Design 101 - 2011 Outdoor "It" Colors are Polar Opposites


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This year at the Casual Living show there were two very distinct color trends that could not be further apart on the color spectrum - grey and primary colors.
The greys varied from steel grey to gunmetal grey to blue grey to almost white. The primary colors varied from true primary to almost neon in vibrancy. Interestingly we rarely saw the two color palettes mixed. The grey furnishings were usually accompanied by varying shades of grey accessories and the primary colored items were grouped together like a rainbow. If we did see the palette mixed, the grey furnishing was punctuated by a singular primary color in a very vibrant (almost neon) shade.
Steve and JamesI am hesitant to scream "Noooo, not the return of the 80's!" but...grey with a punch of bright orange? That kind of screams 80's decor. All trends come around again and again and history does repeat itself again and again. Crippling recession, Wall Street raking in big bucks, disenfranchised youth and the movie Wall Street is playing in theatres - yep, sounds a lot like the 80's. In defense of 80's decor this era did grayscale really well and when done right (like the outdoor furnishings we saw at the show) it really is elegant, sophisticated and lovely.