Color Trends

In Kiki Titterud's post Trend Tuesday: Bring Bright Hues into Fall with a Bang, she shared 5 ideas for how to decorate your home with this year's hottest color scheme. The trend for bright colors continue to be a favorite as we move into the Holiday season.

Find out how to Brighten Up Your Holiday with this trend of punchy, optimistic colors.

Bright colors are everywhere and we all seem to be attracted to these optimistic hues. But how do you work bright colors into a color scheme? Here are 5 trendy tips for punching up your color and keeping your interiors happy and bright.

Bring Bright Hues Into Your Home Beautifully.

While you might not recognize the name ICI or their parent company AkzoNobel you are probably familiar with their many paint brands: Glidden, Ralph Lauren, Dulux, Devoe Paint, Fresh Aire and UltraHide to name a few.

Each year they select one color that represents a global perspective of the many influences on color direction. This year they have named Icy Blue as their Color of the Year for 2010.

Find out why ICI thinks Icy Blue best represents the direction of color for 2010.

Blue is the New Green - Various greens have symbolized "green" living over the last couple of years, but in 2009 the "green" environmental message comes to us through the color blue. There are watery blues, sky blues and a whole range of blues that speak to us about living on a greener planet.

Fashion
Cobalt, indigo, peacock, turquoise, even super-hero blue - thanks in part to the recent opening of a show dedicated to super-hero-inspired fashion at the Costume Institute in NYC - are making a splash throughout fashion.

Yves Klein International Blue, last seen in the early 80s, is once again being reincarnated. The color, which many call the only patented color is being trotted down the runways in every major fashion capital worldwide.

Home
In all areas of décor for Europe and North America, blues that remind us of sky and water -- inspired by environmentalism -- remain prominent, even in the kitchen.

New is the emergence of a much blacker blue inspired by technology -- a deep, vibrant navy so dark it almost looks black.

In North America cobalt blue will update a traditional blue and white palette

Automotive
Continues to rise in popularity in both Europe and North America and includes a range from icy to navy blue.

Food
The color blue is the color least commonly occurring naturally in the foods we eat however consumption of blueberries have been on the rise as consumers become aware of the antioxident benefits.

Sales of bolder cheeses are on the rise with blue cheese posting a significant increase.

Purple has been called the "it" color or the "hottest" hue for more than a year but purple continues to reign supreme as the go-to color for fall and holiday. This passionate hue has held its own as a color trend with longevity in the market.

Purple has the ability to combine beautifully with other colors to produce many unique color combinations because it is the perfect blend of both the warm, stimulating qualities of red and the cool, calming effect of blue. It can be subtle and sophisticated, or powerful and punchy.

See how beautifully purple works in these color schemes and combinations for home interiors."

Purple, Purple, Purple! - Emerging as a hot fashion color last fall, purple is now not a fad: it's an entrenched trend, strongly influenced by the election. ( After all, red plus blue equals purple.) There is a greyed-out violet that works equally well as an accent or a neutral. But there are also redder, plummier purples and bluer-influenced fuchsias in a huge range of products.

The Return of the "M" Word - It's mauve. An old color that looks new again, in dusty violet shades, mauve works as an accent but also serves now as a neutral, punched up by those bright Asian accents (orange, turquoise, teal, red, and yellow.)

Fashion
The runways for Fall were overflowing with intense shades of purple and violets, showing up at Proenza Schouler, Emilio Pucci, Halston and Versace, to name just a few.

Automotive
Purple hues are being used in unexpected ways such as in interior, accent lighting or blended with silver.

Food
Purple in fruits and vegetables is often the result of the anthocyanins, which act as very powerful antioxidants, grabbing and holding onto harmful free radicals in the body.

Is it our natural desire to surround ourselves with luxury or might it be our attraction to the glamorous Hollywood lifestyle or maybe it's the sparkle and shine of precious metals? Whatever the answer now more than ever metallics have caught our fancy.

See how metallics are showing up in both expected and unexpected places with a new take on luxe when everything from luxury automobiles to home accessories to makeup has us getting 'All Dressed Up in Metallic'

Fashion
Gold, bronze and copper for fashion and accessories are more glamorous then ever. Glittery and shiny versions of these metal finishes work to wake up an outfit, while matte tones can work beautifully as a neutral.

