DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION ARTICLES Savvy Styles & Design Trends
- Current Color Schemes
- Insight into the Major Market Centers
- Seats for Every Taste
- Just Say LOU-EEE!
- What Colors are In?
Current Color Schemes
Question: What is the current color trend for interior living and dining room walls?
A common question that has been asked nearly every day , and still I don't have a simple answer. It's a very basic question but one that requires an extended answer based on several factors that are subjective at best; the regional geographic location, social and economic conditions, and the all important but hard to define design preferences of the person asking the question. For without this knowledge to these conditions my answer to the original question of what colors are in would be akin to guessing how many grains of sand are on the beach… in other words, contrary to the media hype, there is no ONE color scheme that is considered to be the latest IN color for every household in every location of the country . So with that in mind , here's a few color schemes that are currently considered trendy in various locations throughout the country:For upper middle class homes in the North East , a palette for most traditional styled homes consists of deep shades of green, muted reds, colonial golds and warm neutrals , while contemporary styled homes in this region shine with a color scheme of bright orange, stark white, flashes of turquoise or lime green and intense black.If your soft- contemporary styled home is basking in the warmer climate of the South East but yet located AWAY from the Atlantic shoreline , the current color trend is for walls to be painted a medium toned sage green and warm golden creams and accents of rusty reds and warm tobacco browns . With the increasingly popular explosion of the open plan vaulted ceiling homes springing up everywhere near the water along the Eastern coastline, its interesting to note that the ages of these new home owners are going up as well. Could be one reason that the current color scheme of light & bright cool green- blues, tangy corals, crisp blue based whites, splashes of intense hot orange and pink , vivid aqua and bright lime greens are considered the norm.Even thought the Mid West is considered the tried and true blue heartland of the nation, upper middle class homes are similar to the Northeastern homeowners in their preferences for a color scheme consisting of rich clear reds, sugared browns, earthy golds and comfortable greens . Traveling west, homes located in the arid reigns of the South West can look their best when interior walls are color keyed to the surrounding landscape; sun baked browned golds, buttery yellows, wildflower greens and carefully selected touches of lavenders, purples, blues and red based terra cottas .Western region mountain homes are always in style when an inviting palette of deep greens and red based browns are tempered with touches of vivid reds, intense black and soothing creamy whites. And for those upscaled contemporary styled homes along the Pacific North West, for the latest in color trends, consider brown based grays, creamy whites, sophisticated blacks and minute touches of bright greens to be the best bet for showcasing your glass filled homes. And last, but not least, is the wide open area of design known as California; the one section in the country where every combination of color is consider trendy and IN ! And for those so called California modern styled homes , be sure to try the latest color palette scheduled to hit the rest of the country in 5 – 8 years; HOT pink and crisp white injected with bold dashes of black and gray…. I can't wait to see your reaction to the first time you see a true HOT PINK sofa….what an eye opener!
© copyright 2000 DESIGN SERVICE INC.
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Insight into the Major Market Centers
I have returned many times over the years from one of the country's major market centers exhausted and excited at the same time. So many new ideas and products all under the same roof and not enough time to capture it all! Well, let me clue you in on what goes on at these 'to the trade' or design pro's only places filled with every home fashion product imaginable. You see, every year the design and home furnishings industry gather all suppliers together for a mass display of products and merchandise in several select cities where the major manufacturers have selected to showcase it's products. These are year round centers, open only to the design profession and retail stores selling home fashion items. Usually two times per year, all the centers pull out 'all of the stops' and introduce any new items and really display their wares in a carnival like atmosphere. This is called MARKET and it usually lasts anywhere from a day to a week. It's here that the manufacturers and their sales reps demonstrate and display all of the products offered by the company and introduce any new merchandise. The folks who attend MARKETS are typically shop owners, designers, decorators and the editors of "housewares type" catalogues. The MARKETS are usually held two times a year and are scattered throughout the country in major cities where a permanent DESIGN or MERCHANISE center is established.What comes next, is that the items your local store owner has decided that will 'sell' in your area will start to arrive in their store in about 12 weeks from this market date. So depending on how often your local shop owner goes to market will determine how current or trendy the home fashion styles you have to select from.Now also keep in mind, that the colors will change as do the styles. Usually every 10 to 12 years, the design trends change, as do the colors and patterns found in all of our homes. You remember the shag lime green carpeting of the 60's?, the earth tones of the 70's?, and the mauves of the 80's? Or even the white cabinets and jewel colors of the 90's? Well guess what, the 2000's look is about to crash in on the middle echelons of the design business. But now, with the vast majority of these same trends and colors being made readily available to the Middle American shop owners and decorators EVERYONE is about to be updated.
