Twice a year the colorists at Colwell make a pilgrimage to Color Marketing Group. For three days, we share color-related information with nearly 300 associates and peers in the color world. By the end, we have insights that help unravel the mystery of where color and design trends are headed for the next two years.
Color Marketing Group conferences are held in a different location each year throughout the United States. Regional conferences are now also being held in Europe and Asia, and showcase a palette of colors for those areas.
This fall the conference was held in sunny, warm, and windy Tampa, FL from October 13-16. There was time one afternoon for a friend and I to explore a historic neighborhood not far from our hotel.
A ride on the 50-cent trolley took us to Snow Avenue. One could linger a bit over a fruit smoothie in a tiny cafe, or stroll through an upscale boutique in search of jewelry and accessories. My favorite store of all time, Anthropology, was tucked along a shady sidewalk. It is amazing to me that each time I walk in this store, where ever it may be…I can find myself getting lost for hours.
All stores tastefully display their merchandise, but this store is meant to be rummaged in as if you were in a Parisian flea market! Anthropology is about discovery and exploration in the ultimate shabby chic environment. Everything in here is a visual feast and a tactile experience. Here you can leaf through coffee table books and covet the leather-bound travel diaries. You can Oooh and Aaah over one-off antique store finds (one of which has found its way into my upstairs bedroom, despite the protests of my credit card, wailling from its painful workout at the cash register). Feel free to peek in drawers full of glass pull-knobs and brass hardware, sniff soap and candles displayed in baskets…drool over the stylish outfits and try, just try not to buy a set of the awesome colorful dishes with their goldfish patterns or architectural borders! I fantasize about doing all my Christmas shopping here because it would make life easier, and everyone would love their present. The reality is I would be broke next year. Sorry everyone!
On foot we tour Bungalow Terrace, a neighborhood established in 1916. It is difficult to call this a “street” because no cars go here. A common sidewalk runs through the middle of the block from north to south. The houses face each other along this axis, no more than 35 ft. apart. Harmony and tranquility is the feeling you get walking along this byway. The face-to-face arrangement of homes feels safe, like the wagons have circled and you are protected in the center. From the friendly greetings you get as a passerby, you can tell residents living in this community feel connected. While each home is unique by color and decor, the bond of a unified Bungalow style keep people and architecture from drifting apart.
 |
Most of the homes had paved walks that led to a generous front porch and a small, neatly landscaped yard. Established trees and palms arched overhead, providing a generous expanse of shade to protect from the heat of the afternoon sun. Each property has either a garage behind or on the side of the house. |
 |
The colors were distinctly Floridian–the influence of the sea is never far away. Coral shell, shy peach, dusty rose, seafoam green, sand gold, beach-pebble beige and stormy blue lived on the plank-board and shingled facades of these homes. There was even a dark teal green that was really stunning. Trim was most often white or off-white to set off a deeper body tone color. Accent reds, deep green and dark wood tones were found on doorways, window frames and porches. |
