Leatrice (Lee) Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute and IHA’s color trends expert, in a Connect SPRING keynote presentation, revisited Pantone’s 2021 home+interiors forecast to present four updated palettes that remain most meaningful and relevant.

Eiseman — in the session entitled Extended Color/Design Trends: How Past and Current Events are Shaping the Future —  offered a detailed overview of the four renewed palettes: Terra Cotta, Composed, Folkloric and Vivify. She also showed fresh interpretations of the 2021 Color of the Year, a pairing of Ultimate Gray and Illuminating Yellow.

Eiseman highlighted additional hues and combinations that will infuse newness into trends for 2022 to offer color design direction for the home and houseware industry as it moves to the future and remains focused on innovation.

“Challenges of the past year have caused consumers to regroup, relocate and reconfigure as their lives have been put on hold,” Eiseman explained. “Delays in production or deliveries for makers of home goods, along with the vulnerability of retail, inspired this practical framework for our guidance for home and housewares manufacturers and retailers extending into 2022.”

Consumers have adjusted to working from home, homeschooling and new ways to relax and take advantage of every nook and cranny. Closets converted into home offices introduced the term “Cloffice” for desk areas with doors to hide clutter; and desks are tucked into attic corners and under staircases, Eiseman noted.

At the same time, consumers are looking for ways to refresh the colors and surfaces of their homes. “Conventional wisdom suggests neutral tones for workspaces, but a wall of bold color and artful objects alleviate visual boredom from the overuse of neutrals,” Eiseman said. “Recent studies show that art in the environment improves the mood, relieves stress and enables people to work more effectively. Everyday objects and housewares products can be arranged as objects d’art — such as decorative plates arranged on a wall with or sculptural plants in colorful, textured ceramic containers — to provide visual variety at affordable prices.”

Adding three new colors to each of the four updated palettes enhances the options for manufacturers and retailers as they innovate new offerings, Eiseman said.

 

Terra Cotta

Terra Cotta is rooted deeply in history and features shapes and textures from many cultures, she noted. Comforting and reassuring, the inherent warmth of baked earth tones reach beyond ceramics to fabrics and painted surfaces.

The palette includes these colors: Terra Cotta, Pink Sand, Pheasant, Shrimp, Woodrose, Oyster Mushroom, Lilac Sorbet, Dusky Citron and Brunnera Blue. New textures and substrates and new hues in combination strengthen the palette with Brown Patina, Faded Rose and Chive Blossom.

 

Composed

In these days of healing, Eiseman said, people want to create a place of quiet refuge that calms and soothes the senses. Composed orchestrates a blended harmony of classic neutrals and subtle pastels to support both contemporary and casual styling.

Grays are fundamental to the group: Glacier and Silver Cloud are underscored by a firm foundation of Granite, Infinity Blue, and Skyway, while Greige spans into Vanilla and Parchment. A synchronizing Ballet Slipper Pink adds a humanizing nurturing note, she noted, and Crème de Peche, Frappe, Iced Aqua substantiate the mood.

 

Folkloric

An energized form of folk art with handmade, natural and genuine authenticity, Folkloric responds to the need to be creative and inventive, Eiseman explained. She encouraged the audience think of these words: Reclaimed, Reworked and Resourceful.

Folkloric includes indigo-infused Dark Blue, Wood Ash, Cardinal Red, Yellow Green Fern, Warm Olive, Glazed Ginger and Grape Jam bolstered by Celosia Orange and Fuchsia Purple. Additions include the deeply saturated and eye-arresting Confetti, Blue Danube and Ceylon Yellow.

 

Vivify

Eiseman set the stage for the fourth palette, Vivify, by discussing how films for children influence attention to moods and colors. She showed images from soon-to-be-released films, “The Willoughbys”, “Elcanto” and “Vivo.”

“Animated films are important in predicting trends in visual and emotional perspective for the millions of kids worldwide and the parents who watch with them,” she explained. “New digital technologies enable color effects that open consumers’ minds to a greater use of color and combinations.”

“Bearing these thoughts in mind, Vivify features vibrant colors that mirror what is seen in entertainment and the more adventurous area of design,” Eiseman continued.

