2020 Pantone Colour of the Year - Classic Blue
Image Credit (left to right) - Forbes, Pinterest
The end of the year brings one of the most eagerly anticipated announcements for the design communities: Pantone’s Colour of the Year. This year, the trend spotters at the Pantone Colour Institute have selected PANTONE 19-4052: Classic Blue. The colour is described by Pantone as "a reassuring presence instilling calm, confidence and connection".
The annual colour is chosen based on what is taking place in our global culture at a moment in time. Blue is taking centre stage, so expect to see a lot of it this year. A timeless and enduring blue hue, this Classic Blue is elegant in its simplicity and suggestive of the sky at dusk. The reflective blue tone fosters resilience to this fast-moving society we find ourselves in, particularly in light of technology's accelerating developments. The reassuring qualities of the thought-provoking colour highlight our desire for a dependable and stable foundation as we cross the threshold into a new era. The Pantone Colour Institute said it recognised feelings of instability gripping the world today, from the United States to the United Kingdom and across the globe. "We were moving into Y2K and wondering: Is the world going to fall apart?" said Pressman. At a time where public faith in institutions, advertising, and the future are increasingly challenged; it seems appropriate to select a colour that welcomes refuge for our uncertain and disconnected era.
The 2020 Colour of the Year isn't just for sight though. The smell, taste, sound and feel of Classic Blue imprints itself into our psyches as a restful colour. Pantone created a multi-sensory Classic Blue experience, which showcased in Manhattan for the colour reveal in December. Textured cushions scattered the floor, sounds echoed throughout, the fragrance drifted in the air, while Classic Blue flavoured cocktails were served. A beautiful interpretation of the colour through the four senses.
Blue hues, long associated with peace, calm, and the vast dependable sky, feel solid and reliable. It is this devotion and comfort that a boundless Classic Blue offers us for 2020.
PANTONE COLOUR INSTITUTE
The Pantone Colour Institute highlights the top seasonal runway colours, selects the Pantone Colour of the Year and forecasts global colour trends. Pantone’s colour of the year has been running since 2000; this process requires deep contemplation on colour psychology and trend analysis. To arrive at the selection each year, Pantone’s colour experts at the Pantone Colour Institute comb the world looking for new colour influences. These influences stem from new technologies, art, upcoming media, movies, socio-economic and political conditions, travel destinations, fashion and lifestyle choices among others.
"Typically, trends that we see in colour are reflecting big macro trends that are taking place in culture," Pressman explained.
Pantone's Colour of the Year is a vibrant start to 2020, influencing product development and purchasing decisions in multiple industries, including home furnishings, fashion, and industrial design. The name is also an important factor, it has to resonate with the colour. Classic Blue is regal and restrained. But it can also be edgy and anomalous - utilising a variety of tonalities, materials and prints.
INCORPORATING CLASSIC BLUE
Image Credit (top to bottom) - Alsace Route Des Vins, Pinterest, Gypsy Ya Ya, Angel and Blume
Few colours rival this timeless indigo blue, it's an ideal hue for spaces where we want to relax and seems fitting for this moment in time. It is both genderless and seasonless, making it accessible and desirable, for people in all walks of life. The classic tone has stood the test of time and history in decorating; it's a colour you can dive into, creating an impressive design statement and proving a popular choice within the home. It’s also the one colour that always feels fresh, endlessly versatile and effortlessly stylish, as it complements virtually any decor and works in just about any space.
Blue will forever be a favourite chameleon hue; it offers a variety of different vibes so that any room can benefit from a pop of this 2020 colour: the dark blues work well when paired with warm natural woods and can also provide grounding and depth to neutral colour schemes. For those of you wanting to display ‘Classic Blue’, we recommend incorporating it into a room in the form of a large piece of furniture, such as a statement sofa, an eye catching accent wall or a spectacular Persian rug. When people are inspired by one single colour, they should play around with different ways in which they can bring the colour into their space and pull it all together.
Here at Lilla Rugs we specialise in high-quality Persian rugs and other Oriental Rugs, all are beautifully detailed and come in an array of different styles, colours, shapes and sizes.
Below are a few rug suggestions from us, following the 2020 Classic Blue colour trend: 
Rug Choices (left to right) - ECHO, CORI, ERIKA, VIOLET, VIVA
Image Featuring CORI Rug - Country Homes & Interiors
You can check us out on Pinterest and Instagram to keep up to date with the latest trends and rug inspo. Don’t forget you can visit our showroom, to view one of the largest collections of Persian Rugs in London. We also offer a ‘Try before you buy’ service.
