Colour forecasts for the next couple of years focus on our interest in being eco friendly and our desire to reuse and recycle

What does a vineyard and your home have in common? A colour palette of course.

The Pantone 2009 colour palette suggests that your home may be taking its colour cues straight out of the vineyard. This is not necessarily a new palette, in fact it is a bit of a classic, a staple in the world of home fashion but it has been revitalized and appears fresh and hip, ready to dress today’s chicest homes.

Merlot, grape seed, malbec, spring leaf green, khaki, olive, lavender and cloudy blue sky’s round up this fermented palette. (Designer Notes: it takes between seven and nine colours to complete a colour palette for a home). Colour forecasters are always working a couple of years in advance and base their forecasts on contemporary issues, social and economic trends.

Colour forecasts for the next couple of years focus on our interest in being eco friendly and our desire to reuse and recycle, they also reflect our desire for time to relax and re-energize. A fabulous bottle of fine Canadian wine, sensual surroundings and good friends certainly bring a sense of relaxation to our world.

Regardless of whether we reside in Alberta, Ontario, Quebec or in the heart of wine country this palette inspires a relaxed, casual lifestyle with a sense of elegance and charm. It also brings the outdoors in  by creating a solid connection to Mother Earth and her bounty.

This is an easy palette to work with at home as it works with almost any wood tones, stone and leather. You can create a room employing this palette to be casual or formal simply by your choice of texture and finishing materials. For example, a distressed leather sofa will certainly be more casual with respect to the overall mood of the space, than a silk covered sofa yet both coverings are excellent choices for this palette.

Wood three-inch horizontal blinds will provide casual light control to your windows; a more elegant choice will be to dress the windows in lavender silk panels draped from handsome wooden rods and finials. On the floor you may choose a hand scraped hickory hardwood (reminds me of old oak wine barrels) or you may choose a patterned Saxony wool carpet. Both flooring options work brilliantly yet the finished result will be two distinctively different ‘feels’ or mood for the same room.

This palette appears in our home fashion forecasts time and time again for a reason - it never ages. It is modern and youthful in appearance yet will endure the test of time. If you are building a new home or renovating a treasured space you will certainly want to consider this palette.  Of course you should do so over a bottle of merlot with your better half. Cheers!