Model homes reveal colorful design trends
In the language of color, we're excited, happy and hopeful.
Yes, the color gurus say color reflects how we're feeling. The popular gray may have been cool gray a few years ago, but as the economy has brightened, we're more upbeat about the future, so the gray is warm and welcoming, and we're popping it with vibrant colors.
We're seeing bright blues, greens or chartreuse like the Granny Smith apple, tangerine and hot pink. These are happy colors. Blue is the color of trust and peace; green of balance and growth, a love of nature; yellow is optimistic and cheerful and gold is the color of success, prosperity and prestige.
Interior designers say gray still reigns as the hottest neutral with its soft, warm hues and air of sophistication. We're not talking about the cold and sterile blue-gray, but the friendlier brown-gray, or as Helen Velas, president of Eleni Interiors Inc. in Naperville, likes to refer to the color as greige or even mushroom — because it's a mixture of gray and gold.
In the Aberdeen model home at Lakewood Crossing by Ryland Homes, Velas showcases the neutral with bright green, illustrating the popular trend of mixing gray with pops of bright colors that jump out at you and bring a room to life.
In the Lexington Hills model from Lexington Homes, she displays greige with a yellow area rug and yellow pillows in the living room, introducing the color scheme into the home.
Also, Laura O'Connor, owner of Laura O'Connor Designs in Carpentersville, likes using gray because it allows designers to mix and match with so many different colors. At Fairfield Ridge by K. Hovnanian Homes, O'Connor also uses the gray palette and pops it with yellow.
“It's a very current feel, not trendy, but current and fresh,” she said.
Big news in the world of color is that brass is back in a big way.
With the swing toward a warmer aesthetic, brass is showing up in chandeliers, pendant lights, tables, dressers, chairs, bath and in kitchen fixtures and decorative accessories and even in the fashion industry in jewelry and gold metallic belts, Velas said. “While people are still changing from brass to stainless, designers are already mixing brass with chrome for a warm, fresh look.”
Unlacquered brass and bronze is very popular now, said Elissa Morgante, principal at Morgante Wilson Architects. “We're mixing a warm and cool palette, such as brass with the cooler whites, which is very fresh and contemporary.”
Designers say a fresh take on brass is to use it unlacquered where it ages to a dull luster that is soft and warm. O'Connor agrees.
“We're heading toward mixing metallic and metals, chrome and brass, and the more you mix the better. It's called the retro bling,” she said. “People are reusing brass light fixtures and mixing it with metallic, chrome and brushed chrome.”
Don Stringfield, director of sales and design for Meritus Homes, uses a lot of chrome accents with warm gray, black and white with pops of tangerine in the model at the Greenbrook community. He features glass and chrome coffee and end tables for an elegant look, mixing warm and cool palettes.
Another big trend in interior design is bringing the outdoors inside, so you might see a tree stump as an end table or tree branches as accessories, O'Connor said.
Will we say hello again to avocado that dominated homes in the 1970s? Not quite. It's olive green that reflects the trend toward earthy neutrals. It's rich, organic and feels outdoorsy, Velas said.
Large windows and wall mirrors fill a home with natural light and views of the outdoors — the woods, gardens or mature trees and even wildlife. Adorning the walls with natural scenes and nature photography also create a sense of calm.
For example, the Cardiff model by M/I Homes designed by Mary Cook & Associates features a light, bright interior with lots of windows, a celery green, mustard and gray palette and décor with a nod to nature showing butterflies, birds and other natural elements along with natural wood flooring.
While green reminds us of earth, grass and plants, blues are refreshing like water and the sky. As we cycle through colors, it's time for blue, Morgante said.
“Blue used to be quite a conservative color used with nautical themes or very traditional decor. Now it's used as a pop of color in a neutral palette and even swings to a little eggplant or teal. Deep saturated blues and dark teal are quite popular with neutrals, and by using the blue really dark makes it a neutral.”
Velas echoes Morgante. It's time for blue. Blue has been popular in general in variations for many years, and now we're adding a bright blue and dark blue, blue-greens, teal, the color of the Mediterranean, which is refreshing, cool and crisp and reminds us of a vacation. Velas strategically places pops of bright blue in a neutral background in the model at Woodleaf at Sanctuary Club by Lexington Homes.
For those who love purple with a passion, add a little red to that blue for another color that is gaining in popularity in tones of violet and lavender. If you don't want to be that daring, purple goes well with gray, gold, black and white.
Don't be afraid to add a whisper of royalty to a room. An example of purple in a model home is the Jensen by William Ryan Homes at Woodcrest, which shows a sophisticated color scheme of plum, cream and dove gray with silver accents for a polished and comfortable traditional interior with warm woods.
Another popular trend is using natural elements: Mineral madness has hit the design world. “It's all the rage,” O'Connor said. What could be more natural than including minerals and stones into interior décor for a beautiful and unusual conversation piece.
A big chunk of quartz on a coffee table could be intriguing while a display of minerals and stones bring sparkle and color into a room. There are quartz lamps and bookends, and semiprecious stones are used as cabinet pulls and door handles.