Color Trends

With the beginning of a new year, I am reflecting on how the holidays always introduce more bright colors into our homes. Have you ever wondered why we only welcome all that color—as if we have opened the flood gates and let it wash over our lives—during the holidays? Think about it. Here we are during the end-of-year festivities knowing full well that the newspapers, stores, and clothing purveyors will be treating us to a similar color blow-out for Valentine’s Day, Easter, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and then back to Christmas, Hanukah and Kwanza in 2010. The retail cycle even includes the proverbial “White Sales” of January, as though all that abundance of color needs to be washed away once a year so as not to infect us with some “multiple color illness.”

No doubt there are well-researched anthropologic and social reasons but perhaps some of the common sense reasons for seasonal color use would be that color is used to stop us, startle us and encourage us to celebrate. Imagine more primitive cultures awash in a sea of brown from the trees, the earth and simply-woven fabrics. Although bright colors would have been less available than they are in our modern manufacturing society, they were found throughout nature in rocks, shells, feathers and botanical leaves and flowers: all these sources have been used for centuries in celebration of seasonal festivities.

However, seasonal use of color is not the only time we are using color in this decade. We seem to be wanting to “stop, startle and celebrate” at other times of the year as well. Home designers, urban developers, clothing and fabric designers are also following the trend toward more color. One supplier advertises over 150 colors that can be used to paint or stain their furniture.

Youth Bedroom Groups

As you browse our website you will see evidence of this trend. Red sofas remain popular in either fabric or leather. Three of our new youth bedroom groups use multiple colors: one even includes a choice of drawer fronts that can be exchanged with the season—or according to child’s preference. Another noticeable trend is toward colors that sparkle or include some element of iridescence. In fabric you will find silk or polyester woven in to give a sparkle to the overall sheen. The sparkle can be minimal or the entire fabric can “shimmer.”

Window Treatments

Although the dominant trend in window treatments is toward simpler shades that provide sun control and privacy, we have seen a marked increase of roman shades which provides both a minimalist window treatment that can also include color. Customers who want to “jazz it up” a little more will add beading or decorative cord to the bottom of shades both to reflect light and coordinate with the room’s furnishings.

You too might think about adding color to your decorating plans. Whether painting walls, adding a youth bed, or choosing fabric for a new sofa, the colors you choose will be affecting you for a long time. Let the salespeople at House of Oak & Sofas give you some free recommendations for your next project.

Merle Wenger