Monday, September 15, 2008

Color and Decorating Trends for Fall 2008!


Color and Decorating Trends for Fall 2008!
By Jennie Norris, ASPM®, IAHSP®, Owner, We Stage Sacramento

Color trends for fall are in one word: BOLD!

The color palettes for paint companies will continue to be in the bold family lines of warm tones, with hints of homage to the past for those young enough to recall the pea-greens and mustard golds of the 50’s and 60’s. With colors like periwinkle, navy, and chartreuse back on the color spectrum of acceptability, we should see some interesting combinations in homes. Throw in some rusty reds, fuchsia, lime green, plum and navy, and you have the “new” color palette being touted by groups such as ColorMix 08 found at Sherwin Williams. Not all palettes are bold, you can also enjoy a wonderful soothing palette of colors that have a peachy hint of a base color to warm them up.

The difference with today’s houses and painted walls are the furniture pieces that sit in the rooms that we find are mostly in the dark tones with classic clean lines. Framed art is also a way to create a new look and the wood frames have replaced the faux gilded frames from the past with a fresh and clean look that sits well on any wall color.

For guidance on what color to paint walls, take inspiration from your art. If you have a fabulous key piece that you really like, select a color from the piece of art, and use that as the background color or inspiration accent color for your room. If you are not confident putting bold colors on walls, you don’t have to paint the wall that color, but how about placing some lovely accent pillows in the accent tone on your sofa or chair? Or add an urn or other decorative object in that color. Add a thick faux mink throw draped over the arm of a sofa or chair, and your look says, “Come and sit – enjoy!”

You can also take inspiration from nature or a journey you have taken to another country where the culture of color inspires you! Get inspired by the costumes, the food palette, and buildings.

When looking at nature, notice how blues and greens blend together, and a pop of color such as yellow, red, purple, or pink give a special touch and draw the eye, much like a blossom of a flowering shrub captures your attention.

If you are looking to achieve a fresh look for your “tired” interior, consider the services of a Home Staging professional that can apply their “Staging to Live” techniques in your home. Unlike designers or decorators that will try to sell you on expensive new furnishings (as they typically make their profit on the margin of wholesale to retail cost), an ASP Stager will use what you have, apply a fresh set of skilled eyes to your room, and refresh your interior with their creativity.

For more information on how to take your home from frumpy to fabulous while sticking to your budget, give us a call! We’d be happy to provide an in-home Staging to Live Plan where you can do the work or we can help you transform you home, passing along our discounts and savings to you.

Call We Stage Sacramento at 888-WE-STAGE or (916)768-1662 http://www.westagesacramento.com/


Here are some tips from pros on the Color Trends for 2008-2009*:


Purple - in fashion and home, purple is the front runner of color.
Yellow - Yellow is the new orange! Orange will still remain with a presence, but not quite as hot as yellow.
Blues - varying shades from soft spa blues to robin’s egg blues to deep sea blues. Many nature inspired blues.
Greens - with all of the buzz about the environment, natural greens are making their way into the home
Browns -look great with other hot colors, especially the softer colors where black would be too harsh.


Home Accessory Trends - These trends allow you to maintain a conservative color base (neutral floors and walls) while playing with punches of color. These accessories can be replaced annually giving you a complete new look without a huge investment.


  • Bright colors - yellows, deep spicy reds, deep sea blues

  • Bold stripes - mainly thin multi stripes

  • Large scale patterns - big bright oversized florals, animal prints are still hanging around

  • Metallics - are still here contrary to previous forecasts. Perhaps the addition of pearl finishes and continued success of mirrored finishes are helping the metallic finishes stay around. Metal finishes are leaning more towards patina finishes rather than bright, shiny finishes.


Kitchen Trends



  • Wall colors - either soft colors to compliment any cabinet color whether it be stained light finishes or dark finishes or painted color or bright bold colors to add life and punch to your kitchen walls.

  • Backsplashes - adding a backsplash can give you an updated and stylish face lift to your kitchen

  • Cabinets - New multilayered finishes are taking center stage with painted finishes, distressing, glazes and rub through finish techniques.


Tile Trends



  • Metals - copper and stainless tiles compliment appliances, countertops in traditional and contemporary kitchens and baths.

  • Glass - glass accents from mosaics, to single accents, to full walls and backsplashes in glass tiles

  • Faux hardwood tiles - these tiles are great for rooms with a lot of water and moisture where hardwood might not be the most practical choice.

  • Window frames - a new trend is to remove a pictures window casing and replace with tile.


*Source: 2008 Color Trends February 28, 2008 – Floor Talk Online