Working on a remodel project and cannot decide on which color to choose?
While I was in the natural stones industry, one of the most common questions we were asked by homeowners was “What is the most popular color or stone now?” or “What are the trending stones?.” Every time I heard this question I had one of those *facepalm* moments but couldn't say anything because the client would come in with pictures they saved from social media and had already planned their whole décor using those images.
I saw the same trend repeat when I started curating stones for our collection. The feedback from every store would be that their clients wanted a white stone with grey or black movement. The funniest of the bold requests was when clients would walk in and demand natural stones that looked exactly like the ones in their inspiration pictures. TBH - Some of them did come around once we explained how these stones formed and what kind of expectations, they can have around them.
As a curator for our stores across the country, this made my job easier when most clients wanted the same white stones with grey or black movements. However, I refuse to give up on color. As someone who grew up in India, I could not remember seeing just black and white surfaces or walls in any house. Sure, those colors were used where needed but, people were more open and expressive with their homes and color choices.
My Personal Experiences
I for one loved violet and so my bedroom was painted lavender when I was a child. For a longest time after that and even a little to date, I loved black. Though I didn’t paint my room black, everything I owned from my clothes, car, bedding, dinnerware, and the laptop was black. Another color I have been obsessed with since before the pandemic hit and sticks with me to this day is green. My chairs, countertops, appliances, and pantry among other things are all green and I love them! This is who I am and just happens to coincide with current color trends. Stay with me here – you’ll be glad.
Changing Color Trends in the Stone Industry
My love and obsession showed up in my work as well. Thanks to the freedom I was given in curating the stones, I was able to introduce a lot of color into our stone collections. We had every color in the rainbow, and more, like pink and brown. While not every choice was a good one, clients started loving the range of colors in the collection, especially the colors of nature – blue, green, and brown.
I remember this one particular absolutely gorgeous quartzite from Brazil I had bought which was reminiscent of the waters in the Maldives with its greens and blues. It was an instant hit, so much so that we sold the whole lot on the very day it was put on display. The quartzite was one of my first trials with color which remains close to my heart to this day and gave me the confidence that clients were willing to try something new and not on trend if they had good choices.
Incidentally, clients going with their hearts versus the trend always came back with appreciation for the choices and appeared to be very happy with their selection. They chose the stone that they truly loved and were excited about and did not care if the color or stone type would be on trend or what others would think. This is not to say that you should stay away from any white, black or neutral colors. You should absolutely go for them if that is what speaks to your heart the most. Crystalline quartzites are some of the most gorgeous white and neutral stones I have seen by far.
Choosing Color
Color trends put out by paint, stone, fashion, furniture, or any other industry is an aggregation of the sales they make across regions, countries, or even globally as well as the trends they notice on social media and among competitors. If you do not have a strong opinion or do not know what you want, there is nothing wrong with following their suggestions. But, if you are someone like me, believe in your instincts because those choices will make you happier in the long run and make your home more personal, lovable, unique, and YOU!
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All the best!
U
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