[color:"Navy"]Hi!

I'm an Interior Decorator & I end up working with about
4 clients a month, so I wanted a wider range of opinion.

I was wondering what you might think about this trend.

The hottest color for 2006 is [/color] [color:"darkOrange"]ORANGE[/color]!

[color:"Navy"]What is your reaction to using this color in your home?

Have you jumped on this trend?

If so, what have you done that looks great and what has been a disaster?

I would love to know what you think.

Yours,

- Melisa[/color]

Hi Melisa,

We painted our dining room a warm orange a couple of years ago and we love it - glad to see style is finally catching up with us!

Danielle

A friend of mine (metrosexual bachelor) bought a rather old-fashioned looking house, but which had the most beautiful modern slate grey Italian tiles through the kitchen and living room. It also had an open ceiling with black wooden boards and beams, so it was quite dark and dingy.

My very clever friend went and painted the walls in the kitchen and living room alternating shades of pumpkin and citrus orange, and then in the passageway through to the bedrooms he did bright lime green, tore up the carpet and laid a very pale polished wooden floor.

It looks absolutely beautiful. Stunning, stunning, stunning. It's transformed a drab house into a hot, sexy, modern bachelor pad. The orange offsets the grey and the black so well, and the lime peeps through the archway - it's to die for. If you said "orange" before I saw that - in fact I did go ewww when he told me he was painting his house orange and lime (shame on me) - then I saw the effect and I love it. Orange is hot. Oh, this was back in 2001 by the way, so not really a new trend.

[color:"orange"]Orange[/color] is one of those colors, that you really have to be specific about.

I think the peach colors are lovely, but if we are talking orange like what is at the top of this page - I would not be able to stand it. Certain colors tend to set off my migraines - and that's one of 'em! Along with bright yellow.

I still have nightmares of my college days...our sororities all lived in one dorm house, each sorority taking a different floor. We all painted our floors in our colors. I'm an ADPi and our colors are lovely lilac, violet, light blue - very soothing. The floor below us were the Alpha Gamma Deltas, and their colors were Red, Buff, and Green - but unfortunately whoever painted their hall interpreted "buff" as bright yellow. So their hall was red, yellow and green. I thought I was having a stroke every time I walked on their hall my head hurt so bad.

Which is a shame, because their coat of arms is quite lovely...

But orange and lime green would fall into that category, too. It might be interesting to look at; but I wouldn't survive it on a day to day basis. <img src="/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />

When I picture decorating with orange alone it doesn't seem very pleasant to me at all.
However, I can easily imagine orange accessorized with with eggplant purple and deep ivy green in a kitchen or a breakfast nook. I would not care for it in a living area or bedroom. Maybe because pumpkins belong in the kitchen? ;-)
I'm not really sure I would jump in and create such a drastic color scheme, but if I saw it in someone else's home I would probably admire it.

I thought I'd share with you me in my daughter's new kitchen Sept 2004 making a wedding cake for her younger sister. The orange is just perfect, I think - this is in southern Calif.

http://www.susankramer.com/family109.jpg

OK - here's the finished wedding cake -

http://www.susankramer.com/family110.jpg

<img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I used to be a florist not too long ago...I LOVED putting citrusy lime, bold orange and hot pink or purple together for fall arrangements...my boss hated them but they always sold faster than I could make them...so in a small way I got to stick it to the man =]

I now work retail and orange and pink were very popular last summer....we called it the Dunkin Donuts look. Orange still is a popular color but not that dingy pumpkin brown orange - its that light crisp bright orange. 'happy' orange if you will.

I personally would not have any qualms painting any space orange- my bedroom now is a kelly green, the hallway sky blue and my roommates room is royal blue.

Very nice colors! I really like the countertops, too!

I just saw a baby crib set that I loved with those exact colors you just mentioned, Wendy.

The set was called "Stop Buggin Me"! It had all those cheery colors, hot pinks, oranges, lime greens, and lemon yellow.

If you are "color sensitive" or simply don't want to paint your whole space orange - a way to try this or any color trend without jumping into the deep end of the 'color pool' - use "Pops" of color throughout a room...pillows, vases, throws, flowers or one painted wall of it.

I have a square wall in my entrance that I paint a different trend color a couple of times a year. It only requires a bit over a quart of paint and allows me to live with new colors before I recommend them to clients.

If you don't have a wall like that, that you can paint with abandon...try a using a large canvas - the ones that are called 'gallerywrap" don't require a frame!! -40in. x 60in. or thereabouts - painted in one solid color. (any smaller and it becomes just an accessory 'painting' instead of being a large expanse of the trend color)

It will give you an opportunity to 'try on' and live with lots of paint colors without large time or money committment. The bonus is, these large canvasses can be repainted over and over and over! <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Create something today - even if it's only a little [color:"orange"] COLOR! [/color]
<img src="/images/graemlins/rolling.gif" alt="" />

Some excellent ideas Artglam <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />