Pantone Says The Future’s So Bright, It’s ‘Ultra Violet’

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Pantone declares the 2018 color of the year to be — drumroll, please — 18-3838 Ultra Violet.

Surprised? Yep, so were we. However, upon reading about the reasoning behind the color, we think we might be able to get behind it.

Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, suggests the hue is meant to push boundaries.

“We are living in a time that requires inventiveness and imagination. It is this kind of creative inspiration that is indigenous to PANTONE 18-3838 Ultra Violet, a blue-based purple that takes our awareness and potential to a higher level,” she explains.

“From exploring new technologies and the greater galaxy, to artistic expression and spiritual reflection, intuitive Ultra Violet lights the way to what is yet to come,” Eiseman adds.

Not only is Ultra Violet provocative — David Bowie and Prince were big fans of bright purples, after all — but it’s also evocative of emotion. The color can even be used as a calming agent, like the lighting in meditation spaces. In other words, it can serve as a reminder to take a breather from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

As the lively purple and 2017’s zesty yellow-green prove, the logic behind the Pantone’s annual color of the year declaration goes beyond repeating what’s already out in pop culture.

“[I]t’s truly a reflection of what’s needed in our world today,” says Laurie Pressman, vice president of the Pantone Color Institute. “As individuals around the world become more fascinated with color and realize its ability to convey deep messages and meanings, designers and brands should feel empowered to use color to inspire and influence.”

While we may not be moved to paint our entire homes bright purple, we certainly can be persuaded to explore the effects of calming lighting and accessories — and maybe even some tunes from those legendary musicians.

Check out rooms featuring hues similar to Pantone’s 2018 color of the year, straight from the pages of Luxe:

Pantone 2018 Color Of The Year

Built-ins set the tone for a pair of dark chocolate Milo Baughman chairs. The floor lamp and sofa are both by Christian Liaigre, and the violet-hued work above the fireplace is by George Chaplin. (Tour the home.)

PHOTO BY MARILI FORASTIERI

Pantone 2018 Color Of The Year

Image: Joshua McHugh

New Day Woodwork, of Glendale, fabricated the Drake-designed, incised lacquer cabinets. Windows are sheathed in Missoni’s Jersey Monet fabric from Stark. A lounge chair in Donghia’s Cotton Plum velvet and Marcel Wanders’ Knotted chair surround a Wendell Castle Sizzle table custom-colored by Alpha Workshops.

PHOTO JOSHUA MCHUGH

Pantone 2018 Color Of The Year

Modern furnishings and jewel-toned hues fill this stylish library.

PHOTO JASON JUNG

Pantone 2018 Color Of The Year

Interior designer Deborah Hancock took her cue from “old European apartments, where a modern furniture scheme had been inserted into a historical interior. ” Paneling, leaded-glass windows and ceiling beams were restored. New stone fireplaces were added to instill a cleaner, more contemporary character that complements the owners’ extensive collection of modern art. (Tour the home.)

PHOTO ERIC PIASECKI