Pantone Color of the Year 2018 - Ultra Violet

Variously described as "deep", "moody", "regal" and "opulent", the Pantone Color of the Year "Ultra Violet" is set to give interior designers a bold new direction to follow in 2018.

Technically called 18-3838 Ultra Violet, the colour is seen as a dramatic choice which designers can either use to provide a vibrant backdrop to an entire room or use strategically to provide creative accents. With its strong purple hue, the shade has historically been connected not only with glamour and opulence but also with counterculture and the spiritual world.

The annual Color of the Year is declared by the Pantone Color Institute, a colour research and information centre which identifies and shares colour trends as they relate to the Pantone matching system. Created in the 1960s, the Pantone colour system was designed to help those in the graphic arts community to accurately identify and match colours and is now referenced in many industries such as interior design, printing, textiles, plastics, advertising, film, paint and fashion.

When it comes to interior design, colour is one of the key elements taken into account, alongside form, line, mass, texture and light.

When looking to update an existing space, drawing in elements from fashion trends and current colour palettes can quickly and easily give an old room a new lease of life, without incurring large financial costs, such as in cushions, feature walls, rugs, window treatments, dining accessories or artwork.

In the new build or renovation environment, designers also keep in mind that fashions in colours change so tend to suggest structural elements are drawn from a neutral colour palettes as they are less likely to date. Given that windows and doors form the key structure of residential and commercial spaces, it is understandable that some of most popular colour choices for Alspec’s door and window framing products are those at the neutral end of the spectrum, particularly white, black and silver/aluminium.

However, for those who wish to customise their structural elements, any of Alspec’s aluminium window and door framing products can be powder coated to precisely match client colour requests. Alspec has the advantage of four powder coating lines across Australia which are approved to replicate the full range of colours available from Dulux and Interpon. Clients can therefore select any Pantone colour to be matched with the appropriate powder coating to create personalised framing solutions which embrace current colour trends.

Whether reflecting a corporate brand, or conveying feelings and atmosphere, the choice of colour is crucial in assisting designers deliver the impact and impression expected by their clients. The Pantone experts who selected Ultra Violet for 2018 describe it as a “complex” colour and one which they suggest inspires inventiveness and imagination. What is clear is that, however it is used, Ultra Violet in its full intensity is likely to make a powerful statement and create an exciting modern atmosphere in any new or redesigned room.