Exploring the Colors of the Year By Richard Webber

exploring the COLORS OF THE YEAR

By Richard Webber

Pantone's Very Peri and Benjamin Moore’s October Mist

The end of each year is a time for looking back as the news includes reports about the Person of the Year and the Athlete of the Year, as well as rundowns of the biggest events and the books, movies, and television shows that captured our attention for the past 12 months.

But as we change our calendars, it is also a time for looking ahead to what the next year has in store for us, and one of the biggest traditions for design experts is the selection of the new Colors of the Year.

Various organizations select their annual Color of the Year, and it’s often a very involved process. Experts consider trends in all areas of life – fashion, design, architecture, entertainment, etc., then make presentations as each team of color professionals makes its ultimate selection. And those choices make a huge impact on how people live their lives.

AND THE COLOR OF THE YEAR IS…

While many companies announce a Color of the Year, Pantone’s selection is the most eagerly awaited, and for 2022, Pantone’s renowned Color Institute has selected Veri Peri, a rich shade of periwinkle (hence, its name). While Pantone’s selection always makes news, Very Peri is additionally noteworthy because it is a new color created by Pantone.

“Displaying a carefree confidence and a daring curiosity that animates our creative spirit, inquisitive and intriguing, Very Peri helps us to embrace this altered landscape of possibilities, opening us up to a new vision as we rewrite our lives,” Pantone stated when announcing Very Peri as its 2022 Color of the Year. “Rekindling gratitude for some of the qualities that blue represents complemented by a new perspective that resonates today, PANTONE 17-3938 Very Peri places the future ahead in a new light.”

The company further explained that Very Peri is an appropriate color for the transformative times the world is experiencing.

“As we emerge from an intense period of isolation, our notions and standards are changing, and our physical and digital lives have merged in new ways,” the company announced. “Digital design helps us to stretch the limits of reality, opening the door to a dynamic virtual world where we can explore and create new color possibilities. With trends in gaming, the expanding popularity of the metaverse and rising artistic community in the digital space, PANTONE 17-3938 Very Peri illustrates the fusion of modern life and how color trends in the digital world are being manifested in the physical world and vice versa.”

Laurie Pressman, vice president of the Pantone Color Institute, said that Pantone’s Color of the Year reflects the global culture and also expresses what people are looking for in a color. “Creating a new color for the first time in the history of our Pantone Color of the Year educational color program reflects the global innovation and transformation taking place,” she said. “As society continues to recognize color as a critical form of communication, and a way to express and affect ideas and emotions and engage and connect, the complexity of this new red violet-infused blue hue highlights the expansive possibilities that lay before us.”

CALMING COLORS

Pantone isn’t the only company that announces a Color of the Year. For its 2022 selection, Sherwin-Williams has chosen Evergreen Fog. In response to these ongoing difficult times of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sherwin-Williams noted that the soothing and subtle properties of Evergreen Fog make it an ideal shade that can freshen up all kinds of spaces.

“Evergreen Fog SW 9130 is a versatile and calming hue, a chameleon color of gorgeous green-meets-gray, with just a bit of blue,” Sherwin-Williams stated when announcing Evergreen Fog as its 2022 Color of the Year. “It’s a simple but sophisticated wash of beautiful, organic color for spaces that crave a subtle yet stunning statement shade.”

For 2022, PPG is spotlighting Olive Spring, which it describes as an “elegant, grounded, versatile and highly adaptable graygreen” that is relaxing and which can create soothing spaces.

PPG’s Olive Sprig

“As many of us know following a year of lockdown, the easiest way to shift your mindset is to change your environment,” said Amy Donato, senior color marketing manager for PPG paint. “While we begin to trade sweatpants for strappy shoes, recipes for reservations, and a night in for a night out, our paint color preferences are shifting too, in both residential and commercial spaces.”

DIYers, property managers, designers and architects are shifting away from the stark, neutral palettes of yesterday and opting for color in all forms. Call it rebellion, but we are certainly here for the resurgence of optimistic colors to guide us into a new era of home design.

Other Colors of the Year, include Benjamin Moore’s October Mist 1495, which it describes as a “gently shaded sage” that encourages individual expression through color, and Graham & Brown’s Breathe, which bucks the trends of green and gray by highlighting Breathe, a paint color it describes as “pale blue.”

BENEFITTING FROM THE COLORS OF THE YEAR

Billiard retailers can help themselves by keeping up on Colors of the Year and other trends in home design, as these are often important to customers who purchase pool tables or are designing game rooms.

