We're not going to try to predict the future and get on the color forecasting wagon. But we are going to tell you what colors and color combinations we've recently been seeing and responding to. There are a number of trends, some of them fairly new, some continuing, some mutating and merging into each other.

Neutrals are still very much with us and seem to be going in a couple of directions, away from or in addition to the beige on beige tonalities, which are still very popular. And there's a reason for this. Neutrals are comfortable to live in, make a great backdrop for adding color or artwork, and can be updated and changed easily. But neutrals are also evolving into much stronger versions - rich browns, ochres, deeper colors, all creating more of a statement. There's both a rustic and a sophisticated feel to this palette. On the other hand, we're also seeing white-white on white-white, sometimes in conjunction with strong colors, or with black for an update on that classic combination.

Retro - as now, not then - is very strong, not only in styles, but in colors. A lot of very real, very bright colors are showing up - lime to pea greens, oranges in various hues, electric blues, true reds, pinks from soft to shocking, and yellows. Sometimes these are used sparingly as accents, sometimes they're used all together, and sometimes they're seen on a background of white or black. Or it might be a particular combination of colors - such as brown with icy blues - that feels retro, but retro as now, not then.

		Warm to hot colors - reds, reds, on top of pinks, pinks - lots of pinks, on top of oranges, with yellows. It's an exciting palette, which can be used in a muted or very bold way. When muted and not using the "retro as now" versions, this palette can be very earthy and almost reassuring. It has a feel of fall colors, which almost everyone responds to in a deeply satisfying way. When bold, it's very now, and very striking and definitely not serene.

Serenity colors - anything that evokes a zen, meditative, soothing feeling - have been here for a while and seem to be staying. This scheme can be done with various versions of colors, but more often you'll see soft cool tones, such as pale aquas, steely blues, soft sages, beiges..... used together or separately. But these cool tones can be used with warmer, still soft, tones very pleasingly too. One of the hallmarks of this color scheme is that it's fairly monochromatic and low contrast - that's what makes it so soothing and easy to live with.

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