The Cowgirl Designer: Welcome to the 2023 ‘Magentaverse’: Do Trends and Predictions Really Matter?

Guest opinion by Marlene Holmquist

Each year, the Pantone Color Institute unleashes their pick for “The Color of the Year” in early December. Ever since their first choice of Cerulean (sky blue) in 2000, designers all over the world hold their breath, waiting for the formal reveal and celebration. Like it or not, Viva Magenta 2023 (Pantone 18-1750) has just been unleashed on us, mirroring the global culture around us.

Surprising as it may seem, Viva Magenta makes sense. It is an unconventional color for unconventional times. It is inspiring, bold and empowering, and warm and cool at the same time. It reflects the huge advances in technology that, for many, replaced our homes and cars as an extension of who we are. Good or bad, it allows us to hide behind our virtual presence, and encourage experimentation.

Does that mean you will see hues of magenta in every home for the next few years? Probably not, but it does seem logical it will be a constant influence in digital design. While some say magenta is a fake color created by the digital world, the Pantone Color Institute highlights its deep roots in nature. The pigment is sourced from cochineal insects found on cactus plants in Peru and the Canary Islands.

Color is the most powerful element in design and is the first thing we as humans notice. It grabs our attention and makes us feel. Color can inspire or manipulate, calm or excite. The ingredients of a joyful life are as individual as each human being. Color has the power to bring that joy to the surface, releasing a domino effect that can profoundly influence health, happiness, and a powerful force for change.

Shoveling through interior design trends trying to figure out what recipe would work in your own home can be exhausting. Even professionals like myself have a hard time keeping up with what has come and gone! Coastal Grandma, Japandi Style and the Yellowstone Effect may have gone unnoticed by some. But did you know the overwhelmingly popular Modern Farmhouse, and the All-White Kitchen are losing favor fast? Luckily, trends are there for the taking, allowing us the freedom to choose what we like. My recommended rule of thumb is to start by choosing the things you love and ignore trends or predictions. I once asked a textile artist how she decided the colors and textures of the fabrics she was designing for her next collection. Sure that she had done extensive research, I was more than relieved when she told me she did what any other artist would do … create instinctively.

PANTONE COLORS OF THE YEAR

Marlene Holmquist, ASID, owns Luxury Ranch Interior Design, a full-service interior design company specializing in remodels for residences and small businesses. An avid equestrian known as “The Cowgirl Designer,” she is a member of the San Juan Capistrano Equestrian Coalition and Las Vaqueras Women’s Riding Club. luxury-ranch.com or thecowgirldesigner.com.