Speak In Color

SPEAK IN COLOR — WITH PAMELA RAINEY,
SHAW FLOORS VP PRODUCT DESIGN

TELL US ABOUT WHISPER, THE 2019 COLOR SELECTION.

Whisper’s palette is comprised of muted, subtle pastel undertones for a calm, neutral appeal. Each is soothing, ethereal and approachable – not to mention easily integrated into any home. These colors work well together or on their own, and draw people in. 

This is a shift in what has collectively been seen as neutral. In the past, it would be white, off-white, cream, & gray. Now we are seeing color infused with dusty softness- just like the 2019 palette.

WHAT DO YOU THINK SPARKED THIS SHIFT?

Currently, people seek colors that are calm and approachable. This transcends to flooring

as well. It’s a reflection of what’s happening culturally and socially. Because we live in a society that’s governed by technology – we are craving more comfort & softness.

CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT THE TREND TRACKING PROCESS?

In my opinion, the key is immersion. We rely on widespread travel and personal experience with our trend tracking – especially when trying to discern which colors resonate most with consumers. The 2019 selection of colors really speaks to the shared insights among the team and our ability to forecast the trends influencing home interiors.

HOW DOES THE WHISPER PALETTE TRANSLATE INTO DESIGN THEMES?

With a goal of identifying design themes and possibly color options for 2019, we started our immersion travel to explore how emotions are impacted by location. Our product design team members were assigned a location to experience firsthand – tasked to return home with a visual, emotive showcase of findings.

The outcome: strong stories of local influence, heritage, architecture and color. Each story is its own. What we didn’t expect was the commonality of some of the colors that began to overlap between themes. So we dug in and looked a little closer. We compared notes for each travelogue… definitely traces of a palette and something very harmonious here. Where we landed: 5 distinct themes and a full palette of 5 coordinating colors for 2019’s Whisper.

ON A PERSONAL NOTE…             

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ROOM?                        

The kitchen… which is ironic since I can’t cook. But we recently updated the original kitchen with new colors and materials and it just gave the space a new freshness. The kitchen has become the center of the home because it’s a gathering spot.          

WHO WOULD YOU INVITE TO DINNER TONIGHT?                        

If no limits, it would be a dinner party and I would invite a group of the most creative people whose work I admire and who inspire me – Alexander McQueen, Picasso, Tom Wolfe, Simon Doonan, Maya Angelou, I.M. Pei, and Zaha Hadid. What a gathering that would be!

Follow @shawfloors on Instagram for glimpses at products and how real people use our floors in-home.