Tuesday, March 1, 2011

How To Add Pantone's Color of The Year 'Honeysuckle' Into My Decor?


For us designers, it's like the Oscars! We impatiently await with ears, eyes and mouths open in anticipation to hear the announcement of Pantone's colors for the coming year. They are the Holy Grail of our world. All textile companies rush to design new upholstery fabrics in the top trending colors, which are then snatched up by the best furniture manufacturers who use them to create desirable pieces of furniture which us designers then clammer to place in the houses of our most trendy homeowners. And while that's a mouthful, without these vital cues, many homeowners would never move forward, still owning a puffy black leather sofa and hunter green and mauve cushions with white washed cabinets in our kitchens. (if you still have any of these, please call me immediately!)

Although Pantone's Color Of The Year is appealing to most women, some men might be hesitant of just how to incorporate Honeysuckle into their homes in a way that doesn't make their room into a girly girl space. Honeysuckle has actually been a trending color for several years. A derivative of the corals, rusts and fushias we have been seeing peeps of throughout the last few years of design, it has finally made it's way to the forefront as THE in color for all things in the home. I was shocked to see that my husband- the ultimate man's man, said he liked the honeysuckle chandelier in this picture to finish this spaces decor, above the other two. I have to agree, but I still selected three to show the versatility you have when playing with this or any new color trend that you want to add to your space.

Color trends are more than just the latest fad in design, they are the inspirations for the future of the home industry as a whole. And while there are some radical colors that enter into the mix from time to time, for the most part the new colors are an indication of where colors will stay for a small extended period of time. I say this because so many homeowners do not dare to follow the trends for fear that they will become outdated the very next year. It is the job of your designer to make sure that the pieces you add into your home's current decor will stay current for years. This is done by carefully incorporating just the right accents pieces and base colors into a space, allowing these new color trends to highlight the room and not takeover it. In five to seven years (when most homeowners update their main room's decor) the items selected (if done right) should easily either fall into your decor's background or be easily replaced by the next color scheme that appeals to you.

If you notice the mood board here, you'll see that the basis for this room's decor is the gray and cream color scheme. Gray has been a trending color for the last four years and continues to be popular in all things fashion and home design. It shows no signs of leaving yet. The pieces here, from the sofa to the accent chairs and accessories work well together, but can also be separated and broken up into other rooms. So can the honeysuckle pieces shown in the space.

Accent pillows are all the rage and you can never go wrong by tossing a few in the newest trend into the mix. For anywhere from $10.00 at a discount store, to $40 at a home department store or even as much as $200 in a high quality furniture store, they are still cheap enough to cover or discard after five years or so!

Lighting options in a trending color are another great way to infuse your decor with what's in the now. If you love the style of a chandelier or lamp, down the road you can always have the base refinished, add or swap out the shades or have other things done to alter the appearance of the piece to accommodate the newest style.

The best way to add a jolt of adrenaline into a lack-luster room is to add a single accent chair with a print in the trending color. Again, consult a designer in order to get this right. It takes more than just matching the print's colors to your existing decor in the room. Attention to detail, size, shape and scale of the piece are vital when attempting to incorporate a new member into your furniture family! When done right, however, your room becomes a WOW when it was once an ugh!
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1 comment:

Micheal Alexander said...

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