Pantone Colors Of The Year

Our Favorite Pantone Colors Of The Year

What is the history of Pantone’s colors of the year?

The history of Pantone’s Color of the Year dates back to the year 2000 when Pantone, an American color-matching system company, first introduced the concept. The Pantone Color of the Year is an annual announcement in which Pantone selects a specific color that they believe will be influential and prominent in various industries, including fashion, interior design, graphic design, and product development, throughout the following year.

Here is a brief overview of the history of Pantone’s Color of the Year:

  • Inception (Year 2000): The concept of the Color of the Year began in 2000 when Pantone decided to identify and promote a particular color that would capture the spirit and mood of the upcoming year.
  • Color Selection Process: Pantone’s color experts, trend forecasters, and researchers analyze various factors, including global socio-economic conditions, fashion trends, art, design, entertainment, technology, and even politics, to identify the color that represents the zeitgeist of the moment.
  • Global Impact: The chosen Color of the Year often resonates globally and is embraced by various industries, from fashion designers and beauty brands to interior decorators and product manufacturers. It influences product development, advertising campaigns, and creative choices throughout the year.
  • Annual Announcement: Pantone typically unveils the Color of the Year in December of the preceding year. The announcement garners considerable attention from designers, marketers, and media outlets worldwide.
  • Color Influence: The Color of the Year becomes a point of reference and inspiration for designers and artists, encouraging them to incorporate the selected color into their work. It can be seen in runway collections, home decor, graphic design, packaging, and more.
  • Past Colors of the Year: Over the years, Pantone has selected a diverse range of colors as the Color of the Year.
    • Some notable past Panton colors of the  year examples include:
      • 2000: Cerulean (PANTONE 15-4020)
      • 2010: Turquoise (PANTONE 15-5519)
      • 2016: Rose Quartz (PANTONE 13-1520) and Serenity (PANTONE 15-3919) (dual colors)
      • 2020: Classic Blue (PANTONE 19-4052)
      • 2021: Ultimate Gray (PANTONE 17-5104) and Illuminating (PANTONE 13-0647) (dual colors)

The Pantone Color of the Year has become an influential cultural and design phenomenon, reflecting and shaping trends and aesthetics across various creative disciplines. It continues to capture the imagination of artists, designers, and consumers worldwide and remains a powerful symbolic representation of the collective mood and direction for each passing year.

Pantone colors of the year from – 2012, 2013, 2014, 2018 and 2020

In the below post, we will review the Pantone colors of the year from 2012, 2013, 2014, 2018 and of course we included 2020 as well.

Pantone Colors Of The Year

Pantone Colors Of The Year

 Panton Color of the Year 2012 Tangerine Tango

Our rundown of the Pantone Colors Of The Year, begins in 2012:

Rounding off the week in 2012 interior design trends, comes this year’s HOTTEST interior design news, the Pantone color of the year 2012 is… Tangerine Tango!

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, following last year’s hot trending color of playful pink, honeysuckle, Pantone has claimed that this is the year of citrus fruit!

Panton Color Of The Year 2012 Tangerine Tango - Nazmiyal

Panton Color Of The Year 2012 Tangerine Tango

One may find the color daunting due to its overpowering and fiercely eye-catching color but using Tangerine in all its glory is all about making a serious statement.

Whether you are ready for a modern face-lift for the coming spring/summer of 2012 or just looking for a modern twist of color pops, Tangerine Tango may be used in array of styling options. Accent walls are screaming to be painted this vibrant color and home accents are a definite must when it comes to adding that pizzazz of color that borders the lines of orange and pink. (One may argue that it’s slightly coral.)

Tangerine Tango Colored Art Nouveau Irish Donegal Rug - Nazmiyal

Tangerine Tango Colored Art Nouveau Irish Donegal Rug

(See the above Antique Art Nouveau Irish Donegal Rug 49155 )

A wonderful use for the overpowering zest of color is wallpaper and accent trims in textiles and fabrics. Wallpaper with hints of tangerine are making a serious statement all over interior design news.

By adding this little guy into subtle home treatments, one can’t help but be drawn to the risk and forward-thinking design of a living space without feeling overwhelmed by the color.

Tangerine Tango Color Arm Chair - Nazmiyal

Tangerine Tango Color Arm Chair

Accent pieces such as throws, pillows, sitting chairs, or other accoutrements are a definite yes when it comes to the shockingly unforgiving color to wow your guest and clients. There is something playful and romantic about Tangerine Tango that draws the eye to it begging to be sat on or played with. (Kind of like a cute little doe-eyed puppy.)

