The Pantone trendsetters have spoken: Green is the color of 2017 - Los Angeles Times
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The Pantone trendsetters have spoken: Green is the color of 2017

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In the aftermath of the contentious 2016 presidential election, you couldn’t help but wonder what the Pantone Color Institute — which chooses a symbolic color every year to represent the mood of the country — would choose for its color of the year for 2017.

Brooding Black? Angry Amaranth?

This year, the color authority has defied speculative talk of dark, brooding colors by choosing Greenery, a neutral, natural shade that “evokes the first days of spring when nature’s greens revive, restore and renew,†according to the announcement.

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(Last year, Pantone raised some eyebrows by releasing two shades for color of the year: Rose Quartz and Serenity [a baby pink and blue], a move said to be inspired by “mindfulness†and gender fluidity.)

Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the trend forecasting Pantone Color Institute, said in a statement that the new color provides “the reassurance we yearn for amid a tumultuous social and political environment. Satisfying our growing desire to rejuvenate and revitalize, Greenery symbolizes the reconnection we seek with nature, one another and a larger purpose.â€

Santa Monica-based interior designer Thomas Callaway views the choice with a bit of nostalgia.

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“I’ve been a lifelong advocate of multitude shades of the color green, and have never understood the reluctance by many to use it,†he said. “From my parent’s forest green and gray living room in my childhood to my current avocado green dining room, I have never been shy to ‘go green.’ This year’s Greenery will become part of my color history for sure.â€

Calabasas interior designer Maya Williams agrees: “Green, the color of nature, is the one color that all my clients find soothing and relaxing. Greenery is a shade that lifts your spirits up and brings a sense of revitalization at the same time. I love it!â€

Adds San Francisco designer Kendall Wilkinson: “Greenery is a youthful hue that will enliven any space. “I’d love to use this color to create a statement sitting room or as an unexpected accent, such as a set of dining chairs.â€

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Greenery — which has already begun appearing on runways and in furnishings and accessories — is meant to be a versatile “trans-seasonal†shade that lends itself to many different color combinations.

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