A cheerful group that plays well with delicious and whimsical hues, Vivify includes a clean sugary white opposite an intense black. The names of the colors help to identify the mood: Yellow Meadowlark, Hot Pink Morning Glory, Delectable Raspberry Sorbet and Tangy Wild Lime—all agreeably cooled by Easter Egg Blue, Aquarius and Spearmint Green. Adding Desert Flower, Cattelya Orchid and Cyclamen will make this palette seem even more ebullient and alive, she added

 

2021 Color of the Year: Ultimate Gray and Illuminating Yellow

The combination of these two colors ties to insight, innovation and intuition, along with respect for wisdom, experience and intelligence, and inspires regeneration to press us toward new ways of thinking, Eiseman said.

In these challenging times, she continued, this pairing of the two independent colors of gray and yellow come together to symbolically express strength and encouragement needed today and in the future.

Eiseman showed examples of the paired colors in women’s fashion and menswear, fashion accessories (even masks), nails, cosmetics and hair, home furnishing and interiors and the auto industry. The two colors come together in traditional or modern settings. In home goods, this combination can move closer to gold and silver, and can be used creatively in decorative and abstract wall art, candles, stationary. The pairing, she said, can be utilitarian or playful, even campy, and stylishly or unexpectedly done.

 

The selection of materials in product development impacts consumer comfort and safety, manufacturing processes and measurable sustainability goals, experts from Material ConneXion (MCX) advised during a session of IHA’s Connect SPRING.

MCX is a global agency that advises manufacturers, brands and retailers on materials selections for specific applications, discussed how innovative materials can inspire new directions for housewares suppliers.

Tom Mirabile, founder of Springboard Futures and consumer trend analyst for IHA and, Allison Zisko, HFN editor-in-chief led the Connect SPRING discussion with Material ConneXion (MCX) executives Dr. Andrew Dent, executive vice president of research, and Dr. Gayatri Keskar, vice president of research. The group also announced a micro-series to debut soon — a collaboration of IHA, MCX and HFN that will provide information and inspiration on material innovation to the housewares industry.

Dent explained that MCX works with clients in all industries and product categories to help brands solve problems with their existing products and guide them in exploring possibilities for new products. “As a resource partner to brands in fashion, architecture, furnishings, automotive, electronics and consumer products, we educate our clients with our library of 10,000 materials in physical samples and our online database,” he said.

The MCX global team of researchers identifies providers of materials to submit 20 to 40 new items from several industries each month for evaluation and selection based on such factors as quality, innovation, multiple applications and sustainability.

“Our 20 years of experience has shown that cross-pollination of ideas among industries delivers benefits and exciting new possibilities,” Dent continued. “We can show you unfamiliar materials used in other areas that could work for your needs.”

Mirabile asked why companies come to MCX. “They may need a material that can sustain a certain temperature range, can be used in a dishwasher or microwave, injection molds well or is transparent,” Dent replied. “Or perhaps they want to investigate new trends in sustainability.”

Keskar added, “Other clients are doing their due diligence and need to verify that their in-house research has no gaps. Since we are industry-agnostic, we can expand their conventional research model to look outside their usual supply chain; we can provide a more comprehensive overview of their space.”

Mirabile asked how materials could be a point of differentiation in the housewares market. Keskar replied, “Since our library includes materials that range from in-development, ready-to-deploy and commercially available, an early adopter can access technology to work with the manufacturers to optimize the material to their own needs and be first to market.”

What kind of consumer problems are being solved now? Sustainability has moved front and center alongside price, performance and appearance as the main drivers, Dent said.

“Sustainability has become a total viewpoint on how to make an item more efficient and more enjoyable, he said. “Now it’s the general perception of a product, its performance and how you feel about the product, use it and dispose of it.”

“We focus on quantifiable (sustainability) attributes: low carbon footprint, 100% recyclable or recycled materials, every drop of water in your manufacturing process is clean inbound and outbound,” Dent continued. “Such terms are marketable competitive advantages. Consumers must be well-informed on the benefits and overall footprint of the product.”

While circularity has become a very popular word in the sustainability discussion, Dent reminded that there is no product or process that is fully circular, and there is always some impact and waste.

Zisko asked if MCX helps companies prioritize sustainability goals. If a housewares company can consider one thing, she asked, what would it be?

“Determine the one thing you do that has the largest impact— water or energy use or waste produced. Concentrate on that.  Chipping away at many things can’t achieve much. Solve one large impact first,” Dent advised.

