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New Color Forecasts

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As an interior designer, color is an important part of my life. From as far back as I can remember, I've been intrigued by color. Even my dreams are filled with rich, vibrant color! So I always look forward to each season’s new color forecasts. For fall 2011 through winter 2012, there's a burst of new seasonal tones. The premier color forecast organization, The Color Marketing Group, recently met in Taipei for their conference. The two most-important colors they've chosen are Limbu and Bolt.

Limbu is a truly luminous color of yellow that simply glows. Symbolic of celestial light and earthly fire, yellow, the elixir of life, has been chosen to bridge cultures and act as a directional beacon for a world seemingly in chaos. The color will enhance and define space, internal and external, physical and sensorial. Yellow can span time and reconnect us with our ancestry and values of the past. It's a color that can help set our minds free and bridge the gap between art and design. It's provocative and often associated with joy, radiance, and intellect. Its mineral association is with the metal most treasured by humans…gold.

Bolt is a cobalt-inspired blue, the traditional mourning color, particularly for the Chinese. With its deep tones, it's the perfect accent to highlight a fresh, optimistic palette that sees tradition as secondary to modern thinking. It's a dynamic color that exceeds our expectations with energy and depth. In the Western world, this color has connotations of spirituality, loyalty, and substance — the perfect anchor for today’s challenging times.

Orange Fall

With neutral foundations like grey, bolder colors will provide fresh accents. Coral, turquoise, reds, pinks, and oranges will gain popularity. Shimmery accessories for the home will also add beautiful compliments to our rooms. From the world of fashion clothing, we'll see pleating making a name for itself within our homes as well. And, of course, it's the time of year to begin bringing the outdoors in with a burst of flora and flowers in fabrics, rugs, and wallpaper. Yes, wallpaper is making a comeback, too!

Elegant color combinations continue with black and grey, black and silver, light blue and grey, emerald and white, gold and white, orange and grey, lavender and white, and tan and black. You can also mix styles using a minimalist interior with accent-furniture elements, like an art nouveau armchair in neutral, natural colors such as black leather or cinnamon velvet.

Whether your choice is bold or subtle, fresh or classic, I look forward to mixing patterns and colors in timeless ways to create unique and individual styles for you and all my clients this season.

Be blessed and inspired,

—Sharon Hanby-Robie, ASID