I have been a member of Color Marketing Group (CMG), a color forecasting organization, since 1990, and have closely watched colors trends for interiors evolve over the years. When I joined CMG, the "Ralph Lauren" color palette that featured hunter green, burgundy and gold was being replaced by the "Southwest" color palette that featured coral, seafoam green and dusty blue. In the mid-90s, the "Pottery Barn" palette that embraced muted shades of red, olive green, gold and beige became dominant, and proved to have a lot of staying power. Since then, shifts in color have evolved slowly, with blues, turquoises and yellows entering the palette over the last decade.
The products most likely to be specified in these trend-driven colors tend to be upholstered furniture, home textiles like bedding, curtains and throw pillows, paint accents and accessories like candles and vases.
When we look more permanent installations such as counter tops and flooring, savvy designers and homeowners often like to think long-term and go more neutral, because these products will outlive the current fad, and resale is also an important consideration. Over the last 3 decades, this has usually mean a shade of off-white, beige or tan.
A color shift in permanent installations is rare, but we can confirm it is happening. At Tesselle, over the last 2 years, our cement tile sales in the color grey have surged, and there is no end in sight!
Since many installations last 100 years, cement tiles are a big commitment! One of the wonderful qualities of cement tiles is that we can customize colors, even for a small production run of as little as 110 square feet, and many of our clients choose our products because we can provide the exact color combination they love. But many others embrace the fact that we can add the pattern they want to their installation, while keeping the color neutral.
Grey has been on the upswing in interior design for several years, and now consumers and designers are choosing it over beiges and tans. So, decorate without fear, gray is here!