However, this trend is changing and evolving. The new trend in the color gray is that it is warming up.

Gray as a neutral and foundation color in the space is leaning toward and almost bordering on taupe.

Do not confuse this shade of gray with beige… it’s still gray! Gray, a warm taupe gray, is best to keep on trend with pops of color. We still desire and crave life in our space. This is best achieved by adding contrast and color!

Gray, it’s here to stay but don’t let it go stale and stark. You can keep this color on trend in your space by changing up this common trend a little bit. Try to personalize it to your taste by adding pops of bright color, choosing a warmer shade of gray, and don’t be afraid to create a little contrast too!

I’m not a fan of chalkboard paint and never have been. It is dark and chalk is messy. Who wants broken pieces of chalk all over the place? Not to mention the dust.

I happened to see the Martha Stewart show yesterday and was pleased as punch with the innovative product known as IdeaPaint. Oh the endless possibilities in the home!

In my opinion this is a much better writable paint option and here is why:

1. It creates a brighter and fresher space (white to off-white tint)
2. Quick easy one coat painting process and no special treatments like you have to do with chalkboard paint
3. Bright dry erase board markers are much more fun to use and come in brighter colors and various sizes
4. Bottom line it’s easier to clean
5. When you tire of it you just paint over it… no special treatments

Check it out….

(Unrelated side note: the fake plant in the above photo is incredibly distracting. Please do not use fake plants in your home, it’s a decorating no-no)

For more info and where to find IdeaPaint check out their website. If you have already discovered this awesome whiteboard-like paint I’d love to hear about it. Share your project ideas and comments below!

Welcome to the sixth “It’s a Trendy Tuesday”  in 2011 today is all about the color pink! Tuesdays are all about what I see swirling around in the design world when it comes to trends and what’s the next thing in home design. Anything from furniture and accessories to color and style may pop up for discussion. If it is “it” then I’ll share it here on a Tuesday.

This week’s trend is all about the new 2011 Pantone color of the year – Honeysuckle.

Yes I know I’m several weeks late on this but I thought it appropriate to discuss this trend for the following reasons:

1. Valentines Day is just around the corner and we all associate the color pink with this holiday
2. House Beautiful just dedicated an entire issue to the color and who doesn’t love House Beautiful?
3. I’m a big fan of “Dear Genevieve” on HGTV and she just successfully pulled off an entire NYC studio apartment in the most beautiful shade of blush pink… well more khaki pink but it was still gorgeous

I wasn’t able to locate an image of the very cool living space from Saturday night’s episode of “Dear Genevieve” but I did come across a great representation of an eclectic use of the color pink as the backdrop. Note that even though the color trend is pink… it can be any shade and not just the bold shade of honeysuckle.

While I’m not a huge fan of the color pink I do love what the color represents. It’s in the red family and therefore evokes the following:

1. Courage
2. Spirit
3. Confidence
4. Boldness

Perfect for facing a new year and hopefully it will bring the zest we need to get this country out of the doldrums and back into a positive attitude about what the future will bring

You have to be a confident person to pull this color off in its entirety. I’m pretty sure this bedroom does not belong to someone under the age of 20 therefore they have to be quite comfortable in their own skin if they love this Hello Kitty shade of pink so much so that they painted it all over the walls.

As with most trends I recommend  not going completely overboard but to add it with touches throughout the space. For example the accent pillow in the following sitting area can easily be changed with a future whim and trend.

If you look a little more closely this pillow combines two current trends in one… pink and cultural or tribal prints.

If you like to keep pink in the bedroom try adding a couple toss pillows to the bed. This space is still quite serene even with the bold pop of color in the fabrics.

Most associate the color pink with the traditional little girl’s room or a feminine space. While I agree the color does have a female sense about it I do believe it can be unisex if selected in the right shade and used in just a few elements about the room. A successful example of this can be found in this dining room…so comfortable and yet not overtly feminine.

If you are a long time lover of the color pink, and we all know people who are, go for it and make the space yours. I love the unique use of panel molding in this bedroom too… so bohemian sheik!

If you are more like me and not really a huge fan of pink as an adult then I suggest only adding it as an accent to a little girl’s room… every little girl loves  pink (at least for a little while). How cute is the owl in this bedroom?

No matter your preference for this trend and whether or not you add a shade of honeysuckle somewhere in your home… you have to admit the color simply makes you happy.

Have a happy (and trendy) Tuesday!

Here is the dining room before in all its beige box glory:

After painting the room now has depth, warmth, and vibrancy. The color selected is Benjamin Moore Clinton Brown HC-67. I color matched it to Martha Stewart paint at Home Depot because I love the quality of the Martha Stewart paint. It was such a success in our family room and one of our guest bathrooms that I opted to stick with it in the dining room too. The only draw back to the Martha Stewart  paint is that the color spectrum isn’t huge and I didn’t find the right shade of brown…. hence the Benjamin Moore color match. I simply took in the color swatch and the computer did the rest!

Step one in the dining room transformation was an inexpensive change ($25 for a can of paint) by adding some contrast with the dark brown walls:

There are a few additional changes to come including swapping the chandelier to the fabulous drum shade chandelier I picked up from West Elm before the holidays. 

The original plan was to make curtains from a beautiful fabric I found from Ballard Designs. However, as of last week I lost my day job and the budget has been pretty much wiped out. I’m going to have to get creative if I want to replace the drapes. I’m thinking something simple like my inspiration room. 

FYI, if you have been following my blog you will realize my dining room isn’t an exact rendition of the inspiration room I shared a couple months ago. I am adding my own contemporary twist to this inspiration room because I couldn’t part with my artwork and I fell in love with the wood veneer pendant from West Elm. Being a fan of color I couldn’t go quite so Restoration Hardware-esque… I need some punch and will keep the touches of yellow in the room too. After all, it’s best to stick with what you love so that your home is a reflection of you and not some glossy picture found in a magazine!

Stay tuned for more transformations of this dining room in the near future!