Decorating Trends

Decorating in the new millennium is about Balance.  Just as we are striving to achieve balance in our lives between work and home, career and family, up time and downtime, we also want to create balance in our living environment.  Most specifically we want to create balance with nature, to create a space for our families and ourselves that fits within the overall scheme of things.  In this respect we are attempting to create an atmosphere of Zen within our home.  Decorating in the new millennium is also about identifying our personal style - or styles since we are multi-dimensional human beings - and expressing it in our living environment.  We are at last free to celebrate our individuality and uniqueness - in as many different flavors as we like.  In this era of world globalization and awareness, there is an emphasis on mixing old and new periods of styling together.  This is called eclecticism.  It is a very personal way to decorate which means that several styles and directions have been blended together to create a result that is the perfect expression of You. At a time where everything old is new again, we also have a renewed appreciation for lost arts and skills.  Today is a time of renaissance for arts and handicrafts of every sort, from painting to weaving to glassblowing to hand forging.

Gone are the glitz and glamour of the "Age of Excess" 80's; gone is the "Downward Mobility" and Shabby Chic mentality of the early 90's (although it's always in style to find a great bargain!).  With the beginning of a new century we have entered into a period of optimism tempered by maturity and sagacity.  We have entered into an era of freedom of expression tempered with responsibility that results from an awareness of the effect we have on our environment and an awareness of our role on the planet.  Because of this we have a great need for balance in all aspects of our lives.  And maybe, just maybe, in this period of Zen, in this time of seeking balance within ourselves, of seeking balance between nature and ourselves maybe we'll take a moment at last to stop and smell the roses.

What You Need to Know Now About Decorating

The three most important aspects of decorating a room are color, texture and scale.  Below is a brief overview and general "how to":

Color affects our mood and general sense of well-being.  And with our newly found freedom of expression in decorating comes a multi-directional color palette:

The Nature Palette

The colors of the Nature palette are a direct reflection of our appreciation for nature and the world we live in.  We are bringing the outdoors in with herb and spice colors, tree bark grays and browns, sea and sky blues.  Mountain mist and evening dusk evoke pale violets and wispy ephemeral colors of the atmosphere.  This palette includes the rich mineral colors of the earth and the luscious reds, yellows and golds of flower gardens.

The New Naturals

That's what we call the lovely, young and fresh "pastel" colors that are too bright to be called pastel but aren't exactly intense enough to be called bright.  These colors have more kick than their pastel forebears and stand on their own as the "New Naturals".  No longer does natural describe white and beige.  Natural today includes everything from rose red to butter yellow to periwinkle blue to grass green.  Of course, there's still a palette of whites, grays and browns for those who prefer white, gray and brown.  As I said before, decorating today is about expressing individuality and about balance.  So where there's chocolate there must be vanilla and raspberry sorbet.