Dare to Dream

Decorating Trends for 2012 for Your Dream Home

Vibrant! Muted! Floral! Tone-on-tone! Dark! Light! Textured! Smooth!

Which is it? We all hold a vision of our Dream Home in our imagination, from colors to themes to styles, and it is always interesting to explore those different ideas with one another. Although industry experts set the tone and trend for everything from home décor to fashion to electronics in our retail world, for each of us, it will still boil down to what we like and how we want our home to look and feel.

It’s 2012, and there are bold trends in design taking shape for our Leap Year. With the economy keeping more of us at home, style and design are dishing out comfort and relaxation, with a side of luxury. Vibrant colors and exotic materials allow us to personalize and customize our personal space. After reviewing the ideas, suggestions and immense creativity put forth by interior design professionals for the 2012 design year, we have a few things to share with you in our January issues.

Color: Color is absolutely key to whatever style or theme you are working towards. The muted, neutral or natural hues never seem to go out of style, and this year will be no different.  Variations of gray, warm whites, soft ivories, light taupes, and comfortable browns are suggested as main theme colors. To make your rooms really pop, this year’s accent colors are bold and vibrant. Consider mixing your colors to produce various effects. For drama, mix vivid shades, such as red and mustard yellow (get creative!), and don’t avoid the neons–they are back in full force!  If you already have bold colors and wish to soften their impact, add accent pieces in whites and soft grays. You will always achieve a more relaxing atmosphere when you use softer shades. Bold and soft make a great combination.

Suggested color schemes for 2012 include light gray, white and pink/red; cream and brown; light blue and gray; gold and white; black and tan; lavender and white; orange and gray; emerald and white.  In fact, jewel tones are encouraged as accent colors, such as ruby, sapphire, emerald, amethyst and golden yellow or citrine.

Colors are said to be reflective of different aspects of our personalities: red says you are impulsive and highly energetic, orange indicates that you are somewhat conservative, blue means you are calm, pink says you are spontaneous and playful. Dare to show some flare by adding your own personality’s colors to your scheme.

As an accent, gold has not gone out of style, and still adds elegance and glamor. Minimize its opulence by using matte, antique shades of color and fabric.

Style: Designers are indicating both chic design style AND comfort this year. This seems to translate to furnishings that are a combination of beautiful, luxurious, soft and welcoming! Shall we call it Unique Chic or perhaps Comfort Chic?

For you romantics, the Romantic style is still hanging in there and, according to the experts, will never go out of fashion. Paint in varying soft shades of pink, fabrics in white and floral prints, airy, flowing drapes and curtains, natural wood flooring with soft throw rugs, vases of fresh flowers…it is a lovely and timeless theme.

Fabrics: This year, trends include fabrics and textures with iridescentmetallic thread woven into it, modern floral prints, bold colors, strong patterns, velour, velvet and faux fur. The woven fabric s are very traditional, and include herringbone, houndstooth, plaid and tweed. Natural fibers will continue to be popular, such as silk, bamboo, cotton and cork. These naturals will also make a showing in wallcoverings and wallpapers, and some wallpaper will sport natural motifs, such as trees, branches and leaves.  Wall murals are still “in” this year as well.

If you didn’t already have a dream for your house, perhaps these ideas from the design professionals have started your creative juices flowing. Next issue, we’ll share the 2012 design trends and suggestions for furniture and accessories, to hopefully complete your lovely dream package!