Home
Advances in technology have made specialized finishes really hot and after so many years of shimmery silver and brushed chrome or nickel, warmer metallics prevail as gold, bronze and copper hardware look fresh again as the choice accent metal for home.

Automotive
In Asia Pacific slightly brighter shades or muted, iridescent and silky effects enhance silver and gray where in North America the hue has hints of cool gold, orange, blue, purple or pink.

White is now a Business Color - Because there are so many new finishes available, white is showing up everywhere, even in corporate board rooms. The contrasts are all in the finishes: matte versus gloss; shine and shimmer on reflective surfaces; textured whites versus smooth. It's all washable and cleanable and looks very new now. It also represents purity of thought, of motive and of result, which is what we want from businesses now.

Fashion
Off-whites, sandy and linen-y colors all keep white fresh on the runway year round.

Home
White has taken on a futuristic and progressive image worldwide. It is regarded as timeless and combines easily with other colours or tone on tone with muted shades of toned white or beige.

Automotive
Pearl white is popular and evokes luxury, especially in Asia Pacific. In North America the hue shifts slightly golden and there is more interest in matte finishes. In Europe white speaks of purity and clarity while the palest pastels take white to a luxurious new level.

Food
A new milk from cows milked at the break of dawn and is naturally high in melatonin is making waves in Japan

Fashion
Graphic black and white patterns of floral, geometrics and spirals were seen at Gucci, L.A.M.B. and Fendi. Menswear-inspired, two-toned pinstripe waistcoats by John Galliano, black and white laced up oxford high heels at Alexander Wang and boy-meets-girl suits at Ann Demeulemeester all lend themselves to the power of black and white.

Automotive
A classic color reborn with the new technologies and dimensional effects in all markets.

Food
Having made the move from specialty store to supermarket, designer salts now are found in a whole host of colors ranging from bright white to pink or purple to black.

Fashion
Soil colors in the brownish-green range - the colors of nature - are seriously fashionable now.

Automotive
While not a major color player but as the color of ecology it gains added acceptance when blended with blue in both Europe and North America.

Food
Leafy greens are gobbled up for their health benefits but in the world of food green also refers to more widespread, creative and environmentally friendly ways of producing and packaging foods.

Fashion
Red, the color of passion, has been heating up both catwalks and red carpet events this past year. Like a ruby in a crown, or a carpet in the Maharaja's palace, red remains a key color in 2008/2009.

Automotive
Red is still a hot color that says sexy and sporty.

Food
Look for lots of red as high-nutrient "superfruits" such as açaí, goji berries, pomegranates and yumberries go mainstream.

Tomatoes and other lycopene-rich foods protects against prostate and other cancers, as well and heart and lung disease.

Yellow for Energy - But look for lots and lots of bright vivid yellow to give us energy as we re-build the economy. It's the stand-out accent color for next year.

Fashion
Yellow was the 'it' color for Spring and the lemony lusciousness isn't limited just to women or to dresses. Men are wearing yellow! Yellow nail polish is finding its way to the mainstream. And yellow accessories are popping up more places than daffodils.

Home
In North America bright true yellow is one of the hottest accent colors of the year for home. This sunny and positive color is being seen on everything from kitchen appliances to luxurious bedding and accessories for outdoor living

Automotive
While bright yellow is seldom seen on the street, golden infused hues are warming up the exterior of many models.

Food
Tumeric, a root from the ginger family, provides a yellow colorant as the demand natural continues to increase.

For the latest color trend and forecast information for 2010 visit my lens 'Color Trends 2010'

What most people don't realize is that in order to determine what colors will resonate with consumers color professionals must understand the psychological, cultural, socio-economic, art, media, fashion and entertainment influence from around the globe and how they effect the way people feel about color.

Briefly, here is the process:

Every year professionals working independently as well as for a diverse range of companies meet to discuss the direction they see color taking now and for the future.

Each color forecaster presents the colors they believe will be the ones that will appeal to consumers over the next couple years as well as their reasoning behind recommending these colors.

Then the fun begins as this group of very creative and sometimes very opinionated professionals debate the color choices until they reach a concensus on the colors that will be presented in the final palette that is then shared with thousands of retailers, home furnishing designers and manufacturers.

I am a member of Color Marketing Group the most widely recognized professional organizations that actively follow color directions and publish color trend reports based on the input of their member:

Here's why I recommend the Color Marketing Group