Color Buzz

New 2010 Color Trends

We considered putting together a list of colors that are "Out,” but as my dear friend and ultra-talented designer Betsy Finley says, "Any color can be ‘in’ if it's used correctly.” So instead, we put together a list of color trends to watch out for as we move into the next decade.

We've been monitoring interior design, fashion and industrial design for the past few months with this list in mind. Here is what we are expecting:

- We see the trend towards grays and silvers continuing.

- Pantone Color of the Year is turquoise, and we agree. Both blues and greens will remain popular in the coming year.

- The deep colors we are seeing are blacks, navies and charcoals. 

- Whites will become cooler and grayer. Some whites will include peach tones.

- Mauve is slowly working its way back into the color forefront. Chances are you'll see much more of this in 2011. 

- Purples are still hot as they move into grayer and pinker directions. 

- Yellow is staying clean and pure.  

Stars

By Michele Coppin

Every time I come to New York, I expect to see stars, especially around the holidays.
 
Star: Noun
1. Any of the heavenly bodies, except the moon, appearing as fixed luminous points in the sky.
 
2. A conventionalized figure usually having five or six points radiating from or disposed about a center.
 
3. Figure used as an ornament, award, badge, mark of excellence
 
4. A person who is celebrated or distinguished in some art, profession or other field.

5. Someone who brightens up your life.
 
This last trip, I saw a caroling cowboy on Times Square,



Shrek in a Christmas hat frolicking around Union Square,

Seasonal Tree Colors

By Michèle Coppin

Time to trim the tree! This season, the holidays have been touched by a rainbow. Along with the traditional red and green, an array of elegant, whimsical and dramatic palettes have emerged.

Forests of ribbons, bows, birds, flags, flowers, feathers, candy, clouds, dolls – all combined in exquisite and unexpected explosions of color.

To decorate your dream tree, choose a theme close to your heart and then select your favorite colors. Mix and, Voila! There is no limit to the possibilities. Here are some beautiful specimens I have come across this season:

Seasonal landscapes of pink and purple are tinged in frosted shades of icing:

Friday Project Series: Recycled Gift Wrap

By Veronique Habermann

In these times of economic hardship and awareness of the environment, I thought it would be nice this year to wrap my gifts in the recycled boxes and bags I have been saving for a while. Here is what you need – but be creative. There is no limit here:

• Assorted sizes of recycled shipping boxes (with online shopping, we all end up with so many!)
• Assorted packing material
• Recycled ribbons (any color)
• Raffia strings (50 cents at craft store)
• Recycled jewelry boxes
• Assorted sizes of recycled paper bags
• Valspar spray paint in metal silver
• Valspar spray paint in glitter gold
• Valspar spray paint in metal glitter copper

Make sure you tear off all shipping labels on boxes. Also, work in a well-ventilated area and unlike me, wear latex gloves!

Let your creativity guide you and spray paint your gift wrapping and packages in solid colors or use our stencil templates from last week’s DIY holiday cards post to create a design. Add on bows, raffia strings and ribbons for extra flair. And remember, be sure sure to let everything properly dry before wrapping all of your presents!

 

 

Voila! Have fun!

Christmas Trees and Home Décor

By Veronique Habermann

Decorating Christmas trees to match home décor has been a growing trend for the past few years. Of course, there are still plenty of people who are driven by tradition and decorate their tree with nostalgia in mind more than a specific theme or color scheme. They bring out the same box of ornaments that they’ve had for years, add a few new items, and make their tree conserve a consistent look each holiday season.

After my first few attempts at creating a traditional Christmas tree, which always ended up looking pretty bad, I became driven by the desire to create a beautiful, fun tree that suited the room it was set in. I wanted it to reflect the overall mood of that year and the age and interests of my son each Christmas. I found out that the best way to create a tree I was going to be proud of was to first decide on a color theme.

I have had all white trees, all gold trees, silver trees etc. You know the expression, "Looking like a Christmas tree." It probably refers to the overload of colors and clashing details that I have tried to avoid, with varying degrees of success over the years. Here are a couple of one-color trees:

To have more than two dominant colors on a tree is not an automatic recipe for overload. Simplifying your tree is just a matter of limiting the different kinds of ornaments you use. I think you can go with as many colors as you want, if for instance, you use light colors exclusively, like on this tree:

Having a theme other than color is also a way to go. Here is a rustic example:


A minimalist tree:


A recycled metal tree:


My Chili Pepper tree (my son was a big fan of the Red Hot Chili Peppers that year):


A floral example:


An organic example:


Or even a cool treeless theme:


There are so many fun ways to decorate a tree. I just love this time of the year, when creativity and tradition merge.

