Every year, professional forecasters predict the colors that will dominate everything from appliances to fashion to window treatments. By trying to accurately read the "mood" of the country, forecasters note behavioral trends and associated color preferences.

According to Margaret Walch, director of the Color Association of the U.S. "Color is a highly subjective, intuitive, irrational kind of choice. So if you have all the world rushing toward pink, including men, that would be highly indicative of something, such as a wish to return to more secure times. The economy is on people's minds, and you're seeing men wearing that pink Brooks Brothers buttoned-down look from the '50s. Similarly, a current passion for purple, "the color of the mind," reflects the cyberworld of the new millennium."

What's ahead? Top color expert, Leatrice Eiseman reveals what her picks are for the colors you'll see everywhere in 2007. Eiseman is executive director of the Pantone Color Institute and director of the Eiseman Center for Color Information and Training and has been selected by Fortune magazine as one of America's top eight decision-makers.  

Top Color Picks:


• Simply Elegant: "This is a prime example of the marriage of traditional and modern-day looks, with the unexpected blends of mahogany and silvered mink, silvery blues, elegant purples and deep bronzed tones set off by the glint of pale gold, frosty almond and copper."


• Classic Chic: "Tasteful tones are always in style. Here are glittery looks, a kind of glitz. Gray flannel is the fabric of the year-particularly soft gray. The year 2007 will be going into more grays in housewares and elsewhere. Plus, there's a little ripple of excitement provided by mineralized yellow. A classic palette would not be complete without black and white, often used with cappuccino brown."


• Lumens: "Here are luminous finishes interspersed with multi-faceted hues. In addition, I can't say strongly enough that bright white is a leading trend for 2007. People say white isn't a color, but the human eye perceives it as such. It's a very strong trend in fashion and the bridal industry as well as housewares with personal-care appliances and its concept of hygiene and cleanliness. This is also reflected in the stage musical, 'The Woman in White,' and the films 'The White Countess' and 'The Chronicles of Narnia' with its White Witch. White is a total tranquilizer for a tumultuous world."


• Mélange: "This is flavored by melon, apricot, strawberry and orange. The orange phenomenon is not going away for 2007, but there will be an infusion of blues, a toasty tan, a vibrant poppy red-all well grounded by a rustic khaki."


• Aux Naturale: "These are basic neutral colors, beiges and taupes, denim-like blues and chocolate browns. The kids' market reflect the natural look with browns in the movies, 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,' 'Curious George' (who is brown), 'Wallace and Gromit' and 'Cars,' in which a brown car is the star. There are also browns in children's clothing and the toy market."


• Grass Roots: "This starts with a variation on a green theme, moving on to mineral blue and various wood tones enhanced by unexpected mixes including grape, rose and terra cotta."


• Fresh Air: "The dictionary defines something fresh as that which is 'refreshingly different from what has been done previously.' These colors are real eye-catchers-vibrant yellow and yellow-greens, purples and violets, sky blues and snowy whites."


• Light Touch: "These are soft colors that many people want in their homes for a 'quieter' look in an increasingly noisy world. Modernizing a pastel palette can be easily done by re-inventing colors and combinations such as foamy aquas and greens, pinks and lavenders, powdery blues, and infusing them with a touch of champagne or a silvery gray."

Thus, color trends for 2007 emphasize a combination of change, transformation, and shift. According to color experts, the calming trend of color over the last few seasons will continue in 2007. The search for the perfect balance between fun and escapism, along with simplicity and moderation, is always a challenge, but the colors of 2007 promise to provide the perfect compromise between the two.

As a member of the ASID http://www.asid.org/ we continually have access to the latest trends in the market place. We have been showcased with HGTV and Better Home & Garden giving us unlimited access to the most talented designers in the country.

Creating Color Effects

Color surrounds us and affects nearly every aspect of our lives-it is the single most important factor in creating spaces that reflect individual mood and style. We are soothed by certain colors and stimulated by others. We use color to describe our world-- to change a house into a home. Since the human eye can perceive millions of different colors deciding on the best colors to decorate your home is no simple task. Even if you limit your choice to one color family, there are still thousands of variations to choose from. So it's important to understand the effects of the temperature of color, how light affects color as well as the effects that juxtaposed and complementary colors can create.

A color is categorized as cool or warm depending on its place in the color spectrum. Warm colors promote a feeling of warmth in a room. They tend to advance space and are used to make walls appear closer. Cool colors seem to enlarge the space in a room by making the walls appear further away. Red, orange and yellow are examples of warm colors, while violet and blue are classified cool colors. Green is known as the most neutral color. While just about everyone is familiar with the magic formula that "warm colors advance and cool colors recede," creating color effects is also dependent upon value (lightness or darkness) and intensity (saturation or purity) in addition to temperature. For example, a bold green or blue can advance space or make a room seem smaller while a subtle red or pale yellow can create a sense of greater space.

Color complements are those colors that intensify each other and are directly opposite each other on the color wheel. Each warm color has a cool color as its complement. Complementary colors create contrast in a room to effectively balance and liven up the space. For instance, if you use red and green together in a room, each color will appear more intense than when used alone.
Light can play tricks on the way we perceive color as well. One corner of a room painted blue for example, may appear to be a different shade from the rest of the room because colors reflect light, which changes its appearance.

• Red: power, passion, courage, vitality, excitement, strength, speed, love, heart and warmth.


• Yellow: light, cheer, sunlight, happiness, creativity, confidence, self-esteem, intellect, innovation.


• Blue: caring, devotion, trust, wisdom, peacefulness, serenity, loyalty, truth, coolness, harmony.


• Green: nature, fresh, growth, abundance, life, youth, renewal, hope, fertility, peace, balance.


• Orange: energy, warmth, contentment, fruitfulness, strength, security, sensuality, abundance.


• White: pure light, energy, truth, perfection, serenity, harmony, loyalty, sincerity, clarity.


• Black: formal, reserved, drive, dignity, reliability, authority, power, prudence, wisdom, glamour.

Remember, when choosing your decorating colors, it is important to consider not only how those colors will affect your space but also the effects that the colors will have on the people living there.