Trend Alert: Green Energy, Extreme Greens, and the Greening of America

What do green energy, extreme greens, and the greening of America have in common (other than the word green)? We received many new and green ideas at NeoCon2022! They’ve all had a great effect on the architecture and design world. And the three greens are just the beginning!

The Greening of America

It’s been over 50 years since the Greening of America was published. We’re sorry to say that its author, Charles Reich, passed away in 2019. According to the New York Times obit of Mr. Reich, “The Greening of America” was inspired in part by Mr. Reich’s personal encounters in San Francisco during the so-called Summer of Love in 1967.” And if Mr. Reich’s goal was to make people think, then he certainly accomplished that. He was a local San Franciscan who always felt that bell bottoms expressed “personal freedom, the delight and beauty of movement, and a rather comic attitude toward life.” We’re not sure about the bell bottoms, but are definitely in favor of personal freedom, the beauty of movement, and the comic attitude toward life.

Ahem. In 2022, the greening of America has a meaning similar to that expressed by Charles Reich. We’re still greening America and this season is no different! Green is appearing everywhere–in our language, our design, as a distinct color way, and in architecture, too.

Green is the new black

That is to say, green goes with everything, interior design wise. Of course, green is the new black could also mean fashion wise or ecology wise, too. For our purposes, we love having living greenery or other sources of green inside our homes and offices. When we were at NeoCon, we didn’t see one single green wall (of plants). So we’re officially declaring the living wall dead! By the way, we’ve written two other Trend Alerts about NeoCon. You might enjoy them: Trend Alert: Sound Attenuation and Some Ways Design Can Help, and Trend Alert: Why the Blending of Home and Work Life is the Next Big Thing.

Extreme Greens

Decorating with greens

When you use green to decorate, you create an earthy, grounded space. We love this article from the Spruce about how to decorate with green. Green has a versatility that is both energetic and calming at the same time. That is to say, green is at both ends of the energetic spectrum as it can both raise and lower the energy in a room.

Green is fashion forward

Green has been a terrific choice in fashion for a long time, but especially right now. See this article about Bottega Veneta Breaking Down the Green Trend Sweeping the Fashion World.

Green in architecture

We’ve noticed that green has made its presence known in architecture, too. The green tone “brings tranquility and balance into the environments in which it is used. Which makes it a perfect ally for bedrooms and offices.” From Color psychology in architecture.

Did we omit any of your favorite greens?

Let us know!