We caught up with Jessica McConnell, Director, Whirlpool Color, Finish & Material Design and Brittni Pertijs, Lead Color, Material & Finish Designer for KitchenAid to discover the story behind the annual color of the year.
THE COLORFUL WORLD OF KITCHENAID
Color has been at the heart of KitchenAid brand’s success story since it first launched color products in 1955. The annual Color of the Year is an opportunity to connect with Makers on an emotional level, inspire creativity and open up new possibilities.
The selection of the Color of the Year is the purview of the KitchenAid Global Design team. The process of identifying and creating the Color of the Year begins about eighteen months before a new color is launched. The team starts by taking an exhaustive look at sociocultural trends and because the team is based in all the regions of the world there’s high-level input from every corner of the globe on fashion, design, food and more.
Once the trends have been studied and vetted, the team comes to the table with 2 or 3 topics and color choices that are balanced against the KitchenAid color portfolio. McConnell describes how the team considers the emotional power of color to help inform meaningful color choices: “Colors are so emotional – what kinds of colors will people want to fulfill an emotional need they’re having at the time.”
Hibiscus embodies the energy-boosting hues seen in contemporary art, pop culture and design.
“Hibiscus empowers the inner maker to explore.”
Brittni Pertijs
Lead Color, Material & Finish Designer, KitchenAid
HI THERE, HIBISCUS
KitchenAid Brand’s newest Color of the Year is 2023’s Hibiscus, which is partially inspired by the rising global resurgence of maximalism — and its intersection with color, including bold prints.
Brittni Pertijs, Lead Color, Material & Finish Designer for KitchenAid, tapped into the trajectory of pink over the last few years, starting with Millennial pink, and arriving at something bolder for 2023’s Color of the Year. She says: “Hibiscus embodies the energy-boosting hues we are seeing in art, design and pop culture right now…For us, Hibiscus empowers the inner maker to explore. We hope people feel that way when they see the color.”
Pertijs also sees Hibiscus as a color that can “play” with others: “Hibiscus can be styled in so many ways. We love pairing Hibiscus with a neutral kitchen to add a pop of color. Or, we love a maximalist pink and green combination! Don’t be afraid to pair Hibiscus with various textures as well.”
The bold fuchsia of Hibiscus taps into a rising feeling of energy and positivity that has been pervasive over the past few years, and builds on the momentum of the 2022 Color of the Year, Beetroot.
Beetroot, the 2022 Color of the Year, was designed to tap into the confidence to re-emerge into the world.
“It’s both earthy and comforting, but also vibrant and full of energy and possibility…”
Jessica McConnell
Director, Whirlpool Color, Finish & Material Design
UPROOTING THE ORDINARY WITH BEETROOT
The 2022 Color of the Year, Beetroot, was an opportunity to tap into the heart of 2022.
McConnell reflects on the idea that in 2022, we were all still seeking comfort and spending more time than ever in our homes, but the idea of emerging into the world, or nature, was really taking over. She and her team loved how this root – which is pulled out of the earth into the world – symbolized this desire to reemerge.
“We wanted that to come through with the color – this idea that it’s both earthy and comforting, but also vibrant and full of energy and possibility…” says McConnell.
It takes confidence to take that step forward, and the team found that confidence embodied in the rich purple of Beetroot. KitchenAid tweaked the color though, to make it a color that’s not only confident, but restorative and uplifting.
The confidence to reemerge that Beetroot represents is rooted in the fundamental need to reconnect to family and friends that dominated 2021.
Honey, the 2021 Color of the Year, addresses the emotional need for maintaining connections in a complicated time.
“The story we wanted to talk about was people caring & showing empathy for each other & reaching across aisles, or reaching across differences to make the world a better place, to build a brighter future.”
Jessica McConnell
Director, Whirlpool Color, Finish & Material Design
CELEBRATING SWEETNESS WITH HONEY
The team knew they wanted to tell a story about connection and empathy for the 2021 Color of the Year. McConnell says: “The story we wanted to talk about was people caring and showing empathy for each other and reaching across aisles, or reaching across differences to make the world a better place, to build a brighter future.”
The rich, uplifting and comforting color with golden-orange undertones was a reminder of the sweetness that comes from making together in the kitchen and a celebration of those connections and the warmth they bring.
This warmth, the subconscious need to reconnect with friends and family was never needed more than after a tough year of quarantine, when the world focused on self-care and wellness.
Kyoto Glow, the 2020 Color of the Year, was designed to turn the kitchen into a refreshing sanctuary where makers could recharge and replenish.
achieving balance with kyoto glow
The 2020 Color of the Year was inspired by the quest to find balance, tranquility and wellness in our homes. It was a wish for health and wellness that became more relevant as the year continued and the pandemic began. The color was bright enough to recharge and replenish, yet soft enough to provide sanctuary from the demands of life. The color, which tapped into the need to feel safe and secure, was a sharp contrast to the need to explore, to find adventure far from home that was pervasive in 2018.
The inaugural Color of the Year, Bird of Paradise, embodied an exotic getaway in color as it evoked a lush, tropical adventure.
escape with bird of paradise
“...Tell me a story and it will live in my heart forever…”
Jessica McConnell
Director, Whirlpool Color, Finish & Material Design
telling a story through color
Choosing the Color of the Year is a multi-faceted decision. Not only does the color tap into the emotions of the year, but careful thought goes into ensuring that a color isn’t duplicated or only slightly different from a color that already exists in the KitchenAid® palette.
The team reflects that the choice is fueled not only by the color space but also by whether or not it is a story the world is ready to hear. Ultimately that story will always have an optimistic spin with energy and action because as McConnell explains, “…that’s what we’re about, making and action in the kitchen.” She goes on to talk more about the importance of storytelling through color: “…Tell me a story and it will live in my heart forever – that’s what we’re doing here, through color – these kinds of things are what people ‘bookmark’ in their hearts and minds. Even if they don’t buy that color, or, they buy a different color, it’s a moment where they can see that side of the brand and they can experience an emotion and be inspired.”
McConnell reflects that color is key to creating the vibe you want to feel while you’re in your kitchen: “…That’s why we have so many colors, so you can choose – everybody has a different perspective and something different they want to say. We think of a stand mixer as a throw pillow or exclamation mark in the kitchen. It celebrates who you are. It shows your personality…and it should inspire you to make or do something you love in the kitchen.”
Dreaming in color
The team is already deeply entrenched in creating next year’s Color of the Year. So what does the future of color look like for KitchenAid? The team has this to say: “…Our vision for the future is to make these colors even more human centered as a design team and think even more deeply about the cultures of people and feelings and how we can bring more of the Maker into our stories.”
The next Color of the Year is a tightly held secret. Only a few select members of the team know what that color will be at this point. But one thing we can predict with certainty – it will have heart, it will have soul and it will inspire people to dream about how they want to tell their own story. And KitchenAid will be right there to help them tell it, in bold, beautiful, hopeful color.
LET YOUR CREATIVITY BLOOM WITH HIBISCUS
The latest Color of the Year is a vibrant, lush reminder to embrace new styles and to explore new things in and out of the kitchen.
