WHA’s 2021 Color Palette & Trends We See

With Rooted at its core, WHA’s 2021 Color Palette presents a family of six complementary hues, both warm and cool, in response to our dramatically different lives and the trends we see.

Pandemic Shifts

The ongoing pandemic has reshaped our daily lives and our focus.  With home now our base for work, school, exercise and leisure, we have been given cause and pause to rethink our priorities and values.  Health and wellness, mindfulness, balance, comfort, connection and joy have become vital.  There’s a shift from me to we, a need for kindness, goodness and authenticity.  We are taking pleasure in simple things and finding reasons for gratitude.

Overall Trends

Creative outlets including arts and crafts, cooking and gardening, have given us a sense of purpose and control.  There’s a need to disconnect from tech and connect with the harmony of nature to engage all our senses and escape. A balance of more subtle, contemporary design with redefined classic detailing offers us the comfort of the familiar.

Changing Communities

With the increase in work-from-home flexibility, we’ve seen a migration wave of families leaving dense urban centers for lower density suburban areas where homes are more attainable and larger.  Master planned communities are repurposing and redefining their facilities.  Events are virtual, clubhouses no longer key.  Open-air structures and outdoor areas provide the greatest opportunities for socially distanced gatherings with outdoor offices a new offering.  Communities providing the advantages of preserved natural landscapes for hiking, biking and walking, especially dogs with the recent increase in pet adoptions, will be most desired.

The Home Front

Home is our sanctuary, its interior our focus.  With work-from-home projected to last beyond the pandemic, floor plans will still need to provide more multifunctional, compartmentalized spaces.  Privacy solutions for working, schooling and solitude, especially acoustic over visual, will remain a priority.  Ample work surfaces, storage and tech connections are a must for work and school areas.   Cozy nooks and spa baths can answer the call to retreat.  Healthy, hygienic homes will continue to be important with easy to clean surfaces, touchless fixtures, optimized air quality and natural lighting with views and access to the outdoors.

Furnishings & Finishes

In their quest for better health and wellness, personally and globally, consumers are seeking responsibly sourced, sustainable products with organically inspired designs.  Natural wood finishes: rattan, cane and wicker along with natural fibers: linen, cotton, wool and leather are popular materials.

Scandinavian design, curvilinear forms, botanical and oversized floral patterns are all part of the trends we see. Interior plant décor and plant accumulation in general is at an all-time high.

Color Trends

Palettes are warming, particularly towards autumnal earth tones.  White walls, in lieu of gray, signify new beginnings.  Warm neutrals are soothing, calming.  Pink shifts to peach with varied gradients.  Soft blues are cleansing like water.

WHA’s 2021 Color Palette, with its mix of warm, earth-originated browns and calming, cleansing blues is our answer to today’s design trend needs to calm, comfort and revitalize with their natural familiarity.