2019 Color of the Year: Living Coral

It's an annual announcement: Come early December we all eagerly await for the experts at Pantone to release the Color of the Year, forecasting a shade that they believe will set the tone for the year ahead.

It looks like 2019 is going to be brighter, more vibrant, and a bit tropical. Or at least, that’s the mood being set by Pantone’s Color of the Year 2019: Living Coral. It’s described as an animating and life-affirming coral hue, with a golden undertone that energizes and enlivens with a softer edge. It’s meant to symbolize the human need for optimism and joyful pursuits, as well as the “desire for playful expression,” says Pantone.

"Pantone 16-1546 Living Coral emits the desired, familiar, and energizing aspects of color found in nature. In its glorious, yet unfortunately more elusive, display beneath the sea, this vivifying and effervescent color mesmerizes the eye and mind. Lying at the center of our naturally vivid and chromatic ecosystem, Pantone Living Coral is evocative of how coral reefs provide shelter to a diverse kaleidoscope of color." In choosing the color of the year, Pantone looks at everything around us. They look to see what people are doing in art, fashion, beauty, film and entertainment industries. Influences may also stem from new technologies, materials, textures, and relevant social media platforms. When I learned of Pantone’s 2019 choice, I began to contemplate what flowers we grow might emulate this awesome color. Here are my coral inspirations...

Leucospermum Sunbrust

Grevillea Flowers

Leucospermum Spider

Halea bucculenta

Christmas Bush

Instagram: Photos We Dig

This month’s Instagram Inspiration is stirred by all things botanical, especially proteaceae and Australian natives! 10 fabulous photos featuring textile designer and illustrator, Edith Rewa, and some of her awesome creations. Edith currently lives and works in the beautiful Blue Mountains, a rugged region west of Sydney in Australia’s New South Wales. Known for dramatic scenery, it encompasses steep cliffs, eucalyptus forests, waterfalls and villages dotted galleries and gardens. A region with more than its fair share of natural beauty and Edith’s source of inspiration!

There’s no better designer than nature. – Alexander McQueen

Floral News: Inspirational Stories of the Week

Three-Dozen Floral Designers Transform a Condemned Detroit Duplex with 36,000 Flowers.

Last November, florist Lisa Waud went to a public auction and purchased an abandoned house in Detroit, Michigan—sight unseen. Crumbling and condemned, the aging duplex was filled knee-high with trash, broken bottles, and even a dead dog. Her winning bid: $250. But Waud had a vision. She planned to invite florists from Michigan, Ohio, New York and Canada to fill the house with a temporary art installation of 36,000 flowers. This morning, Flower House opens to the public. After a year of planning and three days of solid labor from dozens of volunteers, Flower House now contains room after room of independent flower designs and installations that flow together to create an immersive blooming environment. The piece is part art installation, part memorial to Detroit’s history, and an effort in sustainability and responsibility to American-grown flower farms. Read more>

Flower House grows from art installation inspiration.

Beyond the crumbling plaster, busted pipes, and peeling paint, a small ceramic plate remains fastened to the wall of an abandoned duplex in Hamtramck.“This is my house,” the plate reads, “and I’ll do as I darn please.” It’s a mantra Hamtramck floral designer Lisa Waud has taken to heart. With the help of more than three dozen floral designers from Michigan, Ohio, New York and Canada, Waud and her friends have taken an unlikely canvas, an abandoned house on the I-75 service drive, and transformed it with flowers, plants and foliage. Read more>

A Detroit Florist’s Vision Turns an Abandoned House Into Art.

Eleven months ago, a derelict house here that is now filled with 36,000 flowers contained far grimmer things. A dead dog. Jammed toilets - untouched for years. Broken glass from beer bottles and shattered windows. Twelve thousand pounds of trash had to be hauled out before Lisa Waud, a florist who bought the duplex at auction for $250, could see what kind of canvas she had purchased. Read more>