Do you dream of rolling hills, streams and grassy fields?
Are your fantasies about Caribbean coasts, harbour fog and sand castles? Perhaps you prefer black orchids, cinder roses and dark lilacs.
Do coriander, pumpkin cream and black bean soup meet your cravings? Or maybe pewter, temperate taupe and melodic grey are what you want to see.
Colour trends for 2009 are diverse enough to cater to all your desires.
The coffee house palette of the recent past is being replaced by colours that inspire, soothe or make a statement.
"There is lots of choice," said Leisa Bertelsen, director of design and marketing for Clancy's Rainbow in London, which sells Benjamin Moore, CZ and Pittsburgh paints.
"Because of the changing economy, there is more variety in what is acceptable. Colours are less conservative, bolder, brighter. We've gone through such a neutral focus with all the taupes and browns. Now we're putting colour with those neutrals, such as a splash of green or red."
Bonnie McArthur, the fully accredited interior designer who owns Bonnie McArthur Interiors, said, "Colours are dynamic. All trends are cyclic. Some cycles are 20 to 25 years, others 30 to 40. At the moment, we're seeing a combination of several cycles. Residentially, we're going back to Art Deco, Frank Lloyd Wright, clean lines, texture and clear colours."
This combination of trends gives us muted tones such as charcoal grey, blue-greens and more intense blue-reds, oranges, purples, russet and chocolate tones. The orange-reds, turquoise, fuchsia and lime green come from the '60s; browns from the '70s; muted hues and greys from the '80s.
"Colours are about experiences," said Danial Hummell, acting manager of the Color Company Decorating Centre, a Para PaintSource dealer at 611 Wonderland Rd. N. "They're about feelings and ambience."
With that in mind, Para revamped its palette, dropping 300 colours. The Group of Seven colours were brought back. Others were grouped by look: Weekend in the Country (bright earth tones); Night on the Town (edgy, dark, sharp contrast); Coming Home (heritage, middle of the road); Retreat and Unwind (muted pastels); Continental Getaway (rich, exotic, exhilarating).
Other makers also use evocative labels to describe their colours' effects. Pantone has Eco (recycled neutrals), Wine Country (taupe, olive, lavender, sky blue, wines with grapevine greens), Discerning Tastes (mahogany, beige, gold, orchid), Reveries (mauves, rose with lilac, iris blue, purple with browns), Wanderings (deep rose, dijon yellows, taupe, Mediterranean blues, grey with gold and scarlet), Solar Energy (mandarin, flame orange, gold, green-based yellow, wine, fuchsia and grey as neutral),
Breathe Easy (clear clean blues, blue greens, white, ocean and Provence blues, garden green, yellow green, blue-purple) and Animate (clashing colours and combinations of reds, blues, mint, chartreuse, apricot, green, berry).
ICI Paints Dulux calls their families of colour Yellow, Water, Modernist, Nature, Feminine and Journeys.
Influences for the colours and groupings come from research groups, colour marketing, trade and retail exhibitions, design influences from the worlds of fashion, technology, architecture, music, nature and popular culture. This results in a contemporary colour palette driven by society's changing moods and interests.
In times of economic uncertainty, browns, greys and greens instil confidence and feel safe. But people also want some luxury, optimism and lightness, so gold, orange, plum, spicy hues, red and pink and spa blues are on the 2009 trend list.
"People are overwhelmed by the choice," said Hummell.
"We talk to them to find out what they are trying to achieve in the space. It may be a calming mood in the bedroom or a flow of colour throughout a floor. We try to figure out what's important to them. It may be to accent something in the room or to create ambience."
He likes to ask people what food they prefer.
"Nine out of 10 times, I'm right about the colours," he said. "If they like spicy food, typically they choose bright, vibrant colours with a bit of edginess. If they like home-cooked meals, they want down-home colours. If they eat a lot of takeout, they go for streamlined style and mixes of pewter with red."
Hummell also said consumers want to be inspired by their spaces. "People are spending more time at home. They want to identify with the spaces and express their personalities. They don't want a drab space."
Everyone has treasures -- things passed down through generations, objects saved from the past or gathered on holidays. It could be an artwork, an area rug or piece of furniture. These personal gems can shine against a backdrop of colour from the new palette.
"It may be a painting that inspires," said Bertelsen.
"You can integrate the new colours in many ways. To play it safe, try a smaller spot or an accent piece. If you love the colour, you can put it on the wall and throughout the room. You can put a dark or intense colour in a room you don't spend as much time in. Dark colours absorb light and we tire of them quicker."
Bertelsen suggests combining sky blues with a soft blue-grey and a hit of yellow.
"The grey is not the steel of the 80s," she said. "It's warmer with red undertones. Some have blue-green undertones. Apple green, celery and natural sand are also good choices. White is becoming more popular as a neutral."
If you want to feel more modern without changing all the furniture, you can paint the walls in various whites.
She agrees with McArthur that trends are blending and overlapping. "We have the spa-like calming soft naturals to the extreme urban uber luxury, like deep Indian red, sienna, cumin and other spices, with rich charcoals. You can add these in throw cushions or draperies to use the trendy colours in a more disposable or moveable way."
Accessories and small pieces are a quick, inexpensive way to add a shot of updated colour to a space. Paint is another, whether you paint the walls, trim or furniture, such as a headboard, dresser, table or sideboard.
"Paint is the easiest way to get the biggest bang for your buck," said Hummell. "You can achieve a big change at minimal price. You can paint a wall for $50."
McArthur said using trendy colours on the walls is a good tactic because it's something you can change easily.
McArthur recommends putting classic colours on floors, cabinetry, carpets -- things you won't be changing quickly.
Accent walls can be a burst of new colour, but only if the space is right. McArthur said such feature walls work in open-concept design, but don't paint one wall different from the rest in a square or rectangular room.
Another good place for this focus is the foyer or a bump-out for mechanical fittings. She also suggested making a small room a feature with colour.
To update the espresso and beige palette of the recent past, McArthur suggested adding mauve, deep russet or a blue-red. Other 2009 colours to add include muted blue-greys, charcoals and chocolate tones.
"You can integrate these colours without changing everything," said McArthur.
"Use them as accents and in accessories."
She designed a kitchen with an island painted a creamy green, cabinets stained a deep cherry and countertops of black and dark orange-red granite with flecks of purple, mauve and jade. It brings the colours of the room and adjoining spaces together.
More granite in the foyer, visible from the kitchen, incorporates charcoal, red and cream and a bar in the adjoining great room has caramel, plum red and an area rug that pulls in all the colours in its geometric pattern.
"Every room has an individual personality," McArthur said.
"As a whole, it works like a marriage of colour because you see the rest of the house from any one place. A house is like a jigsaw puzzle and each piece needs to work together."
McArthur's clients are an example of how Londoners are experimenting more with colour.
"Anything is acceptable now," said Bertelsen.
"London is transitional now. It used to be traditional and while it's not super modern, it's transitional. When you think of colour, it doesn't have to be on the wall. You can integrate it into the home decor."
