PANAMA POSH Exploring International Color Trends veryone wants to know the latest color craze but do color trends transcend borders? What are the similarities and differences among different cultures? In June, Grace McNamara, president and CEO of Grace McNamara Inc., had the opportunity to connect with Harvey Striem, general manager of Grupo Selecta, at the conference Moving Design Forward, Panama 2008. As a family-owned retail chain (with a 40-year history) that carries everything from fabrics to shades to furniture, Selecta is known as the place for designers to shop in Panama. WF spoke with Striem to get his input on color trends within the Panama region. What s hot: A mixture between turquoise and brown is hot right now. The classic combination of white and black is also in demand. What s not: Green and blue are on their way out. They were heavily demanded about a year ago, but their time has passed. style shifts: Panama decorative trends are changing at a fast pace a couple of years ago a real estate and construction boom unparalleled in the region started to take place. This boom has changed our demographics; many foreigners are moving to Panama and this has introduced new trends. Panama used to be more conservative, and traditional decoration was the norm. Only a few of the more adventurous would dare into the minimalist or contemporary styles. All this has changed. Panama has recently become a haven for new trends modern has become almost the norm. This change has brought more simplistic decoration. Lighter colors have become more popular. A possible trend watch for next year is gold/silver. Vibrant VieWs: There could be many reasons for (the bolder and brighter colors in Panama) We believe one of the main reasons is that Panama is a country full of different races, ethnic heritage and customs. This has created a melting pot, combining U.S. influence together with Caribbean and tropical influences, which usually are more bright color-oriented. Also, Panama has always had a large African-American population this has influenced our color trends bringing in to the local culture fun and happy colors such as red, orange and yellow, though this bright color trend may be changing with the modernization of Panamanian styles. As we get more contemporary and minimalist, we start to see an absence of these bright colors in interior design. international influences: Putting aside the race factor the biggest influence has to be world fashion. Panama is influenced greatly by two different fashion tendencies: Europe and the U.S. Panama has always had a close relationship with the U.S.; therefore American design trends almost always make their way to Panama, but more recently we have noticed a close tie to European design trends. [ photos at right ] These reflect the styles we feel are being widely used in Panama, says Harvey Striem, general manager of Grupo Selecta in Panama. Photos courtesy of Selecta. 35 35 wf_Aug08_p1-50.indd 35 7/23/08 3:09:44 PM