The Color Guru ...
Hot Trends and Cool Colors for 2008 ...
 According to Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®, environmental and earth colors will continue to be popular color choices for home decor and interior design in 2008. Popular color palettes will still include brown, green and blue. And neutrals will no longer be confined to simply creams and ivories, but also grays, mochas, sandstones, olive and ochre.
Eiseman is a color specialist who has been called "America’s color guru." Her color expertise is recognized worldwide, especially as a prime consultant to Pantone, Inc. She heads the Eiseman Center for Color Information and Training and is also executive director of the Pantone Color Institute.
 Leatrice recently revealed her take on color trends for 2008, which include the colors brown and tan continuing to be widely used and the continued popularity of the color green in 2008 as well.
"The color green, " Leatrice says, "will continue to be symbolic of eco-consciousness and will only increase in usage in 2008. Because of the “green movement" the life of the color green will be prolonged—green is good.”
With the color blue in 2008, she says, “you cannot go wrong. The whole environmental aspect is associated with the preservation of water. Blue emits clean and clear all around the world.” Variations on the color orange will continue, she predicts, while gray, black, and white, particularly with textures, will remain steadfast classics.
Eiseman also forecasts a color palette that provides both a link to the past and, at the same time, recreates it as the collectible of the future. It includes tapestry blues, muted blue greens, elegant champagne and warm peachy tones. “This palette speaks to the past with new dimensions in texture that helps to reinvent what is traditional,” she says.
 Patina has always been a leader in these types of looks whether through its use of brightly colored floral designs or remembrances of time spent in the exotic Orient in its chinoisserie decorations. Patina's own unique take on color and tradition positions it well to take advantage of the subtle changes taking place in interior design.
With the major color trends for 2008 beginning to take shape, trend forecasters say consumers will continue to embrace all things natural, but they will look to develop a higher level of refinement. The "Eco" and rustic looks now familiar to consumers are poised to take an upscale twist, as the palettes for both trends become more urbane and sophisticated.
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