Color Trends: The Hues, The Influences, The Effects

Color Trends: The Hues, The Influences, The Effects

From great escapes to the great outdoors, Sherwin-Williams color trends forecast for 2006 unites close-to-home comfort with world-view attitude to create a palette rich with potential. In fact, says Sheri Thompson, Sherwin-Williams director of color marketing and design, the four trend categories for 2006 can serve as the springboard for countless home décor schemes and themes.

Travel and Escapism
Whether it’s through the big screen, the television screen or the computer screen functioning as their window on the world, consumers are increasingly able to get away from it all without ever leaving home. “You may not always be able to take a great vacation, but that doesn’t mean your home can’t become a refreshing destination at the end of each day,” says Thompson. A palette of rich, saturated shades of coral, pear, and topaz, green and warm brown - hues you might find on a Tuscan hillside, on the Serengeti Plain or at a Moroccan bazaar - add to the getaway attitude. Décor themes based on faraway places such as Europe, Asia and Africa are the ticket to escapism, even if that escape is only to your living room or den.

Luxury and Glamour
This trend category, says Thompson, is all about sensory input. “It’s a focus on ornamentation and embellishment represented in a tasteful, sophisticated manner,” she says. Think of elegant old-world Flemish tapestries to visualize colors in this trend category: rose, Turkish coffee, plum, taupe and silvery gray. Other textile elements include opulent fabrics such as velvet, silk and damask complement polished glass, marble and metallic surfaces, while jewelry influences of pearl, yellow gold and gemstones add shimmer and sparkle.

Relaxed Retreat/Spa Experience
Soothing as the sound of flowing water and tranquil as a blue sky, the Relaxed Retreat/Spa Experience speaks of our need for privacy in an increasingly 24/7, “always on” world. Like an afternoon nap or the taste of honey and lemon in your tea, Relaxed Retreat/Spa Experience is a respite from being too connected too often. Creating a spa experience in your own home can mean transforming an entire space - or just the corner of a room - with soft sounds, soft fabrics and soft colors such as palest peach, spring-fresh green, sandy yellow, and watery blue.

Indoors Out/Nature
Even though we can’t live outdoors year ’round, we like having a sense of nature in our homes, says Thompson. The colors of nature - clear blue, loamy brown and night-sky indigo - united with shades echoing minerals and organic materials, including touches of coral and jade, deliver a gentle transition from outdoors to indoors.

The line between indoors and outdoors is further blurred by incorporating natural elements such as wicker, rattan and bamboo into home décor schemes. Floral and botanical prints and patterns extend the nature influence to window treatments, upholstery and rugs, while organic materials such as stone and wood bring variety and texture to surfaces.

Sherwin-Williams is the nation’s largest specialty retailer of paint, stains, coatings, wall coverings and associated supplies and sundry items. With more than 3,000 stores in North America, the company is dedicated to supporting the do-it-yourself consumer with specialized products, superior technical knowledge and one-on-one, personalized service that’s focused on the do-it-yourselfer’s unique project needs. Sherwin-Williams brand-name products can only be found at Sherwin-Williams stores. 1-800-4-SHERWIN (1-800-474-3794) for the nearest location.