That being said, tangerine is an absolute necessity for the modern homeowner and designer who really wants to make a serious statement through that abode.

Tangerine Tango Color Curtains - Nazmiyal

Tangerine Tango Color Curtains

Lastly, our favorite way to incorporate this color is a modern and vibrant take on the summer home. Pairing tangerine with cool blues and crisp white linens in your Hamptons getaway is a great way to really show off the bold color.

Using this color palette and bringing in dark, rich and oak wood accent pieces will give you a niece little surf and turf for those beautiful summer mornings and evening cocktail hours whilst entertaining your guests and showing off your true style and elegance.

Tangerine Tango Color Accent Round Rug - Nazmiyal

Tangerine Tango Color Accent Round Rug

Tangerine Tango Colored Accent Table - Nazmiyal

Tangerine Tango Colored Accent Table

Panton Color Of The Year 2012 Nazmiyal

Panton Color Of The Year 2012

Tangerine Tango Colored Accent Wall Color - Nazmiyal

Tangerine Tango Colored Accent Wall Color

*Photos courtesy of Washingtonian

Panton Color of the Year 2013 Emerald Green

Next on our list of our favorite Pantone Colors Of The Year, takes us to 2013

A vibrant, glowing hue of green has been hailed by Pantone as the 2013 color of the year. The authority on color announced emerald will succeed 2012’s tangerine and herald a new year of balance and harmony.

“The most abundant hue in nature,” Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, called the color in a press release. “Symbolically, emerald brings a sense of clarity, renewal and rejuvenation, which is so important in today’s complex world. This powerful and universally-appealing tone translates easily to both fashion and home interiors.”

Panton Color Of The Year 2013 - Emerald Green - Nazmiyal

Panton Color Of The Year 2013 – Emerald Green

From ballgowns and signature gems, to carpets and curtains, emerald is a color that truly lights up design. It’s an allure that has extended throughout history, particularly in textiles. Called one of the most elusive hues in the industry, it was actually an incredibly rare thing to see in antique area rugs. In fact, green didn’t make a universal appearance until the emergence of synthetic dyes in the nineteenth century. But once it did, it became a coveted color.

Emerald Green Solar Design Musee Du Quai Branly Paris - Nazmiyal

Emerald Green Solar Design Musee Du Quai Branly Paris

“Green includes a lot of colors seen in nature, so it brings a sense of the outside in,” says Nazmiyal’s Omri Schwartz. “It gives a more natural feeling to a space.”

Associated with politics, religion, fairy tales and nature, green is unquestionably an emotional color. At a time when the eco-friendly movement is gaining more momentum, it’s no wonder that emerald was chosen to signify the coming year. As society turns toward more sustainable practices, it makes senses that the the effort to go ‘green’ begins in the home.

Fashion Runway Models Showcasing The Emerald Green Panton Color Of The Year - Nazmiyal

Fashion Runway Models Showcasing The Emerald Green Panton Color Of The Year

With solar power pumping, urban gardens blossoming, and eco fashion hitting the fashion runway, design will surely reflect green’s meaning beyond it’s gorgeous glow. Check our slideshow to see where our green eyes will be focused in 2013.

Green Sultanabad For A Green Color Year - Namziyal

Green Sultanabad For A Green Color Year

(See the above Antique Persian Ziegler Sultanabad Rug 49532 )

Green Sultanabad Rug For This Year's Panton Color Of The Year - Nazmiyal

Green Sultanabad Rug For This Year’s Panton Color Of The Year

( See the above Antique Green Background Persian Sultanabad Rug 50335 (sold))

Pantone Color of the Year 2014 Purple

Next stop for our Pantone Colors Of The Year is 2014:

Although the announcement is exciting all corners of the interior design world, the popularity of purple isn’t exactly new. Purple has a rich legacy for being a desirable and rare color often associated with royalty. This royal connection is partly due to the scarcity of purple dyes, which are notoriously difficult to produce.

Panton Color Of The Year 2014 - Purple

Panton Color Of The Year – Purple

History’s first purple dyes were produced nearly 4,000 years ago. The hue known as Tyrian purple was extracted from sea snails and shellfish found the Mediterranean . The Phoenicians built an industry, albeit an unpleasant and conceivably odorous one, by boiling mollusks for their purple juices. The Byzantine Empire continued this legacy with imperial funds that gave rulers the power to reserve the color for themselves.