Red Living Room

Want to create a festive mood that will last all year long? How about a red living room?! What a great way to bring in some heat and some cheer at the same time. With the holidays coming, it might be time to spruce up the rooms that everyone will be gathering in.

When working with such a strong color there are a few things to keep in mind:

• Let it be the star
• Choose your supporting colors carefully
• Find a red you love (there are so many to choose from)
• Embrace it!

To let it be the star, you may choose an all-over red:


Here the red is a unifying element in the room. It gives a kick to the wheat colored upholstery. The cream colored wainscoting is a great choice for a support color. I love the charcoal fireplace against the red. The coolness of the color gives the room balance.

Or if you want to use it as a bright bold accent:


Here, you get a lot of bang for your red buck. The red curtains create height and give a real “wow” factor. You don't need much to create an exciting impact. Again, the cool, light charcoal gives balance to the room.

Here's a wonderful way to build on your reds when decorating for the holidays:


And here are a few reds to choose from with some nice supporting colors:

Classic Red
   
    Classic Red 1009-2

Supporting Colors:
                                   
         Cliveden Sandstone 3007-10B         Lyndhusrt Mushroom 3007-9C

Rosy Red
   
    Berry Blush 1004-1A

Supporting Colors:
                                   
               Dakota Trail 6008-3B                        Dry Earth 1010-1

Brick Red
   
   La Fonda Antique Red
            2002-5A

Supporting Colors:
                                   
          La Fonda Sagebrush 1010-1             Shoreline Haze 6008-1B

Orange Red
   
Woodlawn Salsa 2003-3A

Supporting Colors:
                                   
                Bay Sands 5008-1B              Lyndhurst Castle Sand 5008-1C

The main thing is to have fun with a color like this. It's got a lot of charge, so get ready to take your home up a notch or two for the season!

Celebrate St. Nicholas Day

By Michèle Coppin

This Saturday evening, December 5th, children in Northern France, Belgium and the Netherlands will place their little shoes by the fireplace, under the Christmas tree or outside their bedroom door.

If they have been good, on Sunday morning their shoes will be brimming with traditional goodies – proof that Saint Nicholas came by. This happens every year on December 6th, the feast day of Saint Nicholas and the festival of children.

Saint Nicholas was a third century bishop from Myra (in present-day Turkey). Many legends evolved around his generosity and kindness, like the time he provided dowries for three poor girls to save them from prostitution. My favorite story was when he restored to life three children who had been chopped up and pickled in salt by an evil butcher!

                

He performed many more miracles, making him the patron saint of children, sailors and pawnbrokers.

Saint Nicholas is always depicted as a bishop, wearing a red cloak, a red miter and holding a bishop's crosier.

                 

Be My Guest

As we get ready for the holidays, one room that many of us will be focusing on is the guest room. Some of us have a special room that is exclusively for this purpose; most of us, though, are quickly reinventing other spaces to accommodate our visiting loved ones. No matter what your set up is, there are a few aspects of setting up a guest room that are universal.

You want to make them feel special and welcome. Even though they didn’t have to vacuum every corner of their home, they still had to pack and make arrangements for their absence and travel. So, create a space in your home that can be theirs during their stay.


 
Think about all their needs ahead of time so your visit can be about being together, not about trying to track down an extra washcloth. Here are some tips on creating a space for them:

•    Have it clear of clutter. Space and quiet is more comforting than an eyeful of someone else’s stuff.

•    Cover the bed with cotton sheets. Have two pillows per guest with a few throws to prop up for late night reading. Make sure you have both heavy and lightweight blankets, or comforters. Everyone has their own particular comfort level when it comes to warmth.

•    Put a water carafe next to the bed, especially in winter when the indoor heating dries everything and everyone out.

•    If possible, have a chair in the room for reading or dressing.



Whether your guests are sharing a bath with everyone or they have one to themselves, supply them with their own shampoos and soaps, and have an extra toothbrush on hand. Give them each a towel and washcloth.

My mother-in-law always does a wonderful job making us feel special. Even though I’ve been part of the family for 20 something years, she always all the necessities laid out on the guest bed: a towel and washcloth, some soaps she saved from a trip, a small object that says something about the holiday or about something I love and a magazine related to my interests (usually a shelter or fashion one). It’s so thoughtful and gives a lovely sense of comfort. We all share the bathroom but she always makes sure there is space in there that is just ours. It’s these little things that don’t break a budget but add up to a lot.

If you are getting a room ready for the holidays, I would suggest using colors that are soothing and neutral. Here are three palettes to consider:

Cool and Calm Spa



To get this look try: La Fonda Mirage for the walls and Pontoon White on both the ceiling and the trim.  Try accents of bone, ivory and rusts.

