It was easy to see that metallics played a big role in Oscar wears this past Sunday. Many of the stars wore dresses that had glitz, bling, shimmer, shine, and sparkle. These gorgeous ensembles were stylishly putting the glam back in glamorous. We often talk about taking ideas for our home decor and color palettes from the fashion industry, and vice versa. Here are some of the top metallic looks that can inspire high-style interiors.

Cameron Diaz, Sandra Bullock, Miley Cyrus source

Kate Winslet, Amanda Seyfried, Helen Mirren source

I love when trends from fashion and interiors mingle. And I especially love when trends that Kate and I have been following start showing up all around us. As a loyal reader you might already know that we offer our Sensational Color for Your Home 2010/2011 Home Color & Design Trend Report online. If you haven’t taken the time to watch the 28 minute video presentation or download the 10 page pdf with full color palettes, here’s the link to sign up. But for a quick sneak peak at just one of the many metallic mentions, here’s a snip of a page right out of our book.

As trendspotters, we’ve been keeping our eyes wide open to watching wallpaper make a big come back. Wallpaper is like clothing for our interiors. They wrap our walls with beautiful prints, patterns, and finishes. The stars showed us on the Red Carpet that metallic looks have risen to the top of high-style in fashion. And as trends in the fashion industry and interiors continue to run on a more parallel plane we’re happy to see this hot look taking shape in the home. Here are some of our favorite metallic looks for your walls.

So what will your walls be wearing?  Will they be dressed in a fancy metallic?

Our Sensational Color for Your Home 2010/2011 Home Color & Design Trends presentation is now available! Get on-demand access to our 28 minute video and 10 page downloadable palette pdf for only $14.95. We feature 4 of the top trends, influences, and inspirations with over 25 current and future colors including colors Coming on Strong, Global Views, Simply White, and Neutral-ish. Plus we added a bonus section with 6 of the most popular design trends. If you love following what’s hot, and love to read Trend Tuesday, you won’t want to miss this extended visual presentation. Sign up here!

Happy Belated Valentine’s Day! The whole month of February always seems to have red wrapped all around it and with Spring soon approaching color is finally heating up. This season red and pink are being represented by the punchy hot look of Magenta. Despite the 14th having come and gone, this color won’t be going anywhere but forward.I love how everything in Jane’s store is either found, hand-made, or re-styled. Her products are uniquely whimsical and crafty with updated style. I thought these hearts were perfect for Valentines. Check out her shop or see her items on flickr.

We saw in Trend Tuesday: Thinking Pink, last fall, how magenta changed the course of marketing for the Susan G Komen foundation and how it added a sense of power and courageousness to the company’s logo, much like the strength of the women who have fought their battle with breast cancer.Interior designer Dorothy Draper and fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli set the stage for how magenta was seen during the mid-century decades. Their bold and confident use of this color has continued to inspire years later.

Learning how to use color from the experts is what teaches successful techniques. So go ahead and take a little color from this past holiday and some design direction from a few magenta inspired rooms I’ve posted below, and have yourself a colorfully sweet Spring!

After seeing these magenta rooms I don’t just heart the color….I love it! I also fell in love with this print from Jennifer Ramos designer and owner of Made By Girl. And the best part is LOVE doesn’t just come in Magenta, but also in many other colors! Check out her blog and store.

Happy Chinese New Year! This Sunday, February 14th, (yes, Valentine’s Day) marks the start of the Year of the Tiger on the Chinese Lunar Calendar. The only thing I’ve ever really known about the definitions behind the different signs is what I’ve read on paper placemats at Chinese restaurants or on visits to Chinatown in NY and San Francisco, however Asian design has always been an interest of mine. I never really considered how the two correlated until I read Julie’s post on Live in Full Color from last year’s celebrations, Are Our Perfect Colors Written in the Stars? She took all 12 of the Chinese signs and gave examples of how they translate into the home. Here’s this years Tiger below.

•Tiger (lucky, courageous, vain, undisciplined): 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010

Interesting Tiger Facts:
Zodiac Stone: Sapphire
Special Flower: Violet
Best Hours: 3-5 am
Season: Winter
Horoscope Colors: Green, Blue, Yellow

Ever since the Beijing Olympics in Summer 2008 we’ve continued to see a strong influence in Asian inspired design, and as we approach the official start of the Chinese New Year 2010 this bold yet simplistic style of interior decor is still easy to spot.

