Blues And Purples Popping Up In Decor

Blue is a calm color. A peaceful color. And that’s a good thing.

Because sky blue, azure and periwinkle are coming soon to a home store near you.

They may, of course, already be part of the palette in your living room, bathroom, bedroom or kitchen. But they’ll acquire even more dominance as home decorating moves into the 21st century, according to Patricia Verlodt, president of Color Services Associates, an Illinois consulting firm.

You can expect to see a lot of purple, too, mostly as an accent color.

Speaking at a seminar for retailers at the recent International Housewares Show in Chicago, she said shades that have ruled home decor for several years, such as dark navy and cranberry and the ubiquitous hunter green, have finally begun to fade in popularity.

Consumers who bought a big-ticket item such as a sofa in one of those shades will probably be buying contrasting pillows and throws and other accessories over the next decade, but basically, the home tones are moving away from those more formal colors to a brighter, more casual look.

Cobalt blue and the quiet, grayish periwinkle have already begun to show up in housewares such as glasses and goblets, and in place settings.

Verlodt, who helps paint companies develop new colors, said one reason she expected blue to take center stage is precisely because it is so familiar that it’s comfortable.

That sort of familiarity is what people want to come home to, after working long, stressful hours or enduring long, stressful commutes.

And then there’s purple, which, Verlodt said, is “kind of new in all of the (houseware) categories.”

You may not want to run out and buy a purple sofa, or settee, but Verlodt said purple makes a great accent color. “You can throw a purple pillow on a beige sofa or a white sofa, and that would be great,” Verlodt said. “But you’ve got to be careful to make sure it works with every color in the room.”