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The expansion of gray, a variety of 'healthy' greens and soft, nourishing blues, taupe, warm, deep violets and classic whites are expected to be on trend for 2017, while some brighter colors are also adding a bit of joy to the kitchen and bath. BY JANICE COSTA Color Joy t's impossible to understate the value of color in design. Color can set a mood, highlight a specific feature, make a space feel larger or smaller, or draw the eye up, down or through the space. It can energize, promote relaxation or sup- port healing. Color can create a feeling of warmth or coolness, and it can provide a neutral backdrop, a bold focal point or a bright, clean vibe. And, after a tense political election season that left many on both sides of the aisle feeling exhausted, color can also inspire calm, or provide a simple moment of joy (see related Editorial, Page 7). But while the power of color is universal, the popularity of individual colors ebbs, flows and continually evolves, leaving its impact on home design in ways both subtle and intense. HOT COLORS FOR 2017 So what do color experts expect people to be coloring their world – or at least their home – with in the coming year? According to Joe Kujawski, business director, Wood Segments for Sherwin-Williams Product Finishes Division, "A few colors we see trending are grays (no surprise) and taupes – bold and warmer neutrals as well as greens, blues and yellows. These trending hues typically seem to be darker in the sense that they're more saturated and vibrant, while having a lot more character than their softer counterparts. Colors we expect to be hot are warmer neutrals, for instance, Poised Taupe, Urbane Bronze and Sealskin." Mark Woodman, president of the Color Marketing Group, expects green to be a hot color in 2017, noting, "Starting in 2017, we're going to be seeing a variety of greens that not only reflect color in a general sense but our desire for health, [because] it's a healthy color that feeds us and helps balance out some of the harshness gray can have as a somewhat 'techy' color. It softens the gray." Indeed, he notes that the interest in green is broader than just the U.S market, stating, "[Shades of ] green came up as key colors in North America and Europe. Out of 16 key colors in North America, four of them were green: Grass Roots, Thrive, New Growth and White Sage. It's also showing up in Latin America. In fact, green is showing up in collections worldwide." In the kitchen, he sees that green is coming out more in accessory pieces, as well as quartz countertops that offer deep- er greens "that are almost black, but less hard, so they work beautifully with the grays that remain so popular." As far as metal finishes go, Woodman says copper and gold are by far the hottest up and comers, explaining, "That's Photo: Courtesy of Kohler I 52 Kitchen & Bath Design News • December 2016