With the resurgence of wallpaper and our new found love affair with wall decals, injecting a little Eastern botanical flair in a space has become a fresh way to revitalize an interior and bring the outdoors in, a common element in Asian style.

As one of the most fashionable decor trends, bold patterns are a unique twist on the traditional botanical print. And along with botanicals inspired by Asia comes Eastern meanings to colors, that when paired together have a strong effect on design. I’ve gathered some of these looks combined with the colors so you can gather your own reactions to these styles.

Red: Summer, the South, good luck, joy, good fortune, and fertility.

Very interesting how all of the red examples above are accompanied by teal and turquoise…which is one of the hot color combinations for 2010. For more examples of this scheme see my post on the influence of this color trend, Trend Tuesday: Turquoise takes a compliment…”Hey you look good with red!”

Yellow: Earth, Sun, power, royalty, masculine, warmth, happiness

Blue: Sky, Water, feminine, nature, described as deep or shallow rather than light or dark.

Green: Wood, Spring, youth, birth, exuberance, enthusiasm, prosperity

Orange: Love, happiness, plentitude, good health

Purple: Spiritual awareness, physical and mental healing, trust

Gold: Prestige, wealth, status, prized for its preciousness and radiance

Black: Depth, truth, life, stability

White: Autumn, pure, neutral, metal, death and mourning

For more information on the symbolism and psychology behind color here’s the link to our color messages and meanings section on Sensational Color.

We’d love to hear how bold botanicals and Asian influences might work their way into your interior projects.

Sometimes I just have to sit back and laugh at myself. I can be watching something as important as the State of the Union Address, and what’s the only thing I can think about…color trends.

Luckily, I didn’t feel as silly when I realized there were a lot of other people out there listening to what Michelle Obama’s dress was saying to our great nation. You can get the details from Kate’s interview with the Detroit Free Press, “Did purple send a message at the State of the Union Address?” on Live in Full Color.  To that question I would answer…most definitely, absolutely, yes….but it was more red-violet than purple.

Michelle Obama and her style have been making big statements in fashion trends, her State of the Union dress was no different. Designed by Isaac Mizrahi and described by him as plum, Michelle’s ensemble is a perfect match to the deep shades of red-violet on the color wheel.

This is my favorite part about tracking trends, watching them evolve over time. You can get all juicy details about this color story in my post Trend Tuesday: Passionate Purples. Purple has come far since it first popped up all around us a few years ago, and I love where it’s headed.

So rich and warm, infused with red, it has such great depth and complexity. It’s still powerful without being loud like magenta or fuchsia. There are so many parallels between fashion and interior trends as the industry gap continues to narrow, I’ve gathered some room shots as a compare and contrast to show how this outfit translates into luxurious and trendy spaces.

Found this chair on EcoSalon, and thought it mimicked the pleats in Michelle Obama’s skirt. Maybe not exactly the right color, but we are talking about a whole family of tertiary color here. Just love the look of this chair, if only I could test it out for comfort….at my house!

I really enjoy how this combination can be done in either a red-violet monochromatic or as an analogous scheme using additional reds, violets, and even blue-violet for a touch of coolness. Lots of opportunity for unique and unexpected uses for red and purple.

So, how did Michelle’s red-violets speak to you? Is this a color trend you can follow?

Sure, we can tell you Turquoise is a hot color this year or that white is the trendiest neutral, but those pieces of information don’t offer all the details you need in order to incorporate these hues into your home, wardrobe, or life. Unless you plan on wearing turquoise from head to toe or decorating a room in only one color, what you really need is the inspiration of color combinations.

Just as we “fondly” remember Avocado and it’s cohorts, Harvest Gold and Rust (we may be rolling our eyes or laughing now, but we have to admit we thought it was pretty cool back then), we desire a color scheme staring our freshest hue being supported by colors that offer contrast and create a pleasing atmosphere. If you’ve been following us, you’ll know that I’ve been featuring the turquoise and red combination for holiday decor in the Trend Tuesday posts Colorful Christmas Tablescapes and Fall Tabletop Decor. Now it’s time to bring this colorway to life for your interior and carry it though the whole year.