Purple Color Antique Israeli Mabediah Carpet - Nazmiyal

Purple Color Antique Israeli Mabediah Carpet

(See all our Israeli rugs )

Purple has also been produced by combining indigo dyes with commonly available reds, such as madder or cochineal. However, these proletarian purples lacked the status and exclusivity of the imperial dyes produced in Egypt , Rome and Greece . The next important purple breakthrough occurred in the 1850’s when 18-year-old scientist William Perkin accidentally discovered mauveine / fuchsin, the first aniline dye, which painted the way for many other vibrant synthetics.

Purple Vintage Moroccan Rug Nazmiyal

Purple Vintage Moroccan Rug

Today, thanks in part to Pantone, purple is enjoying a 21st-century resurgence. Even if Radiant Orchid isn’t your shade, there are plenty of other options. Shoppers can even use Nazmiyal’s handy color selector to find a vintage rug or antique carpet in the ideal tone for their home.

Designers in all areas of the trade are discovering the power of this extraordinary hue, which has the unique ability to change appearance based on available light. It’s also a surprisingly versatile color that plays well with neutrals, earth tones, turquoise-blues, greens and contrasting yellows. As an accent piece or grounding element, purple is a remarkably powerful and versatile color that will be enjoying a year in the sun.

Panton Color of the Year 2018 Ultraviolet

We round out our Pantone Colors Of The Year with our current 2018 color – Ultraviolet

Each year, Pantone highlights a color that stimulates the imagination and speaks about the age we live in. For 2018, Pantone has chosen ultraviolet as the color of the year. Ultraviolet sits beyond the end of the spectrum of light that is visible to the human eye, which lends to its mystique.

Artists conceptualize the color through inventiveness and a sort of mystical imagination. It speaks of energy, higher thinking, spirituality and individuality. Artists throughout the ages have experimented with visually representing that which cannot be seen by the human eye. Philip Rothko used several hues of violet as a symbol of spirituality in the Rothko Chapel.

Panton Color Of The Year 2018 - Ultraviolet - Nazmiyal

Panton Color Of The Year 2018 – Ultraviolet

Tyrian purple is the name that describes dye made by the Phoenicians from the murex sea snail as early as the 15th century B.C. In ancient times, purple was an exotic color because of the expense and complex process in extracting the color from the snail. Today, purple and its many shades are made from a number of substances. It can also be made by combining red and blue pigments. Violet is different because it is a spectral color, but it is often described as a shade of purple by artists because it is near purple on the color wheel.

In carpets, color is a primary element that contributes to the overall design and character of a piece. Colors are just as symbolic as motifs are in carpet weavings and are used by the weaver to tell a story and evoke emotion. Purple is associated with many qualities, including royalty, trustworthiness, wealth, spirituality and power. Violet is less saturated and more luminous, which gives it a more ethereal look.

Ultra Violate Colored Scandinavian Rug - Nazmiyal

Ultra Violate Colored Scandinavian Rug

(See the above Large Vintage Swedish Wide Hallway Runner Rug by A. Osterberg 47667)

Each carpet designer and weaver selects colors carefully to compose the composition. Purple is used by weavers of carpets in conjunction with other colors, shining through backgrounds of blues, reds, yellows and greens to highlight, contrast and emphasize motifs. Violet hues can be airy; they can also be dynamic and intense, offsetting matte colors or dense portions of the field.

As you go through your exploration of carpets, look beyond the dominant colors that may at first jump out at you. Examine a piece for the nuances that underlie the bold and obvious that you see first. Look for the hints of luminosity or brightness that express the underlying emotions that are intricately combined to present a cohesive, expressive work of art. If ultraviolet is subtly woven into a piece, see if it touches your feelings and brings out the sensations of mysteriousness, knowledge and spirituality.

Pantone Announces 2020 Color of the Year: Pantone Classic Blue

As of the evening of December 4th, we now know what Pantone has called the color of the year to kick off the new decade. The color is “Classic Blue”. A dreamy, peaceful shade of dark blue, “Classic Blue” is a departure from Pantone’s funky, creative colors of years past. For example, last year’s color of the year, “Living Coral”, was an electric pink-orange. The year before, in 2018, they selected “Ultra Violet”, a galactic, energizing purple shade. Now Pantone has stepped back from the “out there” shades of years past and chosen a laid-back, universal shade of blue that can be appreciated by everyone.

Pantone Classic Blue Nazmiyal

Pantone color of the year, 2020.

Color of the Year 2020: Pantone Classic Blue

Pantone asserts that using a relaxing, nighttime blue shade as their color of the year represents tranquility and calm in an ever-changing, hectic world we live in. They elaborate that they wanted to choose a peaceful color that is associated with concentration, clarity, and reassurance to usher in the new decade in the most dependable way possible. Simplistic and elegant, this color is easy to like. Pantone’s choice of the color of the year is never arbitrary. The decision relies on thoughtful consideration and trend analysis. Coming to the decision of “Classic Blue” as the color of the year took lots of effort and investigation.

