Color Trends – Part 1

It might have to do with my minor-ish magazine addiction (my family would say it’s major and my recycler would probably agree!), but it seems every home and fashion magazine I read is talking about the “hottest” new colors.

While I was cleaning out my magazine drawers (yes drawers!), and organizing them by month with the most recent month on top, I noticed something. All of my magazines from Traditional Home, Veranda, House Beautiful, Elle Décor, and Better Homes and Gardens to InStyle, Lucky, Allure, Ladies Home Journal and Health (this is just a sampling because like I said – slight addiction) had one thing in common: they all had some varying degree of reds, corals, pinks and purples on their title lines. Coincidence? Of course not.

So…Who are these color people that decide this stuff anyhow? They are part designers, part sociologists and part forecasters. They glean information from fashion runways, car manufacturers and the home goods industry. They visit showrooms, attend trade shows and scour magazines for trends. They consider what is happening culturally and how this impacts our collective mood as a nation. Then they take all of this information and translate it into the colors that you will be buying in the coming year. Fun right? So while you’re trying to decide where you are going to take your family on vacation next summer, they are deciding what will be the color of your bathing suits, towels and deck cushions.

Before we get too deep into our color discussion, let me say that I tend not to fall for too much of the whole color trend mumbo jumbo. For the most part I can tell you that like most of you; I like what I like and don’t like what I don’t like regardless of what some color forecaster says. However, there is no denying that if you like let’s say blue, the shades of blue that are available are different from year to year. And what colors you combine your blues with will vary also.

Can you guess what the “It” color is for 2011? You guessed it if you said some variation on pink. That’s right, you heard me. Pink. Well not just pink – Honeysuckle. It’s not just for your daughters’ nursery anymore. In fact, the attributes they give to this color are, according to Pantone, “Courageous. Confident. Vital. A brave new color, for a brave new world. Let the bold spirit of Honeysuckle infuse you, lift you and carry you through the year. It’s a color for every day – with nothing ‘everyday’ about it.” Sweet, but with punch. Just like my daughters.

Don’t be upset if your favorite color didn’t get chosen this year. Turquoise (2010s “It” color and also the “it” color of the late 90s), lighter blues, bright yellows, lime greens and oranges are still very much on trend. And if you don’t have any of those colors in your home, well we can discuss how to incorporate some of them in Part 2…
And don’t forget to leave me feedback, comments, pictures, etc.
Thanks for visiting my Head Space.

Fast & Inexpensive Kitchen Update – Focus on Cabinets

Having family and friends for the holidays and not too happy with the state of your kitchen? Here are some quick, easy and relatively inexpensive updates you can make to your cabinets to give it a fresh, new look.

1. The easiest change you can make by far is updating your cabinet hardware. Go drastic. Are your current knobs old fashioned and country? Try modern and funky. Don't have hardware? Just drill holes into your cabinet and add them. You'll be surprised what a difference this will instantly make.

2. Paint your cabinet doors – yes just the doors. It requires a little bit more time and effort (sanding and priming are essential steps), but the results can be dramatic. If your cabinets are in the otherwise good shape, painting them can boost their appeal instantly. The contrast with the rest of the cabinets can be striking. The opposite is also true – if you paint only the cabinets you can achieve a similar look.

3. A few other tricks to try with your doors – if they are paneled you can paint just the inside or outside of the panel. You can also remove the panel and add glass or chicken wire. If they are flat doors you can easily add a simple molding to give it a more finished look.

4. If you have the time and inclination, paint the entire cabinet. Pick a color that compliments the style and look of your home. Right now, anything goes. But light, creamy ivories are a good bet. They will instantly brighten your kitchen and will go in just about any style home. And feel free to use two colors – one on the upper cabinets and something complimentary with maybe more color or a deeper color on the bottom.

5. Remove upper cabinets altogether. Clear out all of you unnecessary kitchen items. You may find you need all of that storage. Removing upper cabinets can dramatically open up a kitchen. In some cases, you may be able to replace some of the cabinets with open shelving. You can display your dishes and glassware there – or even neatly stacked dry items. You can also hang pots and utensils on the wall – which makes it visually interesting and functional.

Make sure you remove the doors before painting. Wipe down, sand, clean and then prime cabinets and doors before painting. Make sure you use at least an eggshell or semi-gloss paint. Please arm yourself with good tools and do some research. Talk to experts – Lowes and Home Depot are great resources.

Good luck and enjoy the process! And post your comments and pictures too - would love to hear from you.