I love this combination because it breaks the color harmony rule of direct complements, and who doesn’t like breaking rules to end up with beautiful results! Directly across the color wheel from red is green, and blue or blue-green sits orange or red-orange.  Taking the complement a step or two off creates a fun and unexpected designer style.

Contrast is key in this combo, the complement colors are already giving off a color contrast, but within the individual color there’s another level of contrast being created, value contrast from light to dark. You’ll notice in the rooms below that the value of turquoise varies from very light to very bold, but that the red pretty much remains the same. This offers versatility with “the color of the year.”

Southern Living keeps to it’s traditional take on decor showing how easy it is to incorporate these trendy hues into any style.

Turquoise already has a retro connotation. Pairing it with red and inserting retro details and decor, but with modern conveniences, plays to the great design and craftsmanship of mid-century style.

The clear acrylic table appears to be melting, but interestingly mimics the octopus pattern of the fabric. The natural fiber rug adds to the coastal take on this combination.

The addition of yellow in this last image is particularly pleasing balancing the two primary colors red and yellow with the tertiary turquoise, then incorporating white as the backdrop neutral and green as nature’s neutral.

Many of us are seeing a lot of white so far this year, and I’m not only referring to all the snow. Side note: thank goodness I live in the south now (by way of Minnesota), I really despise shoveling. Actually, I spent this past weekend at Market in Atlanta for the International Gift & Home Furnishings Show and it seemed like every time I turned around there was white. Home decor, furniture, tabletop, holiday, white, white everywhere. It was definitely the overwhelming new neutral, and done in a fabulous lacquered finish. Shiny, fresh, and bright it’s a welcomed contrast to the concrete grays that are now considered soooo last year.

Gold Eagle Market accessories window display, North Star Holiday floral window display

White has been making a comeback especially with the rise in lofts and living in smaller spaces. It’s ability to make spaces seem larger, more open, and clean brings simplicity to our hectic lifestyles, plus it creates crisp contrast when paired with a punch of color. So out of my Market observations came 5 fresh ways of working with white that we see popping up and inspiring interiors.

1. Gotta Add Accessories – Unique complex forms, some just decorative…others obviously recognizable, are adorned in white as if they are begging you to notice the attention to detail and not a color.

Kudos to Z Gallerie who always does a fabulous job of staying on trend with forward thinking products, design, and “color”. Oh how I’d love to work with them some time…hint, hint. I myself am currently obsessed with this look and have recently acquired both the deer head, which I am hanging above my mantle, and the umbrella boots for next to my front entry. Love this style.

2. Furniture Finished – Going for a more overall look, white furniture pieces will bring a big impression on a space. From mid-century to traditional all the way to contemporary today, furnishings large and small will showcase white paired with wood, metal, glass, or acrylic.

Jonathan Adler sofa, Alphaville Design coffee table, West Elm chair, inmod side table

3. Walkin on White – It’s like walking on clouds. Sure it might be a little harder to keep clean (put a high gloss clear coat on top for shine and durability and you shouldn’t have any problems), but they sure are beautiful. Other than the walls, the floor and ceiling in a space are the next largest areas.  Painted wood or concrete offer the most striking looks, put you could also use marble or stone.

4. Neutral Too – Along with white, black and gray are the other “true” neutrals; the essence of color, the absence of color, and the mixture of the two. The brown family, otherwise referred to as the complex neutrals or neutrals found in nature, also contribute to these comforting styles. A space with only neutrals creates a layered effect with visual excitement and interest that brings a posh sophistication to today’s trendy interiors.

5. Accented by Hue – Pick an accent color and add just a pop or run with it. The contrast the white creates next to any color will make it appear brighter and more pure. You’ll get a cheerful look that will keep you smiling all day. Your accent color(s) become an easy target for incorporating the hot hue of the season, toss it out with no regrets when ever you need a change. Turquoise, purple, magenta, and yellow are the big hits now.

How will you use white in your interior this year?  We’d love to hear!

The Color Marketing Group (CMG) is the premier international non-profit organization of color design professionals. For 47 years CMG has successfully predicted future color trends for the home, fashion, contract interiors, transportation, consumer goods, and visual communications industries. Kate and I, along with hundreds of our color colleagues, as members of CMG participate in the forecasting process.

