Color of the year for 2017

 

 

Irish green landacape

Irish green landacape

Pantone’s “Color of the Year” for 2017 is Greenery — “a fresh and zesty yyellow-green shade that evokes the first days of spring when nature’s greens revive, restore and renew.”

For American architecture the best “green periods” were the second half of the 19th century and the first third of the 20th century. These were eras when the naturalistic tones of nature became extremely popular. Shades such as olives and deep greens were all popular in the paint materials of the day. The Arts and Crafts era from the first third of the 20th century with its predilection for autumn colors was the perfect period for the use of greens both inside and outside the home.

In the Sherwin Williams palette, similar colors to the 2017 “Color of the Year” are (6719) Gecko and (6731) Organic Green. A similar historic 19th century color is (2815) Rookwood Olive.

The best place to see an expansive range of greens is the Emerald Isle, Ireland. I was able to visit two years ago and the image below shows a good example of the variety of organic greens against the brilliant sky and great landscape of that country. If you have a chance, take a trip to Ireland, enjoy the fantastic people, its wonderful food and beautiful cities but be sure to enjoy all the green.