For more than 20 years, the Pantone Color Institute has been choosing the color of the year. Current trends from the entertainment and film industry, in fashion and design, but also in art collections and works by modern artists are analyzed, and even materials and new technologies or social media platforms and major events can influence the choice of colors.
The color of the year 2020 is “Classic Blue.” You think to yourself: “Well something like that, just blue.” Not a particular color scheme that is just as extravagant as last year's “living coral”, but simply one of the primary colors — blue — called “classic blue” here.
Leatrice Eisenman, Executive Director of Pantone, explains the decision as follows: “Today requires trust and hope. The classic shade of blue PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue, characterized by consistency and reliability, radiates exactly this confidence...”
Blue stands for loyalty and consistency, it is reminiscent of the infinity of the evening sky or the vastness of the sea and “promotes a concentrated and clear way of thinking so that we can better organize and structure our thoughts. At the same time, the reflective shade of blue Classic Blue also conveys optimism and zest for life. ”
However, when you think of cement tiles, blue is not easy at all, but was one of the most expensive and complex color pigments to produce. While red, yellow, brown and black pigments had to be produced with natural oxides, i.e. earth colors, you had to grind the semiprecious stone lapis lazuli for blue. The name for the color ultramarine obtained in this way already indicates that the color “across the sea” was imported. The most famous mines were in northern Afghanistan, from where the stone reached Istanbul via the Silk Road and was then shipped across the Mediterranean to Venice. The ground powder then had to be removed from impurities in a complex manner. Finally, 1 kg of mineral yielded only 30 g of ultramarine. While this ultramarine blue was very durable in oil paints, it turned out that the paint was not compatible with the cement and larger areas in tiles quickly discolored. Therefore, blue was only used very sparingly in old cement tiles, even when synthetic ultramarine was available.
Nowadays, blue pigment is made on the basis of cobalt-aluminum compounds. This allows even plain-colored tiles to shine in a rich shade of blue. There are no limits to your imagination anymore. Whether you prefer geometric or floral, classic or modern patterns, whether you want to create a maritime atmosphere in the bathroom or Scandinavian clarity in the living room, whether you want to set calming accents in the bedroom or promote concentration in the office — everything is possible with blue. Optimism and zest for life come naturally with our tiles.
