When PANTONE announced the shade of 2017, we couldn’t agree more. Greenery or Pantone 15-0343 is all about the reconnection with nature, one another and a larger purpose.
The beautiful fresh and zesty yellow-green color provide us with the reassurance we yearn for in this time of alternative truth and social instability. Also, it’s the nature’s most ubiquitous neutral.
Tip: Decorating a dinner table? Go for a more exotic feel and put a leaf of palm tree or Monstera deliciosa in a tall glass container filled with water.
The PANTONE color of the year is a color snapshot of what the Pantone Color Institute sees taking place in the global culture. Among Greenery’s many global inspirations, is the Japanese practice shinrin yoku, or forest bathing.
The nature’s power of relieving stress is a common knowledge. And yet it’s getting harder and harder to simply take a walk in a forest when all you want is snap pictures of every moss-covered log. What to do?
American naturalist John Muir once wrote, “Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home. Wilderness is a necessity.”
Luckily, you don’t need mountains or a forest nearby to practice shinrin yoku. A park will do. Just follow this short guide:
Step 1. Leave your phone at home, so that you can be fully present in the experience.
Step 2. Leave behind your goals and expectations. Wander aimlessly, allowing your body to take you wherever it wants.
Step 3. Pause from time to time, to look more closely at a leaf.
Step 4. Find a comfy spot to take a seat and listen to the sounds around you.
Step 5. If you go with others, make an agreement to resist talking until the end of the walk, when you could gather to share your experiences.
Tip: Bring green inside! Arrange houseplants and interior accessories in natural shades of green, dark gray and beige on the nightstand to create a calming atmosphere in your bedroom.
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