GOLD STANDARD
The Shining Color of Kings, Wealth and Luxury

For centuries, the color gold has represented wealth and riches, and even the extravagances of the extremely wealthy. In Elizabethan England, the Sumptuary Laws spelled out who among the nobility could wear gold cloth. It had to do with not just the wealth of the person but also their social standing and rank. Gold was the metal used in the crowns of most monarchs throughout history. Gold leaf was used extensively in decorating churches, cathedrals, and palaces and homes of the nobility.

Status of Gold
Gold is still about wealth. The gold standard is a monetary system in which the standard economic unit of account is a fixed weight of gold. Gold remains a popular investment throughout the world. In marketing, the “gold standard” refers to a product that functions as a standard for all other products of its type. Winning the gold medal is the ultimate recognition in sports. In human resources, executive who receive a generous severance pay are said to have been given a “golden parachute.”

Golden Globes are awarded to movies and television programs annually. Oscar is gold. California is the Golden State, and it has the Golden Gate Bridge, listed by the American Society of Civil Engineers as one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern Day World. A Gold Record is awarded to an album that achieves more than one million copies sold. The fair-haired boy is often called a golden child, and is it true that blondes have more fun? They are often referred to as “golden haired.” Are we living in Golden Age?

Do you have any associations with gold and with the food we eat? How about golden raisins? Yukon Gold potatoes? The interior of squash like butternut? Sweet potatoes? Corn or golden maize? I recently read that Golden Oreos are composed of vanilla cookies and not chocolate cookies, with a vanilla cream filling.

Designing With Gold
In design and home fashions, gold is a warm color that can be bright and cheerful, or somber and traditional. It works well with earthy tones, such as browns, olive greens and other earth tones, as well as the more formal reds or burgundies. Think of the shot of energy we might get in a sunny, gold-colored kitchen as we start our day. Warm sunshine is golden and full of energy.

A little bit of bright, shiny gold can do a lot to brighten up a room—our eyes are attracted to it. Gold metallic threads have been woven into fabrics for window coverings, pillows and other items for several years and add a new dimension of sparkle and glamour to the fabric.

A soft, sunny gold is considered a Classic Color by Color Marketing Group, indicating its importance to many industries and its stability in being a sellable color. A deeper gold with green influences is forecast for the contract market for 2009, with the influence coming from Asia. The Consumer forecast for 2009 also has a new version of gold, coming from the Indian marketplace – the color of warm spices and the Golden Temple in Punjab. A formal, traditional gold is representing the direction of yellow in 2008-2009 consumer goods, and is strongly supported by Home Fashions.

Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, Mae, but I think you should stick with the gold standard.

Bruce Knott is director of the Window Fashions Certified Professional (WFCP) program and media relations for Grace McNamara Inc. He is also a chairholder in Color Marketing Group (CMG) and serves as a director on the boards of CMG and the Window Covering Association of America. He is also on the advisory board for We Make Color Easy. Reach him at bruce@gracemcnamarainc.com.

Five Ways to Use Gold

1. Use black lampshades with a gold-colored interior lining to add a special glow to the room at night. If the lamp bases are golden, it gets even better.
2. Use gold-colored metallic napkin rings and candleholders on your formal dining table to add sparkle and richness.
3. Put a soft, sunny gold paint on your bedroom walls, and wake up to sunshine.
4. Try using a darkened, warm Old World gold in your kitchen to create a Tuscan theme. Accent with terra cotta and grayed greens.
5. Spread some sparkle around your rooms with reflective gold accent pieces.