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honeysuckle
  • honeysuckle

    Flirtatious Honeysuckle is a feel-good hue that brings a festive sense of playfulness to this season’s palette.

  • colorsart

    Citing exotic destinations like Africa, India, Peru and Turkey as inspiration for spring 2011, designers continue to satisfy consumers’ need to escape everyday challenges with intriguing color combinations that transport them to foreign lands.


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Citing exotic destinations like Africa, India, Peru and Turkey as inspiration for spring 2011, designers continue to satisfy consumers’ need to escape everyday challenges with intriguing color combinations that transport them to foreign lands.

 

Honeysuckle Defined

Head of Pantone, Leatrice Eiseman, describes what gives honeysuckle its special verve: “[It] derives its positive qualities from a powerful bond to its mother color red, the most physical, viscerally alive hue in the spectrum,” she says. “The intensity of this festive reddish pink allures and engages. In fact, this color, not the sweet fragrance of the flower blossoms for which it was named, is what attracts hummingbirds to nectar."

 

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  • A Honey of a Hue

    Color experts at Pantone name "Honeysuckle" their official shade for 2011.

    by Jennifer Sellers

    Imagine an idyllic spring day. Birds are singing, flowers are blooming and on the air is a gentle breeze carrying a sweet, otherworldly scent. If this perfect day had a color it would be honeysuckle. It’s a bright shade that practically screams joy and frolic, and it’s the color Pantone, the world’s leading color authority, has chosen to define 2011. Expect to see it popping up everywhere from the fashion runways to home accessory retailers.

     

    A Color a Year

    Each year Pantone, the company that defines color models throughout many industries, including home furnishings and design, selects a shade that best characterizes where our culture is—and where it’s going. Last year’s color, turquoise, had a much more calming effect, meant to provide comfort during trying times.  This year’s honeysuckle, on the other hand, wants more from us than serenity; it wants courage, confidence and vitality.

    “In times of stress, we need something to lift our spirits,” says Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “Honeysuckle is a captivating, stimulating color that gets the adrenaline going—perfect to ward off the blues. Honeysuckle may also bring a wave of nostalgia for its associated delicious scent reminiscent of the carefree days of spring and summer.”

     

    A Hot Hue for the Home 

    Whether you’re a trendsetter or just someone inspired by the bright hue of honeysuckle, there are a number of ways you can incorporate it into your abode:

    • Accessories: Honeysuckle is such an eye-popping shade that even a little of it can add a serious punch to your surroundings. Look for throw pillows, bedspreads, window coverings and decorative accessories in solid or patterned shades of honeysuckle.
    • Kitchen: Small appliances in this hue will add a fun splash of color to even the most utilitarian work areas of your kitchen. You might also consider giving new life to your cabinets by painting them this shade—or simply adding new honeysuckle-colored hardware.
    • Walls: Want an easy, inexpensive way to perk up a room without a full-scale color change? Paint one wall in honeysuckle. Or, if you want a huge burst of energy, paint all of the walls in a given space.
    • Dining Room: Honeysuckle can be a great appetite and conversation stimulant. Use it on the walls or look for place settings, linens, window coverings, floor coverings, placemats or glassware to incorporate the fun shade.
    • Entryways: For a dynamic welcome, paint the entry to your home in a honeysuckle hue.

     

    Color Combinations 

    Because honeysuckle is such a bold color, you may be nervous about pairing it with other shades.  Don’t be. It goes well with a number of other colors, including black, navy, charcoal, light grey and mid grey. A pinkish brown like Pantone’s Apricot Brandy or bronze greens like Pantone’s Willow or Tapenade are also great complementary colors for the hue.

    Honeysuckle is a color that inspires expression, so get creative when applying it to your décor!