Re-Accessorize Your Home with Trendy Colors

We've recently talked about 2011's color of the year:  Honeysuckle Pink.  And last year's color of the year, Turquoise, continues to play a major role in design color palettes seen everywhere.



I love both of these colors but if you are anything like me, you don't want to, and can't afford to re-decorate your entire home, or even one room, when new colors become popular. 



So instead of re-decorating, let's re-accessorize!



Here are a few fun and simple ways to add trendy colors into your existing home decor!   

Add a few trendy colored pillows to brighten up a neutral couch. 

Accent a horizontal surface with a few interesting and brightly colored vases. 

Add color and life to your room by using fresh flowers to create a trendy punch of color.

Add one piece of trendy colored furniture.  This can be purchased, or refinished yourself if you love to DIY!

Add a splash of color to your walls by painting just a rectangle or two of color on them

All these great ideas give just a pop of color and enables you to use a bright, fun, trendy color, while not overwhelming the room, changing your entire decor or blowing the budget. 

Are you going to incorporate honeysuckle pink or turquoise into your home decor this year?

Ashley Phipps is an Interior Designer, NCIDQ #25242,

living in the Indianapolis area, and author of the blog Simply Designing.

Color of the Year 2011: Honeysuckle

I am Ashley, an interior designer and the creator of Simply Designing.  I was already an avid reader of Design Dazzle so I was thrilled to be asked to be a featured contributor!  I am very excited that I get to share my love of design with you!



As an interior designer, one of my areas of expertise is color.  I love color.  Every December, Pantone, the leader in color forecasting, announces the "Color of the Year" for the following year.  This is a color that is forecasted to be a popular color for the upcoming year.  This December they announced that the 2011 Color of the Year is: Honeysuckle!

Honeysuckle

This year, Honeysuckle will be warming up the color pallete!  This beautiful reddish-pink color reminds me of Rasberry Sorbet! Isn't this an amazing color? 



Pink, a tint of red, is associated with feelings of power, strength, energy, joy, passion, and love.  Pink is Powerful!



If you remember in 2010, turquoise was the color of the year and boy did it make waves; popping up in everything from home decor to appliances to clothing.  Honeysuckle is a perfect compliment to turquoise, both in intensity and in hue.  And adding Honeysuckle to our wonderful turquoises couldn't be easier! 

Using Honeysuckle and Turquoise creates a vibrate and exciting room.

This whistful pink room is sure to inspire only the best of dreams.

A pink party is sure to please practically everyone...or at least your little princess. 

This honeysuckle pink bedroom is so delicate and soft.

Honeysuckle and white are a perfect combination for a little girl's room...

Or for a big girl's room.   

Pink floral arrangements make a great accent in your decor. 

This pink cake looks amazing and delicious!

So what do you think?  Are you excited to incorporate honeysuckle into your decor and every day life? 

Ashley Phipps is an Interior Designer

living in the Indianapolis area, and author of the blog Simply Designing.

Orange and Blue Harvest Party

Posted by Kelly Porter



This time of year, many parents are gearing up for big Halloween Parties. I've also discovered that many other parents are planning Harvest Parties, but it's not always easy to find party ideas and decor for the latter. So, in the post I'm sharing my Harvest Party Dessert Tables, set against a backdrop of orange burlap.



The colors were inspired by a vintage, hand-printed quatrefoil pattern that I used to design the Party Printables. I love using orange and blue together. For an autumn celebration -- when warm hues dominate -- using blue is an unexpected surprise.

I made the candy topiaries by hot-gluing candy corn to a styrofoam ball {this took about one large bag of candy corn for each topiary, and tons of hot glue sticks}. I left a bare patch at the bottom of each ball so I could perch them on top of large Saratoga water bottles, which are cobalt-blue and so pretty!

One last idea: these mini-birdcages are $1.00 {yes, one buck!} at Michael's. Fill them up with candy or whatever you'd like, and give them as gifts.



If you think you're running out of time to host a Harvest Party, keep in mind that it's a celebration of the Fall season. Set your date for sometime in November -- and candy will be on sale!



You can find the printable tags and labels seen in this post at my new Color Shop on Etsy.



