Introducing Serenity & Rose Quartz: Pantone® Colors of the Year 2016

By: Homes, Living in Style, Berks County Living March 2016, Homepage, Berks County Living, Berks Issue Page Departments

Each year, the Pantone Color Institute announces a color of the year, a hue that influences interior design, fashion trends and beauty palettes for the following 12 months. For the first time ever, two colors were announced for the 2016 Color of the Year, Serenity (a soft blue) and Rose Quartz (a blush pink). Pantone cites recent progress in gender equality as one of the motivators for selecting not one, but two hues this year. They claim, “this more unilateral approach to color is coinciding with societal movements toward gender equality and fluidity.” If all that isn’t enough to spark interest in the Pantone color announcement, here are a few more reasons to keep reading.

Embracing new, vibrant hues in everyday life introduces an element of newness, a touch of modernity, and a feeling of evolving forward. Work the Pantone colors into areas of the home that need a refresh: update the bedroom with a new Serenity-hued duvet, grab a new coffee mug in Rose Quartz, or try either shade in a small wardrobe update. If nothing else, studying up on the Pantone colors makes for interesting cocktail chatter.

There are many high quality boutiques throughout Berks in which a plethora of Serenity and Rose Quartz-shaded items can be found. The first stop in our journey was the store at Bell Tower Salon & Spa, where the assortment of beauty and apparel products never disappoints. The drive to Five and Divine in Wernersville proved worthwhile; owner Chris Kimmel stocks an impressive assortment of furniture, antiques, artwork and crafting supplies that will inspire months’ worth of DIY projects. Finally, the glimmer of jewels was too much to resist at Sorrelli, where baubles in the perfect new Pantone hues sat waiting in Kutztown to be discovered.

Finding Serenity

In the search for serenity, makeup was the first place the hue surfaced. The NARS Kamchatka eye shadow fits the bill perfectly for a wearable form of the Serenity blue hue. NARS makes highly pigmented, velvety-matte, ultra-fine powders for shading, creating depth, and lining eyes. According to the beauty geniuses at Bell Tower Salon & Spa, the NARS brand makes longwearing, crease-resistant colors that glide on smoothly and evenly and blend effortlessly. This Kamchatka shade can be applied sheer for a subtle look or layered for a more dramatic effect.

One of the antique treasures found at Five and Divine was a vintage doll dress capturing the essence of Serenity blue. The delicate organza material gathers at the empire waist, creating a soft, heavenly draping. Framed in a shadow box, the under $10 find would make a perfect addition to a little girls’ room.

Another find included an earthenware pitcher made by retired Reverend Dr. Fred Opelinski at the GoggleWorks studio. The piece, finished with a tranquil blue glaze, adds a touch of Serenity to any table-scape. Paired with wooden bowls and spring bouquets, it’s a Pantone-perfect kitchen addition. Not to mention, supporting local artists is always on-trend.

To further the long lost art of snail mail correspondence, Chris Kimmel of Five and Divine offers a selection of local artist notecards, including one with a bird nest illustration rendered in a sea of blue, brown, grey and green hues. The drawing was made by Karen Wolf and is available for under $5. If nothing more, the Pantone color offering might just be a reminder to stock up on stationery, and to get those oft-contained sentiments sent to far-off friends.

Five and Divine is one of a select number of nationwide stores with the honor of stocking Annie Sloan’s unique Chalk Paint. The “Louis Blue” color is a perfect match for Serenity, which means any and all DIY projects requiring a touch of paint can become Pantone-approved. Chalk Paint is water-based and adheres to almost any surface with no sanding and no priming. The line is available in 32 colors in quarts for $36.95. Sample pots are $11.95. The 2016 crafting possibilities are endless.

Lastly, perfect Serenity blue stud earrings were discovered at Sorrelli, with a periwinkle blue cat’s eye cabochon and delicate silver beading surrounding a calm center stone. They are from the “African Violet” collection, available online and in stores. Wearing these simple earrings is a completely low-impact way of integrating Serenity blue into one’s wardrobe. To go with the earrings, the adorable personalized silver charm (at right) at Five and Divine will complement other simple jewelry. Have important dates, initials, or names stamped into the silver disk by local artisans, then wear it proudly on a delicate silver chain.

A Blush of Rose Quartz

After rounding up such a selection of Serenity blue, the hunt began for the feminine Rose Quartz. At Bell Tower, Tokyo Milk soap grabbed our attention right away with its gorgeous rose quartz and chartreuse packaging. Its scent evokes elements of green apple, Japanese bamboo and white musk. Keep a little bar of this tucked away among linens or in the sock drawer for a crisp, lasting aroma throughout the year.

Feeling blushed? The NARS Mati Hari blush palette provides a rose quartz infusion for the cheeks. Arguably the ultimate authority in blush, NARS offers the industry’s most iconic shades of color to enliven the complexion and deliver a healthy, natural-looking flush. The shade is perfectly on-trend with the Rose Quartz theme.

For a wardrobe addition, the lightweight Free People Beach Tank (picured at left) is a low-risk way to try out the Rose Quartz hue. In a ribbed jersey, the tank is cut to create a touch of swing. Layer under sweaters during the colder months, and wear solo with white denim as the weather heats up. Try it on at Bell Tower to get in-the-moment layering advice from some of the county’s best-dressed retail staff.

The Austrian crystal giant Swarovski has been making a Rose Quartz crystal for years. Luckily, the designers at Sorrelli have been integrating this milky pink hue into hundreds of designs. Currently, pieces from the “Rosewater” collection are chock full of this subtle, light-pink crystal, and perfectly on trend for the Pantone colors of the year. Check out these layering bracelets, in antique gold brass and featuring varying sizes of cushion cut stones, or the simple French wire two stone earrings, with an Aurora Borealis crystal on top and the Rose Quartz cushion cut below.

If crafting projects remain and a bedside table or picture frame could use an extra coat of paint, Five and Divine has Chalk Paint in “Antoinette” that is a perfect equal to Rose Quartz. Pick it up in the smaller sample pot for a quick afternoon endeavor.

On That Note...

There are three main ways to infuse these two beautiful Pantone shades into one’s life for 2016: beauty, apparel/accessories or home decoration. Through beauty, adding a touch of Serenity or Rose Quartz is easy with the saturated palettes from NARS or the gorgeous packaging from Tokyo Milk. To wear the Pantone shades, cute Free People tanks or beautiful sparkling Sorrelli baubles will do the trick. Last but not least, the colors can be infused into the home through a new coat of Chalk Paint on a favorite piece of furniture, a local artisan’s hand-thrown pottery, or a framed vintage find. Berks County is lucky to have such amazing retailers carrying strong nationwide brands.

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