Do I get excited about color? Of course I do! Just about everything that I do evolves around color. My main focus is of course on color for the home.

It was interesting this week to see all the posts, tweets and comments about Pantone’s color of the year, Radiant Orchid. We have to keep in mind that when Pantone releases their colors, it’s not really pertaining to wall color. Of course it can be but more than likely it’s going to focus on fashion or marketing somehow.

Pantone colors can be purchased at your local Lowe’s Home Improvement stores and let me tell you, most of them are so very bright! Would you want those colors in your home? Maybe yes, probably no. Usually kids or teens flock to the Pantone colors because they aren’t boring like us, they choose wild colors for their rooms (insert smile).

Sherwin-William’s recently released their color of the year for 2014 which is Exclusive Plum (SW 6263). Now I was tickled pink (color pun) when I saw it because it’s finally a color that is different enough from the typical blues and grays and safe enough that we can actually use it in our home.

I just wrote a blog post for Blogging Painters about Exclusive Plum. The article really digs deep into what Exclusive Plum is all about, where does it come from and how are we going to use it in our homes.

I also had the pleasure to do a Q&A with Jackie Jordan who is the Director of Color Marketing for Sherwin-William’s so if there’s anyone who should talk a color, she would be the one. Jackie tells us what other colors we can pair with Exclusive Plum to take the guessing out of which neural to choose. She suggests:

Jackie: Exclusive Plum works best with a neutral gray, or a gray that has less blue undertones. Agreeable Gray (SW 7029) is a nice, neutral gray. Amazing Gray (SW 7044) and Collonade Gray (SW 7641) are slightly darker grays that also work well. I have Amazing Gray in my bedroom, paired with plum accents, and it looks fabulous.

She also tells us a little bit about Exclusive Plum because we all want to know more about this dark and a little “Steampunk” hue that is being suggested for our bedrooms. Here’s what she said:

Jackie: The Curiosity palette from Sherwin-Williams colormix 2014, the collection where Exclusive Plum sits, work together to create a Steampunk feel in any room. Antiquarian Brown (SW 0045), also from the Curiosity palette, represents a copper metal, and pairs well with Exclusive Plum as do Relic Bronze ( SW 6132 ) and Library Pewter ( SW 0038) both representing metals in the Steampunk vibe.

Is this color too dark for our home? Is it another color that should be used just as an accent for the typical pillow pop or accent wall? No, not necessarily.

Jackie: Depending on what mood you would like to set, Exclusive Plum can be used in a room with little natural light.  The color lends itself well to creating a room that is more intimate and romantic (such as the den in the image below). To lighten a room, Exclusive Plum can be used as an all-over wall color, highlighted with white trim, furniture with linen upholstery and an off-white carpet or area rug. It can also lighten a room when used with metallic accents, particularly silver, or with reflective finishes, such as a large mirror or a mirrored piece of furniture.

What’s really awesome about this color is that there are literally hundreds of other colors that will go coordinate with it that will actually look decent in your home. I’m not talking about boring beige or sterile white here I’m talking about color-color.

I designed a graphic that shows you just a few hues that you can pair up with Exclusive Plum to call it your own. Here you see just about every color on the wheel and they all look pretty good depending on your tastes.

This my friends is what makes a color of the year successful. I even have it on the background of this blog!  It’s not the color that you can only use as a throw or a pillow or as a pretty vase on your coffee table. It’s a color that you WANT in your home because it’s sexy for the bedroom, Gothic for the teens room, dramatic for the dining room, beautiful for the eye shadow, gorgeous for the drapery – see where I’m going with this? I just about covered the entire home in just a few sentences.

So when you’re decided if you like the color of the year, think in broader terms. Where is this color suppose to go? In the home? In Fashion? In marketing? Once you figure that out then you can decide if you like the color or not before you judge that it’s too pink or too dark or to this or too that. Like all colors, keep an open mind and if you like it, use it. If you like it but don’t want to commit to it then go ahead and buy those  pillow. If you paint your room and decide it’s just a little too much, then repaint your room, it’s only paint.

I’m here to show and tell you all your options as best as I can, and tell you where and how they may fit into your home. As far a Radiant Orchid, put that in your young daughters room. As far as Exclusive Plum, put that sexless in your bedroom. See! I just simplified it for you!