We’re in for a rough year, Gentle Readers. By now you’ve heard the news that Pantone’s Color of the Year for 2015 is 18-1438 Marsala.
Yes. That Marsala.
Jura Koncius at The Washington Post broke the news to me, and my reaction was less than positive.
I sat with the news for a few days. And tragically, I must report that my feelings have NOT CHANGED.
Marsala is dead. Dusty. Sad. It’s the color of fatigue. Giving up. Neither-here-nor-there-ness. Mediocrity. Despair.
I’m so disappointed. (How appropriate: Marsala is also the color of disappointment.) Was it really too much to ask for a bright navy? Or a bluish gray? Or, if the Pantone folks just couldn’t see beyond the red family, why not a nice clear Chinese orange-red?
The thoughtful folks at Pantone are trying to get our creative juices flowing by assembling some palettes for us. Behold, “Victorian Funeral:”
“Holiday in Afghanistan:”
And, “Yesterday’s Bruise:”
As with Radiant Orchid last year, we will survive by interpreting this color liberally, not literally. I’ll push it to Oxblood, a strong, clear, dark red that has dignity to spare. Others may push it to Burgundy, which I loathe. (Burgundy is the cheap interpretation of Oxblood; it’s more purple, but it doesn’t have the courage to be Aubergine. Wuss.)
If you absolutely feel you must use Marsala to be au courant, use it in a flower arrangement…
…in a lipstick…
…on your front door, which, after all, is the lipstick of your house…
…or on a shirt. Or better yet, on an apron that’s going to be covered in other colors soon anyway.
But you won’t catch me using it on much of anything.
Since you asked (well, you didn’t, but please humor me), bossy color’s color of the year is going to be a lovely crisp navy. It’s an excellent foil for bright colors and a perfect mate for nearly any saturated color you can think of. And, of course, it’s gorgeous with white. It’s the color of perseverance, strength, leadership, and loyalty.
Not dried blood.
Bossy color | Annie Elliott interior design is a full-service design firm in Washington, D.C. We create outrageously beautiful homes for fascinating people.