Four 2015 Colors of the Year, All Better Than Pantone's Dismal Marsala

By now, you've all read The Toad's anti-Marsala screed. Seriously, I expected far better from the likes of you, Pantone.

I've listed these colors in order of my preference. Some are only marginally better than Marsala, and some are just light years ahead. Still, I'm not sure I would want to live with vast quantities of any of these colors; one I wouldn't use at all (although I can understand its appeal) and others I'd only use as accents. But hey, you might disagree.

I guess you could use this instead of beige. But be careful of the snot factor.

First up is Benjamin Moore's Guilford Green. This is my least favorite, although I'd take 40 gallons of it over Marsala. It's being sold as a neutral, and I can see the possibilities, although I also think it looks like phlegm very early on in a sinus infection. Sorry to leave you with that image stuck in your brain, but that's how I see it. And for god's sake, don't put this color in a bathroom, unless you fancy looking like a snotty tissue every morning. Still, it could work in a very airy space. Not my favorite.

For some reason, I find this blue slightly infantile.

Onto Pittsburgh Paint's Blue Paisley. This is a dramatic blue, but it's a bit too something for my tastes. It seems a bit childlike, like a color favored by cheap ass plastic toy makers. I can see a splash of it as a pillow, but I wouldn't want it on a wall. At least it doesn't remind me of anything to do with the human body; that's a good sign, right?

This is honestly pretty without being annoyingly cloying.

Next up: Sherwin Williams' Coral Reef. This is more like it. While I feel that this sort of pinky orange has been done before, it's a color I like for an accent wall or linens. It's pretty without having that gross girly factor, and it rocks with darker, moody colors (spectacular with grays and greiges). I would use this color.

My personal favorite, as it could go boho or modernist.

Last, and my favorite: Kelly Moore's Coastal Surf. Personally, this intense blue doesn't remind me of surf at all. Instead, I see Morocco, Yves St. Laurent, and Yves Klein. It really lends itself to outdoor spaces and tiled interiors. A little of it goes a long way, though. A whole room of this would be overwhelming. I would love to do a section of courtyard in this color, or maybe one wall of a powder room.

So, there you go: four colors for 2015 that kick the crap out of Pantone's Marsala. There is hope. You're welcome.

Pantone's 2015 Color of the Year is... Barfy

Ew. Enough said.

Well, ok, no. It's not called "Barfy." It's called "Marsala." As in the wine. Although the last time I checked the color of wine, it was deep and rich, garnet in tone, not drab and subdued.

I've had problems with Pantone's color choices over the years. I felt that Emerald was a bit much, a little too Emerald City to use in anything more than tiny amounts. But Marsala is way, way worse. This is simply not a nice color. It looks creepy next to skin. It looks institutional in hue. And, worst of all, it looks like liver.

Who wants a livery pillow? Or an organ hued wall? This color evokes, at least for an old dinosaur like myself, the production design of Silence of the Lambs. It's a color a serial killer would love; it is not a color for the living.

As for the name, the only connection it has to actual marsala wine is if it's been vomited up after a night of revelry. Gross, but true.

I really, really, really hate this color. I'm done now.