Step aside “Simply White.” Benjamin Moore’s 2017 “Color of the Year” is a dramatic departure from the “it” hue of 2016. Meet “Shadow,” a provocative and mysterious shade that changes from a rich amethyst to a smoky coal depending on the light.
Hannah Yeo, color and design manager at Benjamin Moore & Co., introduced this provocative hue last week during a presentation at Spectrum Paint on West Broad Street.
She explained how the color was chosen by Benjamin Moore’s color and design team, which spends months traveling the world visiting museums, art fairs, cultural events and natural places and photographing compelling images. She showed a variety of photographs that featured the interplay of light and shadow and that featured a rich, dark plummy palette. She explains that the team members came together in their studio, where they created displays of their photographs arranged by color. Each team member was asked to walk to the portion of the wall that they felt a connection to, and overwhelmingly, the members were pulled toward what is now “Shadow,” 2017 Color of the Year, a sophisticated, grown-up purple.
“I’ve been doing this for seven years and this is the most I have been excited about a color,” Yeo says. “The world is ready for darker hues. … It provides a beautiful backdrop of pops of color.”
Yeo says the team is already doing research to determine the next big shade, which they must tightly guard. “It’s the biggest secret of the year,” she says. “It’s almost a burden to know about it.”