We’ve already heard news from CMG members…Pantone, ICI, and others on their take of 2010’s Color of the Year. Now from the powers that be comes CMG’s 2010 Next Color, Mardi Grape. This sophisticated crossover between brown, purple, and gray is a transfer from fashion with European roots. Mardi Grape was a fashion color, now it’s all set to be the year’s biggest star for everything else.

“Purple has been with us for a while now, but the big story today is that we’re seeing purple as a neutral for the very first time, said James Martin, president of Color Marketing Group. “This purple is browner and grayer, a neutral we can love long-term.   These days everyone is seeking versatile colors with staying power.  Colors used to be the focus while neutrals were the understudies.  Today, neutrals are the lead performers, chameleon colors that shift and change.”

In a recent House Beautiful Magazine article, “The Hottest New Paint Colors,” Pratt & Lambert Paint’s Peggy Van Allen, CMG, was asked what she sees as the most popular color for the new year. Here’s what she had to say…

“I think this is the year purple will really get picked up. People want a sense of their own personal space, and this is something different — a grayed purple, like a field of lavender on a foggy morning. It’s soft, not scary. I see it in a bedroom, or as a secondary color in a living room with warm beige and camel.” —PEGGY VAN ALLEN: Grape Hyacinth, Pratt & Lambert Paint

Purple is a color we’ve been tracking and forecasting for some time now, this only proves that a true color trend has longevity and staying power. Check out one of my favorite posts, Trend Tuesday: Passionate Purples, for more on this directional color. Over time purple has shifted from blue-influenced, to red-inspired, and now infused by gray. The application and interpretation of the new dusty grape is absolutely soothing, but don’t just take my word for it, take a look at a few interior images.

In addition to Mardi Grape, CMG outlines further color trends in our future. So be on the look-out for these colors too. Notice how many of these colors are bright, optimistic accents for pops of color to pair with neutrals. Green shifts towards blue creating a bright clear mix reminiscent of turquoise! Another important color on the horizon.

Red – Reds are strong with pink intuition; bright and clean with energy and excitement –   a clean pop to go with neutrals.

Orange – A rich, sophisticated color that moves away from earth-based colors to an optimistic orange, seasoned with a touch of gray.

Yellow – A greener, more natural yellow, softened with gray.

Green – Optimistic and uplifting, a clear and bright accent green with a slight shift toward blue.

Blue – A saturated blue with gray influences; rich without being too luxe.

Beige-Brown – A true chameleon to complement darker hues, it can be either matte or metallic.

Neutral-Gray – Gray with a touch of purple, drawing inspiration from mineral, concrete and steel.

Go to the Color Marketing Group website for more information on the organization, becoming a member, or finding a color expert. Keep up with what the color professionals are doing by following the CMG Blog.

]]> http://www.sensationalcolor.com/colorforyourhome/trend-tuesday-cmg-announces-2010-next-hot-hue/feed/ 3 http://www.sensationalcolor.com/colorforyourhome/trend-tuesday-colorful-christmas-tablescapes/ http://www.sensationalcolor.com/colorforyourhome/trend-tuesday-colorful-christmas-tablescapes/#comments Tue, 22 Dec 2009 18:15:55 +0000 Kiki Titterud http://www.sensationalcolor.com/colorforyourhome/?p=2280

Wow, I can’t believe we’re only a few days from Christmas.  I’m sure you’re just as busy as I am, making sure every stocking is hung, every present is wrapped, and every ingredient for your festive feast is in the pantry.  It’s crunch time, and getting all those last minute details together before the family arrives seems almost impossible. But you’re super decorator, remember! So it would be a holiday travesty if your Christmas table wasn’t as perfect as the rest of your home. Don’t stress, we’ve got your inspiration in the latest colors and styles that will make your table the star of the season.

What I love about this time of year is that some of your dishes can do double duty. You can use them for multiple holiday events through the entire season, starting with Thanksgiving and ending with New Years. In my Trend Tuesday: Fall Tabletop Decor to be Thankful for I showcased ideas that followed a particular formula for the trendiest tabletop (B+B+R = Birds + Blue + Red). As Christmas approached I continued to spot this specific combination with a slightly more festive flair.

