We all know that color trends come and go. Specific colors and patterns can be associated with different decades and eras of design.
I have made it a personal rule over the years to design rooms that will be both “classic” and “timeless.” Maybe it’s because I grew up seeing and hearing about all of the crazy trend colors of the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s. I’m not sure that there was a particular color that I can associate with the first decade of the 21st century. Well, maybe it was STAINLESS STEEL?
The funny thing is, that’s how these things go.. you don’t necessarily realize that you’ve fallen into the trend trap until you look back on your work years later and see that you did, indeed, succumb to popularity.
Anyhow, back to my personal rule. In our home, I decided that trends will be introduced in accessories. {Let me clarify.. this is my rule in the main rooms of the house. Bedrooms don’t fall under this rule, but that’s probably a topic for a whole other blog.}
So, take our living room, for example. My accent colors are green and red, but mostly red.
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| Our living room – Yes, I know there’s a jack o’ lantern in it. Clearly, I’m too lazy to stage and take a new picture.. Lol |
We have a neutral sofa, chocolate leather recliner, and a neutral ottoman. If I changed our area rug, throw pillows, and curtains, we’d have a completely different room for a couple hundred dollars. We do have a red glide rocker in the room, but I’ve moved it between rooms before so I don’t need to worry about it. The end tables could double as night stands, and the large picture on the wall could also be changed out. The bottom line is, when trends change, I don’t have to panic over having spent thousands of dollars on something that is now out of date.
So, what’s the IT THING right now?
Current trends have been showing that teal is back.. in a big way.
I also heard whispers from some Houzz designers that mauve may be sneaking in, as well.
Most of my decorating memories {thanks, Mom! :)} are from the 90’s. Although I don’t have an aversion to any particular color, teal and mauve are two colors that I still can’t put together in a room. I do believe that even the boldest colors can be updated to reflect current trends – with accessories. As far as 90’s accessories… well, I’m not sure we should revisit that decade. Let’s not even talk about the MIRRORS. Mirrored walls, mirrored ceilings, mirrored closet doors.. yuck! I hope some of those accessories stay away for a long, long time.
Who do we trust to tell us what’s hot and what’s not in terms of color? From fashion, to vehicles, to interiors, Pantone, Inc. is the authority on color.
The Pantone color of the year for 2013 is Emerald.
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| Source: Pantone.com |
By the way, if you don’t know that I won’t hold it against you.. but they market this is some pretty big ways. 😉
Emerald is pretty close to teal, without as much blue. When I think of emerald, of course I can’t help but think of the Wizard of Oz and the Emerald City. This year’s “emerald” trend is definitely more of a teal, and less of a green. Just look the images I found when I searched for emerald fabrics:
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| Brunschwig & Fils |
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| Robert Allen |
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| Robert Allen |
Recently, I’ve been watching the local trends and hearing from a lot of people that teal is their color of choice in decorating. We live in an area where “trends” definitely don’t affect us right away. However, if it’s good enough to last, we’re definitely going to see it.. and teal/emerald has proven to be one of those things. So, are you wondering, will mauve be showing a comeback? Time will tell.. but I have to believe that the 90’s are staying in the past. Colors of today are extremely saturated, and most people are tending to avoid pastels in decorating. Maybe it’s technology, or a desire to stand out from the crowd, but there isn’t any big sign of this changing. I think it’s safe to say that the 90’s are behind us.
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| Pantone’s Fall 2013 colors |
Let me know what you think about trends, and if you’re on the teal bandwagon!
Happy Designing! -Cherie
