The Color of Optimism

by Yvonne Ashton, Mayesh; Chair of WF&FSA's Marketing Committee

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Welcome to 2019!

A new year is a beacon for setting goals, making fresh plans to achieve those goals, and optimism. And if you are looking for a color to inspire such things, Pantone’s 2019 Color of the Year, Living Coral, is just that. The color is “an animating and life-affirming coral hue with a golden undertone that energizes and enlivens with a softer edge. Sociable and spirited, the engaging nature of Living Coral welcomes and encourages lighthearted activity. Symbolizing our innate need for optimism and joyful pursuits, Living Coral embodies our desire for playful expression.” In other words, go ahead and pin this color to your 2019 vision board.

For our floral industry in particular, I think that most of us can really get behind this happy hue. As Living Coral in-part symbolizes cheerfulness and connecting outside of the digital realm, flowers themselves help our consumers celebrate some of the best events of their lives – if that isn’t a cause for optimism then I don’t know what is. Births, weddings, showers, anniversaries, and more – albeit at a distance since we are breeders, growers, and wholesalers - we get to be a special part of so many lives that are worthy of celebration. Aren’t we incredibly lucky to do what we do?

On a different note, I would love to be a fly on the wall for the process of determining the color of the year. Some years, I wonder “how did that happen”? But for this year in particular, I wonder “did we help inspire this particular choice”? I mean, how many consecutive years has Coral Charm peonies been a hot item? These coral hued beauties are truly something to behold and have earned their right as a must have bloom for florists across the country. In addition to peonies, so many other flowers exist that are in different tones of coral. Below are just a few images taken by my dear photographer friend, Nicole Clarey, at our past design workshops. You’ll find poppies, sweet peas, ranunculus, and garden roses, but I would love to hear about your favorite coral hued flowers in the comments below.

Happy New Year!

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2 Comments

Marla O'Dell   on Tuesday 01/08/2019 at 02:10 PM

Great editorial to go along with the beautiful imagery Yvonne! Thanks for sharing this with WF&FSA membership.

Lani Callister   on Thursday 01/10/2019 at 12:22 PM

Yvonne, Your comments about "Living Coral" are perfect! It is definitely my color of optimism, is my favorite choice in the past several years. I am so happy that we get to promote a happy color that blends with so many other shades and is a neutral color in its own way. Thanks for sharing. Lani

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the comments shown above are those of the individual comment authors and do not reflect the views or opinions of this organization.