Feeling blue about 2014

Although it is only mid-November, I've already set my sights on the New Year. No, I haven’t yet begun thinking about resolutions, but I have started thinking about color; or the Color of the Year, more specifically.

Pantone is only a few weeks shy of releasing its 2014 Color of the Year, and at the risk of being presumptuous, I am going to take a shot at what it might be (or what I am rooting for at the very least).

If you have been following along on Pinterest, you might have a hunch of the color I’m leaning toward for the coming year:

I choose you, cobalt blue.

Pantone is known to be the leading authority on color throughout pretty much any industry involving color. They are the makers of guides and color systems that guarantee the color a designer selects will be the same color that is printed or manufactured and delivered to the consumer.

Given their history and resources, it’s safe to say the folks at Pantone know their stuff when it comes to color, and each year they predict what the coming trends will be. There have been rumors since September, based on the Spring 2014 Fashion Color Report, that the color of 2014 will indeed be a blue. In fact, if all bets are correct, the exact shade will be “Dazzling Blue”.

Now, I hate to say it, but that color is less than “dazzling” and is actually pretty boring in my book. It’s Facebook blue. It’s the kind of blue that companies use in logos because it seems safe, comfortable and reliable. However, that’s not what I’m looking for in a color wearing the lofty crown of “Color of the Year”.

Cobalt has energy. It’s an electric color without being neon.

It has a depth and richness that make it feel like a warm shade without actually being one. 

They are close cousins within the same family, no doubt, but Dazzling Blue is more muted and is missing that little extra oomph that make cobalt such a refreshing shade.

It's the kind of color that catches your attention and draws you in.

In my opinion, cobalt can replace navy in traditional interiors and still stand its ground. It provides a refreshing twist on a familiar classic, making a space feel more modern and luxe.  

There are still a few weeks left to wait and wonder, but I think I will just go ahead and declare cobalt blue my color of the year and start surrounding myself with it immediately.

All images via Pinterest.