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| xzortic interiors |
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THERE’S A SAYING in the design world that every wall is
a blank canvas. But if your walls have been looking just a little too,
well, blank lately, take heart, because design showrooms are newly awash
in rich colors, unexpected textures, and bold patterns that the average
homeowner can appropriate. “I think people are trying to be a little
more creative with their space and have a little more fun with it,” says
Erin Davis, showroom manager at
EcoModern Design in the Boston Design Center.
“Playing with the wall surface creates a more dynamic space.” When
there’s something unexpected on the walls or even — the latest
vogue — on the ceiling, Davis adds, the room achieves a more layered
look that draws the eye around.
Here, a few of the freshest ideas.
1. TRY A FASHIONABLE COLOR
For decades now, beiges have been the neutral of choice — they go
with anything and, as a backdrop, allow furnishings to shine. And though
these shades will still be around, they are no longer the blah light
tans that some designers term “contractor’s beige” for their generic
ubiquity in new construction. The trend is toward more natural shades
like “bone sand” and sepia, according to New Jersey-based Pantone, whose
color-matching system is used throughout the design industry.
But
even more, beiges are being nudged out of the spotlight by shades of
gray and the colors that complement them, from gray-blues to navies to
“warmer, tropical, watery blues with a touch of green,” according to the
Color Marketing Group
in Alexandria, Virginia, which analyzes and predicts fashions in color.
“This is not your grandmother’s baby blue,” says Betty Wheeler, an
interior designer at Home Decor Group in Peabody. “It’s a stronger, bolder blue working off of a silvery gray or even a deep gray.”
Even
black is making a surprise appearance, lending an air of old Hollywood
to dining rooms, bedrooms, and hallways, particularly when paired with
white woodwork and accessories. “Black is definitely a trend,” says
Jackie Jordan, director of color marketing for
Sherwin-Williams in Dallas. “People think it will close the room in, but it has the opposite effect.”
Metallics, too, are part of the luxe look. “To me, metallics come off
as a classic,” says Davis, “though you obviously don’t want to have
everything in the room metallic.”
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| xzortic interiors |
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