I love this combination because it breaks the color harmony rule of direct complements. Directly across the color wheel from red is green (traditional Christmas combo), and blue or blue-green sits across from orange or red-orange. Taking the complement a step or two off to create this fun yet festive scheme adds a bit of unexpected to your holiday mix. Contrast is key in this setting, the complement colors are already giving off a color contrast, but even within the individual colors another level of contrast is being created, value contrast from light to dark. The light blues with the intense Santa suit red is like Christmas candy to the eye.

So you like red, and you like blue, but not necessarily together especially for this season. The common Christmas color combinations of candy cane red and white and the influence of Hannakah with blue and white (or silver) break apart from the “formula” above. These traditional looks can still feel fresh and updated. One of the tricks is to use trendy finishes in accents and dinnerware pieces. This year finishes are glossy and shiny rather than glittery and sparkly, so look for those enameled and high-gross accents in white to pair with your red or blue.

Don’t have room on the table for a centerpiece try a cluster of ornaments hanging from the light fixture as in this image above. This was a hot look at Holiday Market and adds a unique new atmosphere to a Christmas dinner.  What a great conversation starter!

These monochromatic schemes using only red or only blue are simple yet elegant. And instead of pairing multiple values of the one color together like you would in a traditional monochromatic combination, find just one stunning holiday hue for punch and pair it with a clean, pure, cozy white. Also remember that during the holidays floral centerpieces with green in small doses (as in stems and leafs) acts as a neutral and brown from twigs and branches brings a natural element to the table.

Anyone who knows me or follows my trend tuesday posts knows, I love bright colors (actually I love all colors, but the brights are at the top of my list). They are my current color obsession. I’m always trying to bring happy colors into people’s lives and into their homes. This fall I wrote about how you can bring the bright hues of summer into fall in the post Trend Tuesday: Bring Bright Hues into Fall with a Bang, then I showcased these colors for Christmas in Trend Tuesday: Brighten Up Christmas. If you’ve embraced these happy Holiday hues then you’ll need a table to match.

The analogous bright scheme of blue, blue-green, green, and yellow-green shown in the image above is influenced by the peacock feather, an element I particularly like decorating with during the Holidays. It also pairs well with bright purples, pinks, and oranges for your own take on this festive bird.

These multi-colored Christmas combinations offer freedom in your interpretation. Find a bunch of different colors with the same cheerful, bright value and mix them together. For a little inspiration, here’s my bright trend color palette.

However you bring color to your holiday table we hope you enjoy this time you have with family and friends. We wish you all a Happy Holidays and a Merry Christmas.

Lately, we’ve been hearing, reading, and talking a lot about the 2010 color of the year. It seems blue is the hue on everyone’s mind. From ICI’s Icy Blue to Pantone’s Turquoise and Verdigris from Global Color Research. We’ve pulled together the influences and inspirations for you in some of our recent posts. A few weeks ago I wrote about the ICI introduction in an installment of Trend Tuesday: Icy Blue is Icy Hot. Kate’s been keeping us up on announcements from Pantone and Global Color Research in her posts Color of the Year: Turquoise and Three takes on the Color of the Year. And you may remember a few months ago when I featured blue-green as one of Color for Your Home’s next hot hues in Trend Tuesday: Going Blue-Green.

So it’s pretty obvious that many of us involved in the Color Trend Forecasting process are coming to similar conclusions for what’s ahead. Now I know it’s not quite 2010, but I thought it would be fun to showcase some of the Holiday decor that’s already bringing us cheer this year, adorned in the colors for next year, and how you can jump on the trend train to incorporate these colors today.

The light icy and soft blue-greens accompanied with white and silver offer a sophisticated shimmering glitzy look to the tree. This scheme has a cooling effect and is subtle when paired with fresh fallen snow.

Bright and multicolored combinations are optimistic and adventurous. Pairing warm and cool colors display a fun fresh take on the holidays. Read more about how to use these colors together in my post Trend Tuesday: Brighten Up Christmas.

Monochromatic (multiple blues) or Analogous schemes of blues, greens, and purples mixed together have an exotic take on holiday tradition. And the ever so beautiful feathers from the Peacock continue to inspire these palettes and tree trimmings adding a little bit of the unexpected.

Special thanks to Jim Marvin, Midwest – Cbk, NorthStar by Premier for the beautiful pictures of their products.