Blue is thought to be the most universally favored color. If you asked a group of people what their favorite color is, it’s pretty likely that you would get plenty of “blue” answers. Furthermore, many businesses use blue in their branding and logos. Think about banks, which frequently choose a blue logo to project feelings of trustworthiness and reliability; for example, Chase Bank, Deutsche Bank, Citi Bank, and Bank of America, to name a few. Clearly, this non-intrusive color is hard not to like and has many applications across the board.

Pantone Classic Blue in the Design World

Pantone’s announcement of the new color of the year will, without a doubt, be a heavy influence in this upcoming year’s interior design trends and fashions. In previous years we have seen the color of the year influence every aspect of fashion and design. According to Pantone themselves, the color of the year can be the deciding factor in product development and purchasing decisions within these industries. Fabric and textile manufacturers usually start producing fabrics and textiles in the color of the year as soon as it is announced in preparation for the demand of the upcoming year.

Pantone Classic Blue Fashion Nazmiyal

Pantone Classic Blue is represented in runway and street fashion all over the world.

Decorating with Pantone Classic Blue

The interior decorating possibilities with the new Pantone color of the year are endless. This deep hued blue will go beautifully as an accent color in a white or off white room. Sticking to neutral colored furniture and adding pops of blue here and there – such as in wall art, accent pieces like lamps, or a rug – goes perfectly with the minimalist trends of today while still staying unique and interesting.

Reminiscent of a clear, starry night sky, Pantone’s Classic Blue would also be perfect for a galaxy or night sky themed children’s room. Galactic and cosmic themes are very on-trend right now and this is the perfect color scheme to make it all come to life. The possibilities are endless with this theme. You can drench the room in the color so that it feels like you are in outer space when you enter, or you can choose one or two elements of classic blue to incorporate into a more minimal theme. Whichever way you choose to execute it, there is no doubt that a space-blue room will feel magical and whimsical.

Classic Blue Kids Room Nazmiyal

Decorating with classic blue in a kid’s room feels whimsical.

Using blue in your decor themes is enduringly relaxing and peaceful. Whatever hue of blue you choose, it will without a doubt create a tranquil ambiance in your space. That makes the color perfect for the bedroom or living room. Choosing blue textile pieces such as a sofa, throw pillows or blankets, bedding, or a rug will make your space totally cozy and relaxing. Going home to inviting, calm blue tones in your home will make relaxing on the couch or in bed that much better.

Another trait associated with the color blue is reliability and productivity. Research has shown that people are more productive in blue rooms. Thus, blue is the perfect color choice for your home office or work space. Painting the walls in your office or work space would be a beautiful way to incorporate the color of the year in your design, especially when paired with neutral colored or complementary colored furniture and decor pieces. However, remember that darker shades on your walls can make your room feel smaller.

Classic Blue Kids Room Nazmiyal

Decorating with blue textile pieces, like a sofa, creates a relaxing environment.

As you look through our collection of modern rugs and antique rugs, you’ll discover that we have many stunning pieces in all shades of blue. These will be perfect for decorating your home to fit your own personal style.

Browse some of our modern and antique carpets in blue here:

Click here to view our entire collection of blue rugs

Oversized Antique Blue Chinese Rug Nazmiyal

Oversized Antique Blue Chinese Rug

Large Antique Indian Shabby Chic Art Deco Rug Nazmiyal

Large Antique Indian Shabby Chic Art Deco Rug

Antique Persian Large Scale Ziegler Sultanabad Carpet Nazmiyal

Antique Persian Large Scale Ziegler Sultanabad Carpet

If you enjoyed this post about Pantone’s 2020 Color of the Year, you might like to read about the Apartment Therapy pattern of the year!

Hope you enjoyed the rundown of some of our most favorite Pantone Colors Of The Year.

This design blog about the Pantone Colors Of The Year was published by Nazmiyal Antique Rugs.

Related News

Make 2023 the Year for Better Design Decisions

Make 2023 the Year for Better Design Decisions

As we embark on a new year, it's important to reflect on the past and...

What Modern Rugs Are on Trend - Nazmiyal Antique Rugs

What Rugs Are on Trend?

Following the recent trends in home decor and interior design can be tricky. That is...

How To Care For Your Area Rug by Nazmiyal Rugs

How To Care For Your Area Rug

Owning a beautiful rug is a wonderful thing, but as is the case with most...

Shopping Cart