Interior Decorating and Paint Colors, Trends for 2011

Interior paint colors trends in 2011 can be affected by current and future social and economic factors, but stylish wallpaper patterns, paint colors and interior decorating accessories for modern rooms will become more intimate and decorative details more impressive.

Subtle color tones and soft interior paint colors, like citrus yellow, light green, blue or pink-lilac, will be popular for large surfaces of rooms walls in 2011. Choosing bright and sharp colors, like reddish pink and brown-purple for interior decorating accents, saturated and vivid paint color schemes for small details and wallpaper patterns will be modern decorating colors trends in 2011.

Dark brown-gray-purple color and creating matching color combinations with it will be new interior decorating and paint colors trends in 2011.

Gray-purple with dark chocolate flavor paint and decor items colors can be the background and main elements of 2011 furnishings and interior paint color schemes.

Neutral gray, soft green-yellow and comfortable beige color decorating ideas with classic white or black colors will be popular paint colors for walls as well.

Stylish and new, brownish dark purple colors create relaxing background for brighter contemporary decor items, patterns and dynamic color accents.

People like their rooms feel cozy and personal. Choosing gray-purple-brown paint color, inspired by foggy morning hills, dark soil and blooming fields of lavender plants, for walls or accessories are modern interior decorating and paint colors trends for 2011.

Boudoir Goth Elegant grey-purple-brown room paint colors feel intriguing and sensual, creating comfortable and relaxing bedroom decorating at the same time. I think this is the year purple will really get picked up. People want a sense of their own personal space, and this is something different — a grayed purple, like a field of lavender on a foggy morning. It's soft, not scary. I see it in a bedroom, or as a secondary color in a living room with warm beige and camel."

The combination of Smoky Purple-Brown living room paint colors with neutral beige or light gray, dark golden or sand, deep red or pink, sky blue, citrus yellow or light green color accessories create warm, personal, interesting and modern interior decorating design.

	Oceanside People want more color, and they're not afraid of it like they used to be. We think teal blue is going to be important. It's already on the fashion runways. This is highly saturated, more blue than green, with undertones that make it feel sultry and mysterious. Imagine how good it would look in a dining room or a bed-room, paired with red, amber, or earthy brown.
	Cedar Green Green is symbolic of growth. It also embodies another word that's going to be extremely important in the next decade, and that's 'flexibility.' Green goes with anything — just look outside. It can work with what you already own, as well as anything you'd like to add. It can feel classic or contemporary. It's restful and makes you feel balanced.
	Turquoise It's not just blue or green, it's both, which means it's calming and invigorating at the same time. And it makes you think of escaping to someplace tropical and beautiful. It's got a little spark, like sun shining on water.

Resene Paint colour trends for 2011/12

Life has slowed a little and we’ve been reminded to appreciate the things we have and those around us. We’ve become more creative in taking what we have and the best of the past and using them to create modern memories and a fresh outlook on the future. Colour schemes are becoming increasingly more individual as decorators break out of specific eras, designated fashions and aesthetics and instead focus on creating more simple homely spaces inspired by memories and the pleasures of the everyday.

Colour has become an inseparable part of our lives and the way we view the world. Predictable and boring are bypassed. We have come to expect a world where everything is touched by colour. Appliances once used to be purchased for their practical performance, yet now frequently it is the colour and design style alone that’s the key deciding factor. Accent colours were once usually featured on walls or in cushions, flowers and ornaments. Today it’s just as likely that your feature might be a striking coloured fridge, kitchen accessory or the latest high fashion gadget.

Homes are becoming less of a showplace and more a place to make yourself at home. It’s all about comfort – deep luxurious baths you can sink into, furniture that envelopes you, beanbags for adults for relaxing outside and wireless that lets you take technology into whichever room you like without a trail of cords.

Colours for 2011/12 are generally cleaner and less complicated an overall feeling of comfort. The palette is tending towards more feminine hues as females are increasingly making more decisions for households. There are touches of uber bright reds, oranges, yellows and violets, such as Resene Switched On and Resene Outrageous, to draw in the eye like a flower. This handful of brights from across all colours provides a handy accessible palette of optimistic accents.

Nature has been a strong influence on colour, particularly in recent years, and this continues to broaden into a wider colour range. Fresh colours, rustic textures and the beauty of handcrafted pieces, filled with personality in their imperfections. Colours from nature come blessed with a feeling of authenticity. Greens are inspired by nature with sunny tones, yellow greens, such as Resene Koru and Resene Nirvana, refreshing greens, such as Resene Zeal, and crossover hues moving from green to blue, such as Resene Free Spirit. Nature comes inside into feature spaces and accessories.

Nostalgia comes through in feel good colours like landscape greens, yellows and ochres, such as Resene Fleetwood. Yellows have a retro undertone with an underlying hint of green.

Reds, such as Resene Code Red and Resene Rock N Roll, are in abundance – deep, strong and eye catching – a definite feature of the new palette. Cheerful and plush, deep, pigmented and vital. Pink diverges into many hues from soft to luscious, such as Resene Smitten and Resene Devoted, to suit a wider range of projects. The influence of Latin America brings in highly saturated reds and oranges, clean and bright. Rustic hues round out the red and orange palette, with spicy oranges, such as Resene Ayers Rock, and red rust hues moving through into browns.

Blues are also growing in number, with intense blues, such as Resene Magnum and Resene Nite Life, a viable neutral alternative to grey or black. Watery blues, such as Resene Escape, are refreshing and optimistic blues invigorating. Darker blues are warmed. Blue meets pop with clean warm cyan blue and bold blues, such as Resene Bowie and Resene Elvis, for interest. Combine the simplicity of blue and silver, such as Resene Silver Streak, for a luxurious modern look.

Purples are varied – from bold violet to the softened purples of dried flowers, such as Resene Believe and Resene Poet. Purples have an underlying warmth in common.

Neutrals, browns and beiges tend towards warmer comforting variants, such as Resene Secret Road and Resene Fantail, imparting a softer look. There is a slow move from the gray family to browns, warm neutrals and mineral inspired hues, including subtle flesh tones, such as Resene Half Rickshaw. Washed, weathered and faded hues have timeless appeal. Wood tones are reflected in beiges and browns offset by evolving soft golden metallics, such as Resene Triumph and Resene Ignition. Off-whites are pure and uncomplicated, and there is a definite comeback of cool white, such as Resene Barely There, as a background neutral. Plain white, such as Resene Half Alabaster, is clean and elegant, a stark contrast to the growing range of blacks, such as Resene Black Sheep and Resene Blackout.

As we travel more – both in the virtual world and the real one, we integrate new accessories from foreign cultures into our homes.

Upcycling and recycling are increasingly mainstream as we try to do more with less. Combine a complete new look with minimal environmental burden - rearrange artwork and cushions, mix and mingle accessories, rejuvenate furniture with a fresh lick of paint or stain and add a splash of paint colour to walls for a complete new look. Try a mix of sheen levels, from gloss through to flat to add interest to a neutral colour scheme.

Colours are evolving more slowly and colour trends are lasting longer. There’s no ‘new’ or ‘old as such, more just a slow waxing and waning of favourites. There is a dichotomy between those seeking cheerful environments with optimistic brights and those wanting to play it safe with dark hues and neutrals. Even the most neutral schemes include strong splashes of intense accent colours in feature areas or accessories.