Trends to look out for in color in 2011

Image by Christaface via Flickr

Neutral colors are going into exciting areas in home interior design. No longer is beige, ecru, tan and taupe the only neutrals that will emerge. Keep a sharp eye out for these trending neutrals.
Gray is becoming the new neutral of choice in many posh apartments because it lends itself so well to the ever so popular stainless steel, brushed nickels, and dark woods seen on  modern sleek furniture. Paired with crisp white it can go as modern and contemporary as any color, or you can take it straight to the ocean and keep the colors soft and light. Gray is one of those neutrals that can fit into many design aesthetics depending on how you couple it with other colors and fixtures.

Look for grayed down pastels, and see smokey hints in purples, greens and blues to re-enter the neutral color pallets in the future. By incorporating gray and beige into pastel colors you end up neutralizing them, especially if enough white or cream color is added to the mix. By controlling this, you can come up with your own unique neutral and also decide whether to make it a cool neutral or a warm neutral.  

If you stick to the basics, you can have a great looking room inside your home every easily. Large surfaces should be neutral. You may be one of those that hates the idea of beige all over the walls, but don't worry, beige is just a backdrop for your true style to come out.

By sticking with a safe neutral backdrop, you have the ability to focus your attention to the really fun part of decorating a room and that is in the accessories! They can be as colorful or wild as you like in fact, you'd be surprised how well classic neutrals go with animal prints, blacks and reds. Your limit is your imagination, and you've played it smart in the meantime. By keeping your back drop neutral, should you sell in the future, you will not have to do any painting, and accessories can always be removed and switched out when showing a house.

Going bold with window treatments, and interesting elements will allow your style and taste to come through without being overwhelming at the same time. This is where style is born. True style is not about overwhelming the senses. Its about melding the senses into one. Your environment should have a great energy and flow.

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Making Neutrals Work

Ok, so you have heard on television that neutrals are the way to go when painting a room, especially if you are planning on selling sometime in the near future. So you went and bought some beige and went to work "neutralizing" your home. Did you run across a feeling of boredom? Did you feel you toned your home down to the point it could be used for a sleep center? Well what a lot of shows on television fail to mention is that neutrals work but to get them to "pop" requires, bold compliments in trim and accents.

So what is considered bold? Well, believe it or not something as drab as white is a sharp crisp contrast. Can white do it alone? Probably not. White is a good starting point to highlight the neutral, but now its gets interesting..accents. Accents are all decorative items either on the wall, floor or somewhere in between. What works well with white and beige? Better yet, what looks great and pulled together with those two rather subtle colors? Hows this for bold, dark browns, or even this, black! Yes, you read it right. Try dark browns and black accents. Now be sure not to over power the room with too much of a good thing. Balance of color is a key factor to remember. Accents should never be more than an accent.

Now, for the next shocker, I have been following the trends and I usually say never go with any trends, they will date your home. However, in painting walls, it is perfectly safe to do so since paint is an easy fix. The hot trend I see surfacing these days are, soft grays. Yep. Grays are the new beige in neutral paint colors and they also look good paired with crisp white and dark finishes. Not to mention the fact they go well with pewter, brushed nickle, and stainless steel. I am seeing this soft neutral showing up in bathrooms, kitchens, and bedrooms more than ever. It just goes to show, when it comes to making neutrals work, its more about what you accent them with, than it is about the actual shade of neutral you use.

Neutral Painting

If you stick to the basics, you can have a great looking room inside your home every easily. Large surfaces should be neutral. You may be one of those that hates the idea of beige all over the walls, but don't worry, beige is just a backdrop for your true style to come out.

By sticking with a safe neutral backdrop, you have the ability to focus your attention to the really fun part of decorating a room and that is in the accessories! They can be as colorful or wild as you like in fact, you'd be surprised how well classic neutrals go with animal prints, blacks and reds. Your limit is your imagination, and you've played it smart in the meantime. By keeping your back drop neutral, should you sell in the future, you will not have to do any painting, and accessories can always be removed and switched out when showing a house.

Going bold with window treatments, and interesting elements will allow your style and taste to come through without being overwhelming at the same time. This is where style is born. True style is not about overwhelming the senses. Its about melding the senses into one. Your environment should have a great energy and flow. Check out Pier 1 Imports for neutrals that are faaaaaaaaaaar from boring...