Don't look for a single color to dominate fashion, interior design or merchandising trends. Today, it's all about color families, dynamic pairings and complementary shades. Imagine, for a moment, your world without colors. How would you describe the roses in your cooler? How would your customers react to the new gerberas on your sales floor?

Color is an integral part of the floral industry, often representing the defining characteristic of flowers to consumers. After all, a surprised wife tells her friends she got a mixed bouquet overflowing with purple and pink flowers from her still-romantic husband, not 12 to 15 stems of alstroemeria, lisianthus and lilies. And, when a bride comes in to pick her wedding flowers, you better believe she'll bring a swatch to match the bridesmaids' dresses.

Color is important to consumers, and they often look to florists for advice on how to choose the right shades. "Color is the first thing [people] see, then flowers," says Richard Milteer, AAF, AIFD, PFCI of Lakeland Wholesale Florist Supply in Edina, Minn. "Consumers 'get' style -- and color is a vital part of it."

We're trendsetters," agrees Lori Wheat, AAF, of Lafayette Florist and Greenhouses in Lafayette, Colo. "Florists tell people about colors through our stores and our designs. We're supposed to tell people what's in right now."

If that role -- "trendsetter" -- feels like a heavy load, you're not alone. Between sourcing product, managing employees, balancing the books, organizing the shop and designing flowers, many florists say they don't have time to scope out macro-level trends, such as color. Others argue the whole idea of color trends is silly: Colors are colors, right? Maybe not. "People are more influenced by color than we realize," insists Carol Caggiano, AIFD, PFCI, of A. Caggiano Inc. in Jeffersonton, Va. "Color is your best lead."

The New Color Challenge Color trends have come a long way since the '80s, when a single shade (turquoise, anyone?) was singled out as the "it" color. Today, most color experts -- and color-savvy retailers -- think of color trends less in terms of a single color and more in terms of color families, color groupings or even moods that colors create, says Leatrice Eiseman, a color consultant and author who has been called America's color guru." The trend is to look at color from the standpoint of evoking moods, of knowing who your customer is," she says. "The days of one look are gone. The challenge now is to create vignettes."

Heavy Metal

In terms of mapping out vignettes for your shop and floral designs, several identifiable trends have emerged, says Michael Skaff, AAF, AIFD, PFCI, a floral designer and consultant based in Thompson, Conn., who works with FTD and is a member of the Color Marketing Group in Alexandria, Va. For 2007, we're seeing a lot of mixed patterns -- stripes and checks combined," he says. "We're also seeing lots of metallics and sequins." In 2008, expect the trend to continue, with "black, brown and metallic," especially gold and silver, showing up all over the fashion, home décor and gift markets, Milteer says.

The new metallic shades are more textural than they have been in the past, Skaff adds. Florists can take advantage of those textures by looking for containers with brushed silver or chrome finishes or for vases that use ceramic or fabric alongside gold- or silver-plated materials, a combination Skaff calls "eclectic, hip and youthful."

Gray is Green

Ocean blues, olive and mossy greens, muddy purples: What do these popular shades have in common? A tint of gray (and a tie to the environment). Organic is still a mighty buzzword with consumers and the eco-friendly trend has found its way into colors.

While green and brown, in a variety of shades, continue their multi-year run of popularity resurgence, the eco effect is pronounced across the color spectrum, with many shades outside of the traditional "eco group" pulling in shades of gray to create a more natural feel. "Green is still big, but now it's getting more gray and less yellow," Wheat says. "Purple, too, is getting more gray, becoming more like lavender. It's the organic effect."

"There are a lot of muted tones with gray in 2008," Skaff adds. "If I were to redesign a shop today, I would keep it clean and simple. I'd use stone on the floor or maybe bamboo. I'd use products from nature that are very textural."

Socioeconomics play a major role in color trends, pushing consumers toward subtle, earthy shades because of the environmental movement but also because of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the war in Iraq, Skaff says. "People strive for this look because there is uncertainty in the world and because they work so hard all day in office environments," he says. "So, we see an influx of nature in the home. People want the warmth of greenery around them."

Even color and product names are more organic," Wheat points out. "Companies are really using a lot of flower names or calling things grassy or leafy."

Go Deep

Another vignette that's appealing to consumers involves rich, dense tones and color combinations, Wheat says. "All spring and summer, we've seen more of the clear blue colors with white," she says. "Going forward, the ocean blues are only getting richer, more intense." Milteer also calls blue a big color for 2008, particularly blue/green, aqua, royal and sky blue, and gray blue. "These colors are healing," he explains, adding that the shades don't "deplete" energy like their bolder counterparts.

Pink is another shade that is re-emerging. And, Eiseman says she's starting to see shades of pink in an unusual setting: Rustic motifs. "It's very unexpected in a rustic, casual palette," she says. "People like casual; that's how they want their homes to look. How can you infuse it with something different? That's where pink comes in. It catches the eye."

Likewise, red and bright orange, long-time eye-catching colors, are experiencing a resurgence, particularly as accent shades, Skaff says. Just don't expect traditional interpretations of the color to blow away the competition. As it turns out, red and orange have gotten a makeover. "We really have beautiful cinnabar colors to work with now - blood orange, spice colors," Skaff says. "A lot of the straight-colored reds are giving way to deeper, more complicated shades."

"Today, it's not just the same old color," Eiseman agrees. "Instead of doing burgundy, use Claret red. That's the zing that makes the difference."

From Concept to Application

The problem is some florists don't think critically about color and color combinations in their shops, Caggiano says. Instead of stepping away from the cooler and evaluating how the color mix affects the eye, they're happy just to have the flowers processed. That could be a mistake. "We need to keep color themes together," Caggiano insists.

"Mixed, multi-color combinations are not good for marketing and merchandising... [they're] harder for the brain to process, so we walk right be them. Single, strong, simple colors catch your eye." Wheat agrees. "With displays, the most powerful component is color," she says. "If you do a display around a certain color palette, it's so powerful. It shows customers that you're on top of it."

Incorporating hip colors into displays, and in fact building displays around a hot color, also allows you to educate your customers on how the color can be used effectively, Wheat says. "On one of our displays we tried to show that kiwi green or lime green can be incorporated into your home decor without being too bright," she says. "We used a blue-based display and inserted lime green candles, small dishes and placemats. We also did a brown and neutral display and added the lime. Previously, customers would comment that they loved the lime green but were afraid to use it. (Through our displays), we've shown them that it can be easy to incorporate a fun color."

Effective color choice goes beyond decorating your shop or designing signature arrangements, however, and Caggiano points to major retailers as proof that a single color -- thoughtfully chosen and comprehensively used -- can help form a brand identity. For instance, Target is known nationwide for its red bulls eye, just as Tiffany's is recognized for its little blue box and Starbucks has its green logo.

"In the floral industry, companies also use color to build their brands: Bachman's is known throughout the Twin Cities -- and beyond -- for its signature color, purple. "We've been using the color purple for about 70 years," says Faye Krupp, the company's corporate communications director. Still, over the years, Bachman's has made adjustments to keep its branding from getting stale, a key detail that all color experts stress. Now, we've added some green, along with the purple," Krupp says. "Customers love it. It's very recognizable."

"Brands are built on colors," Caggiano explains. "[You] need to combine colors with your product and image." The biggest challenge, according to Eiseman, is simply staying on top of the trends. (For her tips on where to go for help, see the article: Help When You Need It.) "You have the opportunity to really wow the customer with color," she says. "You're dealing with changing demographics -- an older population that thinks younger and a younger population that's smarter about designer goods. It's not just about the color wheel anymore. You have to stay educated."