Move over, radiant orchid: marsala is here. Pantone, inventors of the influential proprietary colour system used in printing and fabric design, keeps the fashion and interiors world in suspense all year before its December announcement of the next colour trend. For 2015, it's an earthy red wine described like the beverage itself: "impactful, full-bodied and elegant".
When used for interiors, Pantone says, marsala can be a unifying element that is an "ideal choice" for rugs and upholstered living room furniture. Its earthiness is a "natural fit" for the kitchen and dining room (in dinnerware, small appliances and linen), and "particularly strong" in the bedroom, in striping and floral patterns on bedding.
But it's undeniably dark and heavy: will it work in Hong Kong? John McLennan, managing director of Indigo Living, thinks not. Marsala "would struggle" as a spring colour in Hong Kong, and is more suited to a cooler winter season, he says.
"Climate and geographical factors dictate the light intensity, and with that the type of colours that work better in each location," McLennan says.
"Hong Kong is a subtropical city, so it tends to have a much stronger light than you would get in northern Europe. The sun can be strong most of the year here, with the spring rains, plants burst back to life and paint the landscape in amazing greens."