Pantone heads back to nature with 'soothing' Color of the Year Greenery

Pea soup.

Nausea.

A "Brady Bunch"-era refrigerator.

Those were just a few of the less than flattering comparisons that burst forth online after the Pantone Color Institute announced its pick for Color of the Year 2017.

This year, the hue gurus chose Greenery, a leafy shade with yellow undertones that's similar to chartreuse, but also close — too close for some observers — to 1970s avocado.

Two local design professionals, however, hailed it as an inspired choice.

"I am completely mad for it!" said designer Cy Winship of Cy Winship Design. "I have always joked that 'chartreuse is my neutral,' and this is a delicious punchy green from nature. When I saw this, I thought, Wow, finally a great daring color after a couple years of 'What?' "

"So much better than gray, white and pink so pale it was actually white," he said, a swipe at last year's Rose Quartz. "2017 has promise. Let green lead the way!"

Nature-inspired Greenery offers rejuvenation after a bruising, politically divided 2016, said Laurie Pressman, the institute's vice president.

"Green is soothing," agreed Jennifer Ball, an interior designer with Gabberts Design Studio, Edina. "It represents harmony and growth, and psychologically, it's one of the more nurturing colors."

But this particular green?

"We're not seeing a ton of it," she said.

"It does make a difference," she said.

Last year, Pantone broke with tradition and named two Colors of the Year, Rose Quartz, a blush pink, and Serenity, a soft blue.

This year, with social, political and environmental tumult around the world, the institute chose a more vibrant color associated with change.

Greenery, the color of early spring buds and young blades of grass, has appeared historically at times of major cultural shifts, including the suffrage movement and flapper era of the 1920s, and the antiwar and racial justice movements of the 1960s and '70s.

"It's been there during times of bold change, when people are exploring," Pressman said.

That said, Ball doesn't expect to see a floodgate of Greenery furnishings on furniture showroom floors.

"We are definitely seeing more color in our world today, but more pops of color in accessories and art," she said. "People want neutral backgrounds, then change [accessories] out seasonally."

She said she'd use Greenery in smaller elements, such as pillows, rather than as the dominant color in a room. "You could do it with grays, taupes or yellows."

Winship is planning to use the newly anointed color very soon — in his own kitchen, where he's been searching for just the right green paint hue to set off his white cabinets and pale gray counters.

"It will be perfect paired with the turquoise of our living room," he said.