The MCX executives introduced several new materials in several of the following five trends:

• Experiential materials
• Plant forward solutions
• Waste is the new black
• Newcycling
• Manufacturing of Tomorrow.

 

 

A year of dramatic changes in consumer needs and behaviors, along with the rapid adoption of voice-activated assistants and digital tools for accessing information, have alerted the home and housewares, food and technology industries that now is the time for innovation and collaboration to solve consumers’ needs.

Prompted by moderator Peter Giannetti of IHA, a panel of industry specialists from The NPD Group — Joe Derochowski, home industry advisor; Ben Arnold, consumer technology industry analyst; and Darren Seifer, food and beverage industry analyst — discussed opportunities for creating successful smart home products and services in The Future of Smart in the Home session.

“Smart is not a benefit,” Derochowski said, “but a tool to enable solutions.”  The kitchen is primed for transformative innovation, he added, once home/housewares, food and technology companies build partnerships to focus on solving specific in-home cooking needs.

“More than 30% of U.S. homes now use smart speakers, such as Alexa, and acceptance of connected home security systems and doorbells also show strong growth,” Arnold noted. “Consumers are further along than we give them credit for,” he added. Voice activation is the common denominator for the mass acceptance of smart home technologies, he believes, and the use case is strongest in the kitchen. The consumer is wondering: “How does my technology make me a better cook or answer the question “What’s for dinner tonight?” These are harder challenges to solve. “That’s where the benefit of the smart home lies. The missing piece here is data,” Arnold stated. “My eating habits can inform devices and appliances in my kitchen about what type of consumer I am.”

Seifer pointed out that the pandemic brought 80% of meals back into the home. In 2020, in-home meals peaked at 90% as restaurants closed. “But consumers didn’t suddenly have new time available to cook all these meals and they looked for time-saving convenience,” he said. Appliance sales soared.  “Just as I might purchase a robotic vacuum to clean my home with less personal involvement from me, kitchen appliances help to prepare meals so I don’t have to do all the work,” Seifer added.

“Additionally, digital ordering changed how we bring food and beverages to the table. Monthly online grocery ordering grew from 29% to 42%,” Seifer continued. “We became more comfortable with this technology, so next steps will be less of a leap because of this rapid change.”

In addition to convenience and information, consumers seek inspiration, competence and confidence.  “Look at the sudden increase in the use of the Echo Show,” Derochowski noted. “Restaurants want to build relationships with their customers. Maybe the “Ghost Kitchen” (delivery-only restaurant) will become our own kitchen, as chefs instruct us to cook and build our confidence.”

Seifer cautioned manufacturers and food companies that some consumers will be slow to change habits.  Younger adults may be quicker to adopt and understand new technologies but have lower incomes, so products must be more affordable. He urged industries to “be patient and persistent. Keep the drumbeat going and consumers will jump on the bandwagon.”  He suggested that solutions that don’t require major changes in behavior could have a greater chance of success if a product can achieve substitution without sacrifice, for example substituting a new method without sacrificing taste or time.

Seifer outlined the many opportunities in the “path to consumption” to plug into consumer needs.  Every step leading up to and after a meal — planning, shopping, preparing, cooking, eating, clean up and storage — can be a point of connection for a food company, tech company or home/housewares company to engage with consumers. These cross-links will build an ecosystem of products and services.

The panel addressed security and privacy concerns. As with cars or phones, updates should be done behind the scenes to reduce consumer intimidation and limit skill or time required by the user.  Recurring costs of updates and maintenance will have to be included.

Arnold summarized, “technology offers tools to connect devices and bring information to wherever eyes are. These are powerful tools for changing habits.” He predicted that the truly smart kitchen might be achieved by a startup or an existing appliance company with the DNA of a tech company, the essence of a food firm and a deep understanding of consumer needs. A clear focus on the consumer experience is key.  Arnold also noted that if a housewares brand is interfacing with its users on devices, it is already a tech company.

Seifer agreed food, tech and home/housewares companies have the appetite for cross-industry insights and must network to share insights and information.

Derochowski closed by stating home/housewares companies should learn from food and tech companies about what is possible in order to solve consumers’ “I want, I love, I hate” needs and frustrations.

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