As consumers deal with the recession by cutting costs on everything from haircuts to home remodeling projects, retailers and manufacturers are using color to attract customers in a whole new way.
Today, color is being applied to nearly all consumer products from handbags, appliances, cars, electronics and furniture. While retailers hope to attract customers through vibrant end caps and product displays throughout their showrooms, manufacturers are also looking to eliminate the “sea of sameness” and appeal to their customers’ sense of style.
Photo courtesy of appliancist.com
While the average American consumer is carefully watching every penny they spend, the hope is that they may splurge on items that make them feel good.
Trend experts agree that applying color to products is a smart and timely move for manufacturers given the fact that people want to be cheered during this current economic downturn.
The Boston Globe recently referred to paint as an “anti-depressant in a can,” which makes sense when you think about how colors like yellow, orange and red can literally boost your mood and instantly evoke feelings of warmth and happiness. Likewise, color palettes that incorporate shades of blue, green and beige can bring to mind a calm, serene feeling.
Although neutral shades like white and beige remain the top-selling interior paint colors, homeowners are undoubtedly becoming more adventurous. Whereas bright colors may have been reserved for the areas of the home where the children played at one point, homeowners are now incorporating bold hues in main living spaces such as the kitchen and living room.
In fact, when Benjamin Moore identified its “hot colors” for 2009, the company’s experts chose St. Elmo’s Fire 362 yellow as the “it” color for interior décor because the hue is “evocative of flickering firelight” and “conveys a sense of optimism about what lies ahead.”
Luckily for homeowners, painting a room is a relatively inexpensive but very powerful way to update the look of the space. While the major remodeling projects will most likely have to wait for a few more months, painting is a task that any weekend warrior can tackle without breaking the bank.
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Tags: color, Paint, Remodeling
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