The 2019 Pantone Colour of the Year: Living Coral

Well, it’s the time you’ve all been waiting for: Pantone’s release of the 2019 Colour of the Year. If you’re unfamiliar with the event, Pantone is a company that provides a universal language when it comes to all shades and colours. We’ve all been part of a “that’s not red, that’s orange” debate; well, Pantone to the rescue. Each and every colour is assigned a unique Pantone ID so that millions of designers and creators around the world can discuss in exact colours. The colour language they have created is used across countless industries including apparel, beauty, design, textiles, you name it. The Pantone Matching System, created in 1963, allows people to match colours no matter where they are in the office, the city or the world.

For 20 years, Pantone has chosen a colour that not only represents the year but also has global significance attached to it. This colour will soon be found in stores across the world, as an accent, feature colour, phone case, tank top – literally anything – steadily growing in popularity. This year, they’ve chosen PANTONE 16-1546 or, as we will call it, Living Coral: an animating and life-affirming coral hue with a golden undertone that energizes and enlivens a softer edge. Like a coral reef would provide to its residents, Living Coral “embraces us with warmth and nourishment to provide comfort and buoyancy in our continually shifting environment.”

Living Coral is a unique colour, one of boldness but also softness, dynamic but also complementary. You may know this colour as similar to salmon or papaya in the fashion world. It works well as an accent with neutral colours, as well as a pop against teal décor. Coral is generally seen as a fun, light-hearted colour, often associated with summery items like gold jewellery and beach bags. You will, no doubt, see coral in stores any day now, on plates, clothes, walls, purses, anything and everything possible.

You may think, “all this for colour?” But it’s really about more than that. The executive director of the Pantone Colour Institute, Leatrice Eiseman, said it best when she explained:

“Colour is an equalizing lens through which we experience our natural and digital realities, and this is particularly true for Living Coral. With consumers craving human interaction and social connection, the humanizing and heartening qualities displayed by the convivial Pantone Living Coral hit a responsive chord.”

As human beings, we are always looking for new ways to express ourselves, through clothing, music, hobbies, etc. Colour plays a major part in one’s life, as we base most purchases and many of our daily decisions on our colour preferences. Now, you get to choose where Living Coral will show up in your home. Whether you buy a throw pillow, new dish set or paint a whole wall, allow Pantone’s Colour of the Year wash your home in its warm glow.