                                   
            La Fonda Mirage 5003-5B                Pontoon White 7006-13

Warm and Cozy



To get the look of this guest room try: Plum Passion on the walls, Cliveden Mist for the ceiling and Whitewashed Oak for the trim with accents of burgundy, chocolate and toffee.

                   
  Plum Passion 6007-5B      Cliveden Mist 6007-1A    Whitewashed Oak 7006-23

Buttery Soft



This is like diving into a sun-filled dream. To get this look, try Pecan Cream with Woodlawn Misty Morn on the ceiling and Retro White on the trim. Try greenish-gray accents as well as silver and nickel.

                   
  Pecan Cream 3006-4B       Woodlawn Misty Morn        Retro White 7002-20
                                                    6008-3A

Have a great time putting this room together. Play music you love, maybe even something that connects you to your guests, and enjoy thinking of the magical time you are preparing for.

Friday Project Series – Halloween Pumpkins with a Twist of Color

I have to confess, Halloween is one of my absolute favorite holidays. Two main reasons come to mind. One, I love this time of year! The air is getting crisp, cool and clean. The colors...the COLORS are indescribably beautiful. And two, this is the one holiday that puts so much emphasis on an individual’s creativity, from costumes to Jack-O-Lanterns.

This year, I’ve decided to add a twist to pumpkin carving. They have always had a charming effect, whether they showcase a friendly grin or a frightening face. Rather than simply carving pumpkins this year, I thought I would try to incorporate spray paint. 

As much as I love simply carving the great orange orb, I thought it might be fun to take the color in a new direction. I went down to Stonewall Gardens, the local pumpkin retailer to pick up one or two little round ones.  I’ll be back with my son and daughter this weekend, but I wanted to get a jump start for this blog.


Since October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I thought I’d paint the first pumpkin pink pumpkin and carve a ribbon into the front. For the second pumpkin, I decided to take a more classic route—with a color twist of course. 


First, I spray painted the first one pink. I put it in a cardboard box to keep the mess to a minimum. I always wear a mask too. 

Once this is done, I drew out the ribbon then proceeded to cut it out using one of those great little mini saws you get in pumpkin carving kits.

I then sprayed the second pumpkin with Valspar’s Silver Metallic paint and carved  with a classic hallow grin.

Now all we need are trick-or-treaters. Better go get some candy!

 

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

              

To celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, I thought we should talk about one of my favorite colors: green! Green is truly one of the liveliest colors in the world. It represents nature and the earth and I really believe we are programmed on some deep level to seek it out. Green is soothing, refreshing, uplifting and just plain beautiful. It is one of the most dynamic colors ranging from a bright Kelly green, to a soft sea foam green to a dramatic evergreen.

You could paint an entire house with shades of green and feel that no two rooms are alike. Here are a few recommendations to consider:

For an entryway, you could try a neutral green like Withered Moss to bring the outside in.

 

Withered Moss 6007-36

A lively, spring green like Fresh Pear would look beautiful in a kitchen, especially if paired with crisp white trim and tangerine or hot pink accents.

Fresh Pear 6007-7C

For a dining room, consider a rich, saturated green like Elegant Silk, which pairs nicely with Redstone Dakota Sandstone.

             

Elegant Silk 5010-7     Redstone Dakota Sandstone 1001-10A

A sophisticated living room would look lovely with a muted green on the walls like Plum Passion. This soft, sage green would look great with accents of rust, ivory and navy blue.

Plum Passion 6007-5B

A master bedroom with warm ivory bedding would look fabulous with a soothing, watery-green like Meadow Mist. Try accents of warmer, neutral greens like Epic and touches of violet and coral pinks.

               

Meadow Mist 5008-7B                  Epic 6008-3C

For a children's bedroom, try a fun green like Garden Fresh and add splashes of royal blue or hot pink to really set a playful mood.

Garden Fresh 6008-7C

The family room is often where we spend a lot of time. For a cozy, homey feel, try a warm green like Olive Marinade. The rich undertones have a hint of gold, which would look especially beautiful with dark wood accents.

Olive Marinade 6007-5C

In our studio, we painted the floor in Wetlands. It’s a deep black-brown green that looks rich and inviting. We added a warm, light oatmeal color (Dakota Trail) to the walls and a creamy white for the trim. The balance between the dark and light hues looks great.

           

Wetlands 5007-2C               Dakota Trail 6008-3B

When choosing a color for yourself, keep in mind that greens work really well with their opposites: rusts, pinks, reds. Play around and see which work together and avoid the combinations that fight against each other. Enjoy!