Pantone's Color of the Year 2019: Living Coral : Annie Elliott Design

THANK YOU, Pantone! If ever we needed a lift, it’s now. Kudos to you for selecting an optimistic, playful, happy — almost giddy! — color for 2019: Living Coral.

Pantone Color of the Year 2019 Living Coral — Pantone Color of the Year 2019: Living Coral. It’s alive!

What a relief. I’m serious: I lose sleep over this stuff. As much as I’d like to deny it, Pantone’s Color of the Year seeps into every design aspect of our lives: homes, clothing, graphics and printed material… You get a bad color (like Pantone’s Color of the Year 2015, Marsala) and you could be in for a bummer of a year.

But not this time! I don’t know who spiked the punch at Pantone’s HQ, but I extend my deepest thanks. Living Coral is a GREAT color for 2019. These are stressful, uncertain times, my fellow Americans, no matter which side of the aisle you prefer.

Navy blue room with white cabinet and pink drapes — Coral in a limited dose, via drapes. Kate Schintzius

Here’s what Pantone says about the happy hue:

“Vibrant, yet mellow PANTONE 16-1546 Living Coral embraces us with warmth and nourishment to provide comfort and buoyancy in our continually shifting environment.”

Sure! I’ll disregard the wordiness and unnecessary comma and focus on the keywords: WARMTH, COMFORT, BUOYANCY. That last one’s a good one, actually. I like “buoyancy.”

Room hallway foyer with pink walls and pink chairs — Who designed this cheerful foyer? Benjamin Moore’s 2003-50 Coral Pink. More pink than coral, I’d say, but still.

You don’t have to put Living Coral all over the walls — that’s pretty bold. You could limit it to a single piece of furniture…

Bright pink coral wing chair in front of floral drapes — Alessandra Branca

…or to a few accessories. I love this lamp from Kravet…

The Julian ceramic table lamp with brick pink base — The Julian table lamp from Kravet. So pretty! And what a coincidence that they just sent me this picture! ;)

…and these sweet little vases from World Market. They could just sit on a windowsill or a table (keep them together, please):

3 pink glass jars vases — Coral Glass Bud Vases from World Market

You also could make pillows in any of these fabulous fabrics:

Fabric Schumacher's Pearl River — Schumacher, Pearl River

Orange and pink diamond pattern fabric — Brunschwig & Fils, Kapari Woven

Pink and coral multi-colored floral pattern — Thibaut, Honshu. This pattern also comes in wallllpaaapeerrrrrr….! I’m just saying.

I always remind people that Pantone’s Color of the Year is to be interpreted liberally, not literally. There’s been a huge rise in blush this past year. Was it a harbinger of things to come?

Blush seemed to be the answer when I was searching for a color to replace the egg-yolk yellow in my own living room. It was perfect for that north-facing, not-huge space.

Pink living room with dark green sofa and Oriental rug — Benjamin Moore’s 050 Pink Moire

In a sunny breakfast room we did earlier this year, a coral-y pink made appearances. (Before-and-after pictures are here.)

Bright dining room with wallpaper — A bright breakfast room we designed this year

Pantone says it chose Living Coral in part to remind people of:

“the desired, familiar, and energizing aspects of color found in nature.”

Well, green also is going to be a popular color in 2019, and you don’t get much more nature-y than that. I’m so excited. A year of zingy coral and rich green. Bring it on.

Living room with dark pink walls — Coral as only Miles Redd can do it. His NY townhouse

Annie Elliott | bossy color is a design firm based in Washington, DC. Annie’s design work has appeared in numerous local and national publications, most recently The Washington Post, Home & Design, Washingtonian magazine, and The New York Times.

Pantone’s Color of the Year 2019: Living Coral