Months tend to evoke certain colors and moods, at least in the parts of the world with four distinct seasons. Some are obvious, and some perhaps more subtle, or at least open to debate. We like letting the color palette of the month help us decide what to wear – and sometimes even how to refresh our home décor. It can even guide us to the perfect tabletop look for a dinner party. So, what color palette and aesthetic best capture the wintry spirit of January? Well, dear reader, there are at least three ways to frame that question.
What color palette and aesthetic best capture the wintry spirit of January?
Perhaps January is the absence of color
It’s white and silver; translucent and reflective – like icicles and glitter balls, snowflakes and igloos.
What is the color palette and aesthetic that perfectly capture the spirit of January?
Or perhaps January is grey
For many people, it’s a drab mid-winter month that brings with it very few parties, lots of dieting, and work, work and more work.
It can be a time of hibernation, of choppy seas, dirty snow and dirtier vehicles, of scarce daylight hours and long cold nights. In many places where it’s not snowing, it’s raining, or drizzling, or just foggy all the time (we’re looking at you, London and Seattle).
So maybe January is best represented by a meh color palette running the gamut from ash to charcoal, as dark and dreary as the souls of those longing for spring.
Actually, we think January is a palette cleanser
Either of those would work, but here at Dandelion Chandelier, we like to think of January as a palette cleanser after the richness of December.
After the sugar, the roast meat, the red wine, and the eggnog. After the red, green, and gold. Beyond the sparkling lights and visual extravagance of December, comes January. A minimalist aesthetic: clean, crisp and austere.
To put it simply, January is the Jil Sander to December’s Gucci.
what color palette best captures the spirit of January?
The brilliant blue of the morning sky in the mountains; the deep sapphire of a clear winter’s night; the colors of starlight, moonlight, snow and ice; the hue of blank slates and virgin snow, and empty journals waiting to be filled.
The feeling of flying through the clouds, seeing life from the precise point that’s halfway between heaven and earth.
The essential color palette and aesthetic of the month of January.
In January, we love to rummage around in our closets and find every possible shade of blue, white, ivory, silver, grey and a bit of purple. And perhaps just a thread of gold.
We go for an aesthetic that’s warm minimalism: texture, faux fur, silky-softness and warmth – there’s real work to be done in January, but it doesn’t have to be a slog.
If your #OOTD is one with the natural world, you might actually find that January is one of the most visually satisfying months of the year.
What say you? What color is January for you?
