Official color of 2008 - Blue Iris

If you've been feeling blue lately, you're not alone. Pantone, the global authority on color and provider of professional color standards for the design industries, recently announced Blue Iris as its color of 2008. According to Pantone, the color was selected because of its stable, calming and dependable qualities.

Seconding Pantone's choice of 2008 color of the year are a handful of home builders that used varying shades of blue in recently unveiled model homes. The models illustrate how blue can be just as flattering in a contemporary high rise as in a suburban single family home.

At Printer's Corner (www.printerscorner.com), a 17-story contemporary high rise in Chicago's Printers Row, the decorative blue accents in its one-bedroom model complement the sky view out of the home's floor-to-ceiling windows.

"Blue is a cool, clean and modern color so we chose it as a decorative accent to enhance the modern design of this model home," said Bob Horner, co-principal of Winthrop Properties. "Plus, the color helps draw the eye toward the blue sky provided by the view-enhancing 10-foot windows."

Located at Polk and Wells streets, Printers Corner includes 88 condominiums that range from 743 to 2,290 square feet. Floor plans offer one-, two- and three-plus bedrooms with one to three baths. Base prices are from the $280,000s to the $800,000s, and deeded parking spaces are available from $36,000.

Kimball Hill Homes (www.kimballhillhomes.com) also showcased blue's versatility when decorating the Ultima model at Ingham Park, a new single-family community of 319 estate-style homes in Aurora.

"Blue is elegant, yet casual, so we used it on the walls of the Ultima's foyer to evoke those feelings upon entry. This created a presence that was carried throughout the rest of the home through structural upgrades such as a split staircase, bay window in the dining room and fireplace in the family room, forming a cohesive look," said Jack Wexelberg, regional president of Kimball Hill Homes.

Located near the intersection of Galena Boulevard and Gordon Road, Ingham Park offers one ranch plan and eight two-story single-family home plans, base-priced from $329,990 to $397,990. Homes measure 2,434 to 3,838 square feet and feature 9-foot first-floor ceilings, volume ceilings in master suites and attached three-car garages.

Just east at The Ponds of Naperville, www.pondsofnaperville.com, developer Marquette Companies imbued the one-bedroom Naper model with robin's egg blue and chocolate hues when it began the community's conversion to condominiums earlier this year.

"We wanted the Naper to have an updated elegance to show first-time buyers who are new to decorating how stylish a first home can be," said Art Bettuzzi, general manager for Ryan Hill Realty, the exclusive marketing and sales agent for The Ponds of Naperville.

"Buyers don't want to sacrifice what 'in' for what's affordable," he said. "With its pale blue walls and cool color palette, the home's decor is reminiscent of Pottery Barn's classic, contemporary style."

Located at 1333 Modaff Road, just south of 75th Street, The Ponds of Naperville offers condominiums in three floor plans base priced from the $130,000s to the $170,000s. Homes come with one to two bedrooms, one to two baths, balconies or patios, extra storage space and one parking space. First-time buyers are also attracted to The Ponds' on-site amenities like a fitness room, business center, community room with kitchen and an outdoor pool.

For more information on Printers Corner, call (312) 880-1800; for Ingham Park, call (630) 466-3728; and for Ponds of Naperville, call (630) 848-0488.