“For novice pool players looking to outfit their entertainment spaces, aesthetic is the leading factor in purchasing, even if there’s a limited budget,” says Ciarra Brother, president of Universal Billiards. “There are some customers that lead with size, quality, and/or value, but for our average customer, the style, design, and color of the pool table or game is what matters most in their final purchasing decisions. With many individuals continuing to spend more time at home, they want their game room product investment to not just play great, but look great.”

Brother adds that people in the billiard and home game room businesses, including purchasers, sales professionals and merchandisers, should display and feature products that follow current market design trends.

“These decisions include fabrics, like cloth or seating cushions, wood species, and wood stains,” she says. “And factoring color isn’t limited to specifically mimicking popular trends but also finding pieces and creating room settings that coordinate with popular trends. You don’t need a Veri Peri pool table – a room setting display with a rug or wall art that incorporate some shades of bright purple with coordinating pool table, seating, and lighting will inspire customers, from design to our ultimate goal of a purchase.”

You can follow those trends by visiting the web pages of companies that announce a Color of the Year. These pages are often a terrific resource, not only for insights into the colors, but how they can be used and what other colors complement them. YouTube is also a great way to keep up with color trends and how to apply them to actual spaces.

And always remember that adding a little color to your life can also add to your store’s bottom line.

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GET READY FOR THE BCA EXPO

By BCA Insider Staff

For the first time since 2019, the Billiard & Home Leisure Expo is returning to an in-person format, with its return to Las Vegas, and the South Point Hotel, Casino and Spa, June 22-24.

With a theme to “Reconnect, Reenergize and Rediscover,” this year’s event is the perfect opportunity for those in our industry to look forward and try to put the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic behind us and enjoy some time together.

“We want to bring people together to tell their stories and share their experiences and help the industry move forward,” says Rob Johnson, CEO of the BCA. “As always, the worldclass Expo will provide the latest billiard and recreation trends, products, services and more.”

A who’s who of the industry will be on hand, including specialty billiard and home recreation retailers, manufacturers, installers and billiard room owners. And they will be hearing about the buzz-worthy products that retail customers will be talking about and purchasing this year. Whether it’s tables, cues, ping-pong, shuffleboard, poker, or casual furniture, there’s something for everyone.

Historically, more than 97 percent of attendees are involved in the buying process for their business and more than 90 percent of them purchase at the show or within 30 days. There is no other event in this industry that can boast that kind of potential.

After the ribbon cutting on Wednesday, there will be plenty happening to get people back in the spirit of the event.

This year, the BCA has enhanced the exhibit hall experience, starting with daily door prizes, exhibitor swag and cash giveaways. There are also exclusive show-only specials available to those who attend.

The New Product Showcase will once again take place and feature some of the exciting and soon-to-be in-demand items for the upcoming year. All entries must be submitted by June 1.

The Retailer Rebate program is back this year. The program incentivizes buyers by providing cash back on purchases made during the BCA Expo. In the program’s first year, 65 dealers participated and nine exhibitors wrote more than $1.2 million in orders.

For the first time, the BCA Expo will present the inaugural home leisure sports challenge, with people competing in their favorite games from the floor.

And of course, there will be parties and networking events so the industry’s experts can once again be face-to-face and talk about their love of all things billiards. There will even be live music at the industry social on Wednesday night.

On Thursday night, another get-together will feature a classic rock cover band and people will be invited to get on the dance floor and dance the night away.

A photo booth will be on the show floor and at the nightly meet-ups, and Las Vegas showgirls will be on-hand to keep the mood festive. South Point has been a perfect partner for the BCA throughout the years and attendees appreciate the myriad options available to them outside of the Expo’s events. In addition to 2,390 slot and video poker machines, the resort’s casino offers sports and racing books, a bingo room with eight daily sessions, and a poker room, offering all of the most popular poker games at various betting limits on 22 tables.

The resort also has its own bowling alley and movie theater, and offers live entertainment at several venues on-site, including an Arena and Equestrian Center, a nightclub and a big showroom.

There are also some scrumptious dining destinations available at South Point. Italian food lovers will want to head to Don Vito’s. Michael’s Gourmet Room is a top-rated Zagat restaurant that has also earned the Four-Diamond Award from the American Automobile Association, the Award of Excellence from Distinguished Restaurants of North America, and the Finest Gourmet Restaurant recognition from the Las Vegas Review-Journal Readers' Poll. There’s also Baja Miguel’s for Mexican food and top-notch seafood at Big Sur Oyster Bar includes shrimp, clams, oysters, mussels, lobster, crab, and fresh fish.

Registration for the BCA Expo has already begun. Visit bcaexpo.com for more details.