Kelly Porter, designer and publisher of Color Sizzle, is a featured contributor.

Creating A Colorful Dorm Room

Posted by: Kelly Porter

{kohls.com}

If your son or daughter is returning to college or headed there for the first time, you may have discovered that their 'home-away-from-home' is not so homey. Dorm rooms are famous for having basic furniture, bare floors, cinder block walls and harsh lighting -- but don't worry! Colorful college-living essentials are widely available at affordable prices, and these items can bring style and warmth to even the most uninspired dorm room. With just a splash of color and a little creativity, your campus-bound child will feel right at home.

{pbteen.com}

 Teen/Dorm bedding

Thanks to social media sites, such as Facebook, students get to "meet" their roommates even before arriving on campus. This is a great opportunity to coordinate colors and bedding prior to arriving at school. Bed coverings don't have to be an exact match, but the colors and/or patterns should be similar in order to ensure a harmonious look.

{oprah.com}

Don't take dorm decor too seriously. The result should be casual and fun. For example, oversized bold patterns and brightly-colored curtains helped to transform this dorm room {above} from drab to fab. Bright hues are also a fun choice for storage and seating:

{walmart.com}

{I love this electric blue sofa from walmart.com}

{target.com}

Also, don't forget to lay the groundwork with an amazing area rug. This can be the starting point for your room's entire color scheme, and it will be very much appreciated on cold winter mornings.

{styleathome.com}



{area rugs available at target.com}

A funky lamp is also a nice way to add a bit of flair and personality. Lamp lighting is also a refreshing alternative to the glare of fluorescent ceiling lights.

{jcpenney.com}

If your child is residing in an off-campus student apartment, you may want to check and see if painting is permitted. Even painting just one accent wall can really make a space more inviting, and it's an easy Saturday project.



Above, designer Brian Patrick Flynn used rich colors to transform this University of Georgia dorm room into a cozy retreat. Below is another great painted space from IKEA.



If painting isn't allowed, there are many other artistic ways to add color to the walls. Check out this "Post-It Wall" {below} that two roommates created in their dorm room.

{Now that's using your imagination! From loveyundergrad.com}

Also consider using removable wall decals. With all of the colorful and unique choices available, your child is sure to find a design that perfectly suits his or her taste.

These washable 'white board' decals {above} from dezignwithaz.com, are as practical as they are pretty. Below, these retro mod ovals are available at the Design Dazzle store.

Dorm decor has certainly come a long way since I was in school... I remember bringing identical blue bedspreads with me to Howard University as a freshman so that my roommate and I would have matching beds. We taped pictures from fashion magazines to the walls and covered our bookcases with contact paper. That was considered pretty impressive back then. Now, decorating options are way more creative and widely available, so take advantage of them. Your son or daughter's dorm room is an important part of the college experience. Make it colorful!



Kelly Porter, designer and publisher of Color Sizzle, is a featured contributor.

Girls Bohemian Bedrooms

With a fun mix of colors and cultures, creating a Bohemian Bedroom could be the perfect way to bring out your child's unique personality.



Bohemian spaces are a blend of modern, vintage and global-ethnic furnishings. This look is casual, free flowing and can take your child beyond the expected design boundaries.



As our world "grows smaller," tribal textiles and other ethnic accents are becoming the focus of the Boho style. This gives us the opportunity to teach our children about other cultures, countries and traditions.



Color is also an important element to this style. Vibrant hues such as pink, red, purple and sapphire can be paired with calming earth tones to create a balanced space.

Also, don't forget the art of display. Jewelry, hair accessories and favorite clothing items can be artfully arranged and hung on pretty hooks or hangers.

{headband from etsy; hair tie from etsy; bracelets from nakimuli}

{earrings from novica; boho bag from jcpenney; sandals from amazon}

In designing a Bohemian space, your child will enjoy mixing, matching and layering...and you just might be surprised by what she comes up with. Read more about the Bohemian style and tribal textiles in my Living Style column {in July} at the Sherwin-Williams website, Stir.



Kelly Porter, designer and publisher of Color Sizzle, is a featured contributor.

additional photo credits: fawn galli; gorgeous shiny things; you frivolous mommy; french atmosphere; alkemie; three little jewells; domino}