2009-2010 Home Decor Design Trends

I had a pleasure of attending the West Coast Interiors trade show recently. I love attending seminars, and I am absolutely fascinated by design trends. Here's what I learned at the show, and what you'll be seeing a lot of during the next couple of years. If you like to shop and peruse catalogs and magazines, you may have seen some of this already.

For home decor, you will see:

• Adventurous design and craft: layering of fabrics, textures, accessories; bold and graphic patterns, and lots of pattern mixing. (Did you know that wallpaper is back in fashion? Patterns are very bold and large, and would be gorgeous in a room where you really want to make a statement.)
• Nature-inspired design: "green" products, colors of sand, sea, sky, trees; natural materials like stone, wood, glass; animal prints
• Bohemian style: edgy, funky, ethnic mix; handcrafted originals; lots of color and pattern
• Dramatic style: lots of black and white, mirrors, crystal, shimmer, metallics. Look for unexpected combinations such as leather combined with crystal.
• Vintage/Nostalgic style: 1940's looks; Hollywood style; pieces with a history

If it sounds like "anything goes," you are partly right-- it is definitely OK to mix woods, colors, patterns, styles, but it should look deliberate and purposeful. Take care to avoid a haphazard, random look.

In my last post, I discussed color schemes and aspects of the color wheel. This time I will discuss how to use color to tackle your decorating challenges. The right color can make a large room seem more intimate, a small room seem more spacious, and even fool the eye into thinking that a narrow room is wider or that a low ceiling is higher.

If your room is very small, with little natural light, and you’d like to make it seem as large as possible, choose a light, cool color and paint everything—walls, ceiling, doors, even trim-- in that color. Flooring material should also be in a similar color, for instance a light maple hardwood, or a light-colored carpet. Tile installed on the diagonal will draw your eye into the room and visually make the room seem larger. Minimize the contrasts in the room for a spacious feel, so upholstery and window treatments also should be in a similar color. Add interest with textures and tone-on-tone patterns. Add a few sparks of color with artwork and accessories.

Some of us have small rooms, but rather than make them feel spacious, prefer to accentuate their coziness. A recent re-design client of mine described her small home as a “jewel box”. She chose rich colors such as caramel for her walls, green for her sofa and chocolate-colored leather for her side chair. With accents of gold and burgundy, her room exuded a warm, welcoming charm.

To make a large room seem smaller, choose darker warm colors, such as the caramel, green, and burgundy mentioned above. To increase the coziness, add a variety of colorful patterns and textures on upholstery, pillows and window treatments. A large area rug with a dark-colored border will also help to bring in the walls and create the appearance of a smaller room.

A monochromatic color scheme in cool, restful colors such as gray-blue or mossy green will create a calm and peaceful feeling in a room. Minimize the contrasts in the room by repeating the same color in fabrics and window treatments. On the other hand, a three-color scheme, emphasizing warmer colors and incorporating vibrant patterns in fabric, accessories and art will create a lively, vibrant mood in the space.

To make a long, narrow room seem wider, your objective is to visually extend the walls outward. To do this, paint the two opposite long walls in a light, cool color, and paint the short walls in a darker shade of the same color. Limit the number of patterns and colors in the room. If your aim is to make the long, narrow room seem shorter, use a darker color on the opposite long walls, possibly even a patterned wall covering, and a lighter shade of the same color on the short walls.

To make your ceiling appear higher, paint a border on the ceiling using the wall color. Trim the border in a darker color, and use a lighter color on the ceiling inside the border. In contrast, to bring down a high ceiling, use a darker color than the walls, and paint a border on the walls in the same color. Trim the border in a contrasting color, or use a wallpaper border. One of the easiest ways to change the look and feel of a room is with color. Happy Decorating!

Take the mystery out of choosing colors for your home

I've been in the interior design business for just about 8 years, and one of the most common questions clients ask me is, "How do I know what colors to choose??"

Choosing colors for your home can seem overwhelming. But knowing a few facts about color can help you create a winning decorating plan. First, some color basics. You probably remember from Kindergarten that the three primary colors on the color wheel are red, yellow and blue? And secondary colors are green, orange and violet, which are created by combining the three primary colors. Those colors can then be mixed in different combinations to create more colors such as red-violet, yellow-green, and blue-green.

You may also remember that colors can also be described as “warm” or “cool”. Reds, yellows and oranges are considered warm, while blues, greens and violets are cool colors. This is important because warm colors often make rooms feel cheerful and lively, while cool colors exude a tranquil, restful feeling. Warm colors make the walls seem to advance toward you, while cool colors make the walls recede away from you.

Next one must consider a color's value, or, in other words, how light or dark a color is. Light colors reflect a lot of light. Dark colors absorb a lot of light.

Also consider a color's intensity. The closer the color is to the pure color, the more intense it is. For instance, bright lemon yellow is higher in intensity than soft butter yellow.

What does all of this mean for your home? Well, it all depends on the look you are trying to achieve. If you want to make a room seem more spacious, you should try using light, low-intensity, cool colors. And to make a room seem cozier and more intimate, you should use dark, high intensity, warm colors. That said, I don't want to discourage you from choosing dark colors for small rooms. If the room is already on the small side, why fight it? Dark colors add a lot of rich ambiance to a space.

Then there are color schemes. Color schemes are referred to in terms of the color wheel. For example, an analogous color scheme features colors that are next to each other on the color wheel. My daughter’s room is decorated in mint green, lavender and light blue—an analogous color scheme.

A complementary color scheme utilizes colors that are on opposite sides of the color wheel. This color scheme also appears in nature-- think of a beautiful sunset with blue sky accented by the flaming orange sun, or a purple iris with a yellow center.

Another successful color scheme is the triad-- three colors forming a triangle on the color wheel. A woman I know decorated her living room in vibrant primary colors. Her walls are sunny yellow, her sofa is blue denim, and her two side chairs are upholstered in red chenille. With colorful art prints by artists Pablo Picasso and Joan Miro and a collection of whimsical art glass, this living room reflects her cheerful, energetic personality.

One of my favorite color schemes is the monochromatic scheme. In a monochromatic room, only one basic color is used, but in varying tones. For example an all-white living room can have a white painted armoire, cream-colored upholstery, white sheer draperies, and a shaggy, white area rug. To keep this room from looking boring, the key is to add contrast using different textures. Add a glass and pewter-finish coffee table and throw pillows in a variety of fabrics including tone-on-tone patterns, chenille, raw silk, and linen. Include baskets for more texture, a collection of white pillar candles on a silver tray, and black and white family photos. A single red rose in a crystal vase will provide a stunning punch of color.

So much to think about, and maybe that is why people have so much trouble deciding on colors for their homes. That is why hiring a professional designer can be extremely helpful. For help on choosing colors in your home, please contact me at info@annajacobyinteriors.com.

Stay tuned: My next post will focus on using color to solve decorating dilemmas!