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Seats for every taste
Following up on the column detailing the importance of chairs, here's a bit of visual design history. These so-called modern styled chairs are good representation of the more recent design trends that tend to create for comfort rather than for aesthetics only. And the funny part is that these "MODERN" chairs have been around for most of this century! So see if you can jog the memory by playing the "I REMEMBER THAT CHAIR"game. And don't be surprised if you are shocked by seeing some of these long ago modern chairs once again re-emerging…see…good design really does last through the ages.
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Just say LOU – EEE !!
Ever walk into an upscale furniture showroom and have the salesperson ask that most intimidating of questions…"What style chair are you looking for?" Heck, forget period or style, all you want to do is purchase a chair that is comfortable and will "Go" with the existing furniture! Well don't feel alone, there are but a few folks who can identify and discern the difference between a Sheraton let alone Louis 14, 15 and 16! Oh, by the way…to be furniture savvy, especially in a upscale shop, the French styled chair is pronounced by first holding the head and nose high and gesturing wildly while saying LOU-EEE. As for the accompanying Roman numerals after the LOU-EEE, most buyers just mumble because they don't know the difference. And for those of you who are unsure about the Roman numeral thing…hey, Lazyboy makes a great chair!
Anyway, for those of you who are interested in cultivating the skill and patience required to play the period furniture game, I highly recommend a college level course. Be sure to seek those classes on residential furnishings offered by a FIDER accredited school and you'll get ALL the nitpicky differences between styles to last a lifetime! But for those of you who just want to demonstrate a little design savvy while buying a chair, here's a few…quick-pic-tips, Deborah style!
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What Colors Are "IN"
Question: What is the current color trend for interior walls of living rooms and dining rooms
A common question I'm asked nearly every day " What color is in ?" is one of the most confusing questions to address since my answer is dependent upon the individual homeowners design style, income range and geographic location. For without the knowledge to these questions , my answer to the original question of what colors are in would be akin to guessing how many grains of sand are on the beach… in other words, there is no ONE color that is considered the latest IN color for everyone in every location of the world. So with that in mind , here's a few color schemes that are considered trendy in various locations throughout the country:
For upper middle class homes in the North East , a palette for most traditional styled homes consists of deep shades of green, muted reds and colonial golds, while contemporary styled homes in this region shine with a color scheme of bright orange, stark white and intense black. If your soft contemporary styled home is basking in the warmer climate of the South East but yet located AWAY from the shoreline , the current color trend is for walls to be painted a medium toned sage green with accents of rusty reds and warm tobacco browns . And for those vaulted ceiling homes sporting a close address to the sea, the color trend remains with the new vitality palette of cool green blues and crisp whites accented with splashes of intense orange, vivid aqua and bright lime greens. While the Mid west is considered the heartland of the nation, upper middle class homes in this region simply glow with a color scheme consisting of rich clear reds, sugared browns, earthy golds and comfortable greens . Homes in the South west can look their best when interior walls are color keyed to the surrounding landscape; sun baked browned golds, buttery yellows, wildflower greens and carefully selected touches of lavenders, purples, blues and red based clays. Western mountain homes are always in style when an inviting palette of deep greens and red based browns are tempered with touches of vivid reds, intense black and soothing creamy whites. And for those contemporary homes along the Pacific North West, for the latest in color trends, consider brown based grays, creamy whites and sophisticated blacks to be the best bet for showcasing your glass filled homes. And last, but not least, is the wide open area of design known as California; the one section in the country where every combination of color is consider trendy and IN ! For California modern styled homes with open and spacious floor plans, be sure to try the latest color palette scheduled to hit the rest of the country in 5 – 8 years ….HOT pink and crisp white injected with bold dashes of black and gray.
© copyright 2000 DESIGN SERVICE INC.
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Deborah Burnett appears regularly on HGTV, National TV and worldwide radio with design ideas and decorating tips. She is a nationally recognized health and wellness design authority and keynote presenter bridging the gap between science and evidence based epigenetic design which explores how the body and brain are affected by the interior environment. As a member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine she specializes in research and design pertaining to how color, light, sound and daylight affect sleep.
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