Newport Daily News
Home & Garden-Spring 2008

It’s a new year. Could it be time for a new look? “Can you imagine if you went into Pottery Barn and, year after year, thy showed the same look and the same colors all the time? There wouldn’t be much to look at,” said Lea trice Eiserman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute and author of “More Alive with Color.”

It’s the same with your home. Even if you decorated just last year, it’s smart to continually refresh your space-not to follow fads slavishly, but to feel renewed instead of tired when looking at your surroundings.

Whether you’re furnishing an empty estate or just want to update pillows and place mats, you can benefit from the guidance of professional color forecasters who annually create “palettes” or groupings of the hottest coordinated shades.

Retailers and manufacturers pay close attention to these forecasts, so chances are these are the color schemes you’ll find in stores all year.

Eiserman continually examines what interest and influences people to determine the biggest treads for the coming years, each of which translates into colors. She narrows the infinite range of the rainbow down to eight palettes of eight or nine hues each, including neutrals, designed to spark the imagination of a wide variety of people.

Another spin on the direction 2008 will take comes from paint company Benjamin Moore’s annual color treads report. Their 21 picks are divided into three categories- the ethereal Modern Tranquility, earthy Organic Comforts and striking Pure Opulence…..that the company said can be mixed and matched even across palettes.

Benjamin Moore also predicts three of those cools will be the hottest of the year. Peacock Feathers, Split Pea and Gypsy Pink.

Naturally, each color forecaster reaches unique conclusions, but there’s a surprising amount of overlap….this year, particularly in watery blues, soft neutral, jewel tones and plenty of green.
“There is often a common thread,” said Christine Chow, associate director of The Color Association of the United States, which produces its own list of 44 trendy shades.