Curated Inbox Vol 7
Softening the Edges - TNG of Hygge
As the writer Michelle Santiago Cortes of Hygge Is Dead. Get To Know The New Cozy. wrote, “it’s all about softening life’s harsh edges”.
This article shares an amazing viewpoint of what comfort and cozy means to many of us as these quarantine pandemic days wear on - but especially for Gen Z. This is a generation that rightly so, that should be acknowledged as the influencers of so many beauty, fashion and interior movements that are shaping and creating and sustaining businesses because of their life choices.
They detail out a trend toward neutral wall colors allow daylight to be maximized in a space during the hours it is available. Then at night, the neutral color becomes a blank slate that allows colored LED lights to mirror what is what is happening on our laptop or mobile screens. When we look away from the screens, the walls, the room, is not jarringly different. The sameness of light between the technology screen and the room is comforting. The best lines in this article describe the heart of the matter..."The New Cozy, then, is all about softening life’s harsh edges: Diffusers that blow delicate puffs of steam to scent our rooms. Cloud foods for when we want something fun and whimsical — and squishy — to eat. Soft music and LED lights cast a warm haze all around us. The New Cozy is self-soothing." Check out this room tour 2020 | minimal & cozy that Gen Z Cel Sang posted on YouTube for insight on exactly what this looks like.
Please read this article in full for yourself. It is a portal to core concepts around the mindset so many of us have right now and what is needed for comfort - especially when it comes to Gen Z. Interior spaces, what food is comforting, what sounds can sooth, how entertainment is also meditative medicine. However, many ideas bleed to Millennial, Gen X and Boomers since we are all living this life inside and we are all living IN our technology to a great degree both to maintain life but also to survive it.
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vegetal Color, Nature & natural - The 70s Comeback
On that note, Why 70’s design is making a comeback, published in Fast Company today flows off of the Refinery29 article, touching on the very same themes but speaking to whole home interiors. They are referencing a survey done by 1stDibs, which by the way, is an interior design worm hole, you’ve been warned. In this survey, 600 interior designers were interviewed on what they see our homes looking like in 2021 and they all agreed, it will look like the 1970s.
The colors of the ‘70s are vegetal. They are warm; saffron yellow, avocado green, rust, paprika, goldenrod, the burnt orange of a marigold. They are organic and plant-based. That matters a lot to us as we’ve not only been cooped up inside for almost a year (and look to repeat that experience in 2021 to a large degree), but on balance we’ve been getting outdoors as much as possible to clear our minds in nature. These colors, large floral or botanical wallpapers, nature-inspired murals, house plants, potted trees and vertical gardens are all ways we are bringing the outside inside to the maximum degree possible.
One D2C plant purveyor they highlight is bloomscape and it’s worth checking out for a couple of reasons. One is because, duh, even looking at these beautiful, lush plants makes your stress levels drop a few points. Another is to see the aesthetic they share which is part of that de-stressing magic. The site is not on a white background, it’s on a very light, soothing buttercream, which in combination with their signature warm forest green brand color is both traditional and modern at the same time.
Look at their Instagram though to really see how their product is as much lifestyle as it is plants. They do an amazing job at showing you what life can be like with plants to nurture, food to comfort and soft lighting to soothe. So again, it’s all about “Softening Life’s Harsh Edges”.
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The New Pantone Colors
The Insta for bloomscape is also going to show you why and how Pantone came up with one of their colors of 2021, Illuminating. Although Pantone 13-0647 Illuminating is brighter than many of the yellows of the ‘70s, it has a similar effect of brightening one’s spirit.
In an article by Fast Company, they relayed that apparently, Illuminating was slated to be THE color of the year at first. However, as the past few months have rolled on, they ‘had a rethink’ and decided to add 17-5104 Ultimate Grey to the mix to acknowledge the real life we are all experiencing. Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute explained the choice this way, “Here’s what we’re hoping for. (Illuminating) And this is the solid grounding to get us there (Ultimate Grey)”.
Whether you go for a warm gold or a bright yellow, whether you add the grey for contrast or forego all of it for a nice warm ivory, the bottom line is the same. Whatever brings comfort, cozy and wellbeing to you and yours is the best answer to ‘soften life’s harsh edges’ and that’s where we are right now. And that’s OK.