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The Color of Things to Come
by Maryott Custom Interiors
- Sumptuous Browns - The popularity of brown will continue to grow. People are
tapping in to the sensuality of brown. When you think of brown as gourmet
coffee, cinnamon, gourmet chocolate, you get the feeling of the richness of it
and how warm and sensuous it can be. Brown is big in all design areas. Watch for
more complex woods and finishes being used. Look for everything from flooring to
wood furniture to have a deep complicated finish with more grain and character.
Gaining favor are dark, exotic woods in both sleek contemporary furniture and
distressed rustic pieces. The brown family is nicely versatile. Light values of
brown-balanced beige and lightweight beige impart softness and warmth, creating
gentle yet interesting transitions from one space to the next. Midtone browns,
such as mocha and tan, make dramatically neutral backdrops, allowing for
contrast with architectural details, furniture and appointments. Browns beg for
accent partners that pop-say-yellow-green-red or turquoise. Brown is grounded
with a permanence that is attractive when buying investment furniture or
specifying cabinetry or wood floors. These expenditures do not allow for flights
of fancy every three years, the most recent bell curve for a trend. Browns may
be serious but they bring a beautiful balance.
- It is flashback time - to the 80's. Gray is being paired with a lot of colors-
yellow for instance. The blue and green combination of the 1980's is back. The
color we used to call mauve will be back with a new name like thistle-and in
combination with some new colors.
- Purple moves in on pink - Violet and orchid are popular. Some of the paler
shades of purple will replace pink. Real purple is also on the rise. Purple has
been browned-down to aubergine in the past few years but it will be back soon in
full strength.
- Reds and Orange Merge - Reds and oranges were both big last year and will
continue to be popular (especially red-hot lipstick hues). Look for orange
taking the upper hand in the rise of orangey-red. We will be seeing some very
rich and vivid orange-reds, like the color of blood orange. Orange also means
coral and apricot. There is a wide range in the orange family for home use. If
you look at the popular ethnic reds-they have a lot of orange in them. Orange is
the color that makes everything feel new.
- The melting-pot nature of America is apparent in the way we are embracing styles
and colors form all over the world. Global design continues to influence colors.
The rise in high-chroma yellow and gold are part of this trend.
Color schemes can be simple or complicated, soothing or exciting. Getting it
right can be tricky.
PUNCH OF COLOR
A neutral or monotone scheme-tans, grays, or shades of white-sound easy, but it
can also be boring. A punch of color from a great view, a dramatic painting, or
maybe a boldly patterned area rug, can work in the space.
CONTRAST
Another way to make a neutral scheme sing is contrast. For instance, play beige
against white and something dark. Add tiny bits of color and lots of texture.
Keep it simple.
So you are not neutral about color, just not sure how much of it you can spread
around. One of the main things to consider is how color flows from one space to
another.
COMPATIBLE
You do not have to use the same color on all the walls and floors, but it is
best to avoid jarring changes. Walls and floors between rooms opening into each
other and hallways should be consistent, or at least compatible, in large homes.
PALETTE
When changing schemes in different rooms, try to make the colors, patterns and
textures exist comfortably together, rather than fight each other. One easy
method is to take a palette-say blue, white, yellow and terra cotta-and change
the dominant color and accent colors from room to room. This is a perfect plan
if a home is small.
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