Hilton Head Monthly Magazine

New products and new spins on old materials can bring a fresh look to your home.

In the beginning of each year, many of us choose to make decisions on what home improvement projects could be accomplished during the next few months. With less hectic schedules, time is available for researching what new trends and products might give our home a fresh, stylish look.

Color Schemes for 2009

Nothing could be more intimidating than four dingy white walls and numerous color swatches from the paint store.

It is extremely important to look at the room and decide what mood you want to create and how the room will be used. Do you need to create some warmth in a space that tends to feel cold and uninviting? If that is the case, select warm colors such as reds, yellows and shades of orange. If the room has lots of windows and is in need of a more serene color choice, consider the cooler shades of blues, greens and violets. Ultimately the choice should be colors you like and will enjoy in your home.

For 2009, intense bold colors are being shown in most decorating magazines, showrooms and model homes. These colors include apple green, inspiring turquoise, outrageous orange and fun-loving fuchsia. It is interesting to see that most of these colors are used with lots of white. Often the furniture, wood trim or accessories are painted bright white when used with bold colors.

Many of the exciting new color schemes include neutrals such as browns and grays.

Modern trends in home décor are making a big impact on what colors are being used. Sleek designs in furniture are often seen in solid colors but then a surprising colorful rug or pillow will complete the look.

Another popular choice for interior design is the eclectic approach and the use of many styles incorporated into a room. Rustic furniture is being shown with modern pieces and more traditional items. Striking color schemes such as black and white create a glamorous mood and become even more dramatic with a punch of bold accent colors.

For a more relaxed color scheme, a good choice might be cappuccino brown with a cool shade of turquoise or invigorating shade of coral.

It is important to explore the new trends and colors schemes for the year but even more important is to create an environment that makes you happy and one your family will enjoy.

Most professional design experts recommend starting with your fabric and selecting colors from that to use on walls and accessories. There are numerous helpful Web sites such as benjaminmoore.com. With the Benjamin Moore Personal Color Viewer, a color of your choice can be shown in a particular room setting. These types of computer programs are available at many paint and home improvement stores.

In order to make the best choice for your room, purchase a small sample size of your tint and try it on a large section of the wall. It is always important to see colors in the actual lighting of the room. Paint is one of the most practical ways to try a new color scheme and can be easily changed if you make a bad decision.

If you are lacking the courage to use bold colors in your entire home, why not try a smaller area such as the bathroom or kitchen. These rooms could have a fresh vibrant appearance with the addition of a new bright unexpected color scheme.

Irresistible Wall Finishes Adding texture and interest to walls is a great way to change the look of a space and create a stylish home. For the past 10 years, design experts have incorporated faux finishes and artistic wall accents to a few rooms of each home they decorate. Homeowners generally prefer the rustic aged look created by expert artists to resemble stucco or stone. Other ways of finishing include dragging, combing and ragging, which leave very interesting textures and can be created in numerous colors to accent the fabrics in the room. These practical faux finishes are helpful when you need to hide imperfections in the walls and a big help in hallways for hiding fingerprints.

Murals and artistic designs are often incorporated to carry out a particular theme or mood for the space. This type of wall finish works very well with traditional and Old World-style homes and creates a warm elegant atmosphere.

Most homeowners will go into shock to hear that wallpaper is making a big comeback. There have been rumors for a while but now that Oprah has announced this on her TV show, it is official. Her favorite decorator Nate Berkus likes using wallpaper in his designs. He preceded a demonstration of interesting ideas for wallpaper by saying, “I’m not talking about your Grandmother’s wallpaper.”

He is not the only interior designer incorporating wallpaper in his decorating projects. These new exciting wallpaper designs can be seen in some of the more dynamic rooms in the latest home décor magazines. Look for the large-scale modern graphic designs, geometrics and large bold stripes in rich new colors. These types of patterns look great when used on one accent wall or perhaps framed out with molding to add architectural interest.

Wallpapered accent walls can be seen behind a bed or a wall behind the sofa. There are interesting patterns like damask or fleur de lei that would dress up a plain powder room. Consider dressing up a ceiling with metallic wallpaper or with one of the interesting textures. During the last 20 years while wallpaper had lost some of its appeal, the manufacturers worked hard to create easier to hang and remove products.

Easy Walls by Chesapeake Wallcoverings is a nonwoven, breathable and eco-friendly option. This product requires only water and can be easily removed with very little effort. The technology advances have also been able to produce interesting designs that resemble stone, leather and various realistic textures. It may be a surprising if you remember the 1970s grasscloth, to hear that there is also a renewed interest in that product. Perhaps the return is due to the growing interest to use natural products. Check out the intriguing new designs by Phillip Jeffries Ltd., seen in the Voyage Collection. These outstanding new designs are created with various natural products such as hemp, jute, paper weave and linen. The modern new designs and colors are created by hand printing techniques and would make a dynamic statement in any room.

Another fun new product is Wallies, which allow interesting designs to be easily applied to the wall but are not permanent. This is a great product to use in apartments, rental homes or kids rooms. You will find flowers, stars, hearts and numerous other designs that allow you to be creative and use them however you choose. One wall of large graphic colorful shapes can create a fun loving space for your child’s bedroom. The options range from feminine designs for the princess of the house to more masculine choices including sports.

When you start your next remodeling project, think about the many options that can be created on your walls. Paint is not the only way to go and the creative products available can transform a room to almost any style you can imagine.