have to say blue is my favorite color, to me it feels so soulful, so clean, so crisp, I just want to dive into it! It's a color that the last couple of weeks has been pinching my senses, I have seen it everywhere, With my new series of postings devoted to color, It only seems natural that I would pick blue to start me off. This time it's that almost electric blue that was so popular in the 1980's that is resonating with me; that It's the color of my canvas sneakers I bought in Florence two summer's ago, It's a stack of police barricades piled up in Madison Park (public service blue), A summers day's sky in my native Sydney or the surrounding ocean as you catch the ferry to Block Island, Rhode Island, The blue of the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis as it juts into the sky. It's everywhere, anywhere, it's all around!

I am feeling the blues and I could never be happier! : )