Emerald is Pantone's 2013 color of the year, with it's ability to ” …. enhance our sense of well-being by inspiring insight as well as promoting balance and harmony” according to Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®.
As the US pulls out of the latest recession, emerald feels like a promising color much like Dorothy looked towards the Emerald City to give her a way to return home.
Will we embrace emerald, a bold color or add a few accents to rooms decorated in fairly neutral colors. In researching recent articles, it's been hard to find kitchens and bathrooms using bold colors. Maybe we're still worried about making long term commitments to colors we expect to live with for many years, i.e. the 5 million pink bathrooms that went into homes built in the US from 1946-1966.
Smart Ways to Add Emerald to Your Home
If you love the emerald color, you'll want to add some to your home. You'll find lots of choices and the challenge will be finding things that fit you and your home, ones you'll enjoy for several years.
If you're comfortable using green, you might paint one or more walls like the rooms shown below (original photos with links on Pinterest), or wallpaper is another option. Smaller investments can be made with a fabric wall hanging like the Marimekko fabric below, an emerald lampshade, accent pillows and throws or maybe it's time to reupholster a chair?
Resources to Help You Mix & Match Colors
Color isn't as easy as you think. When we bought a new condo my husband wanted another color (he was tired of our red kitchen). While I was traveling, my husband painted one wall in our new living room blue to surprise me but oops, the blue was too dark and didn't reflect the beach theme we wanted to create. It actually took us 3 different blues until we arrived at one that worked, so after this adventure we got help from Jennifer Myers.
It's difficult to suggest what type of help will fit your personality. Interior decorators will take time to learn what colors you like, what's working for you and they'll suggest new colors and/or ways to mix and match colors.
At FreshHome.com, they do a nice job illustrating how different colors affect the mood of a room. The concern though is you might not trust your own instinct if they recommend a color different from what you like. They say “… you do not have to worry about trends. Color trends will come and go. The people who live in a home make it beautiful by choosing colors that reflect their likes and their personalities. The trick is to blend those colors you like into a pleasing combination.”
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