Hottest Colors For 2015 Home Decor

Pantone, the official arbiter of all things color, says Marsala is the official color for 2015, but the Paint Quality Institute says gray is here to stay, and will be the most popular interior paint color in the year ahead.

“Much like the fortified wine that gives Marsala its name, this tasteful hue embodies the satisfying richness of a fulfilling meal, while its grounding red-brown roots emanate a sophisticated, natural earthiness,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “This hearty, yet stylish tone is universally appealing and translates easily to fashion, beauty, industrial design, home furnishings and interiors.”

Marsala In Home Design

Marsala can be a unifying color element for interior spaces that can add a pop of color without proving to be a distraction, says Melissa Dittmann Tracey, a home staging and style expert for REALTOR Magazine. The rich red tone will show up in more accent pieces and accessories in 2015, from vases and throw pillows to patterned rugs, she said in a blog showing ways designers are using the color to stage homes for sale.

Applying Marsala to textured surfaces enhances its plush characteristics, making it an ideal choice for rugs and upholstered living room furniture.

In the kitchen and dining room, it’s ideal for tabletop, small appliances and linens. You’ll see this hue appear prominently in striping and floral patterns found in printed placemats, dinnerware, bedding and throws, Eiseman predicts.

Gray: Here To Stay

We may all be out buying Marsala sofa pillows in 2015, but we’ll be painting the walls of our home gray, the Paint Quality Institute predicts.

“This is the first time that any hue has headlined our annual color forecast in consecutive years,” says PQI Blogger Debbie Zimmer. “But there’s something timeless about gray that gives it staying power — a quality absent from many colors that seem to come and go so quickly.”

She suggests pairing gray with off-white, beige, taupe, soft blue or black to create a calming bedroom or family room.

“Gray can also serve as a perfect foil for more adventurous color, ranging from saturated hues like purple, fuchsia, rust brown, and navy to softer tints like dusty pink and pale lavender,” Zimmer says. “Color schemes employing these combinations can be used in virtually any room in the home.”

Why Choose?

While Pantone and PQI picked different colors for 2015, you don’t have to choose between them. You can paint the walls gray, then use Marsala in your furnishings, or as an accent color in your home.

There are some fun online programs that show you what your rooms would look like painted gray (or any other color) including Sherwin-Williams’ Paint Color Visualizer, Benjamin Moore’s Personal Color Viewer or Glidden’s Room Visualizer, which showed a lovely Marsala and gray room on it’s site last week.

Not ready to make such a big investment in the hottest 2015 colors? Women can buy a handbag in Marsala and men can opt for a gray shirt paired with a Marsala tie.

Ready to update your home’s decor? Contact me if you need help finding a painter or an interior designer.

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