6 Decorating Duos to Consider Now

---

By Rafael Bermejo
With the year underway, it’s time to embrace the trends we’ve been hearing about and put them to work in our homes. According to our army of experts around the world, colors to watch out for include baby pink and blue, mustard, white, and dark emerald green. Materials and patterns are on the move too, and you can double their impact when you know how best to put them together. Houzz can help. These designer-ready decorative pairings will fast-track your decision making and refresh your home in all the right ways. Let’s get going!

1. Baby pink and blue. Pantone’s somewhat controversial decision to showcase not one but two colors for this year’s Color of the Year seems a natural place to kick-start our pair-ups. The thought leaders in color have predicted that sweet pink Rose Quartz and soft purplish-blue Serenity are going to be big this year, bringing light and peace into our lives over more oppressive hues such as Marsala red (Pantone’s pick last year).
“Colors this season are transporting us to a happier, sunnier place, where we feel free to express a wittier version of our real selves,” says Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. For this reason, many color experts are predicting similarly cheery and positive hues for this year.

2. Mustard and gray. Another powerful color combo to watch out for is mustard and our old friend from last year, gray. In fact, among our editorial choices of trending colors — olive green, mustard, gray, pink and beige — the global Houzz community voted mustard and gray as the shades they’re most likely to adopt in their homes this year.

3. Burnished copper and leather. Metallics became part of the furniture last year, and there’s no sign of that letting up in 2016. Interior designer Nelly Reffet of Twinkle & Whistle says hard silvery metals are being outclassed by burnished coppers, bronzes, and aged brass and iron in furniture accents, lamps and accessories.
The shining star metallics are set to be brought down to Earth this year, with experts predicting they’ll be paired up with rustic, earthy, natural materials like leather and light oak. “[Shiny surfaces] combine very well with vintage or rustic elements. Furthermore, if you add brightness in small amounts on a neutral base, it reinforces the eclecticism of any space,” says Spanish interior designer Rocío Olmo.

4. Wood and brass. On the subject of pairing metallics and natural materials, give brass and wood a try. When asked to choose among five materials — wood, stone, copper, polished concrete and porcelain tile — our global Houzz community voted for wood as their go-to for next year. And it just so happens that it goes perfectly with our experts’ favorite pick, brass. Reffet says hardware is getting in on the new-look metallics’ act now too — and the kitchen is the perfect place to show it off. “Brass in brushed or satin finishes is one to look out for,” she says.
Polished brass is the dominant finish in this kitchen, extending from floor to ceiling via the stools, hardware, faucets and pendant lights, and pairing perfectly with the walnut on the island.
When mixing wood with brass or other metals, go for a matte finish. In fact, choose matte pieces for wood this year in general: “Glossy cabinetry will be replaced by a more natural look — a reaction to our spending too many hours reading shiny tablets,” says interior designer Tennille Burnup.

5. Plywood and … more plywood. As we said, there’s a huge trend toward wood going on. “The popular, warm feel of wood, as found in Japanese and Nordic styles, will keep growing,” Japanese pro Junko Maehata says. Plywood, too, is continuing its upward swing. “Plywood is being used for walls, floors, stairs and even ceilings,” says Steve Burke, managing director of Amerex Renovations & Additions in Australia.

6. Geometrics and tiles. Concrete tiles featuring geometric and decorative patterns are coming back into favor all over the world. For example, about 45 percent of Spanish and more than 50 percent of French Houzzers expressed their fondness for cement tiles featuring geometric patterns, when asked in our recent poll. These patterns translate easily to any space, whether for living room flooring, bathroom wall tiles, stair coverings or kitchen walls.
“Thirty years ago, white was very trendy, so we removed all the cement tiles,” French homeowner eleonore66 says. “But now we’ve come back to them, as they are more beautiful and much more sophisticated than the ones made at the beginning of the 20th century.”

Designers are expecting to see consumers gravitate toward geometric patterns that create a sense of fluid movement. “Having overcome a period of extreme minimalism in interior decoration, and with the revival of the vintage, people are asking for more decorative spaces once again. In this sense, the concrete tiles with different geometric and decorative patterns are something very authentic,” says Felipe Araujo, cofounder of Egue y Seta, a studio based in Barcelona, Spain.
 
Original source: Houzz
Read original article here.