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By Cheryll Gillespie

Every year the art of home becomes hotter and hotter. It seems as if everyone is getting in on the decorating act, from movie stars to rock stars to your parents to your daughter.

Your home is hot property, and everyone is getting in on the act. In fact, more than 50% of us are planning a major renovation or redecorating project this year. Having a home that you adore is number one on everyone's list. So what's hot in home decor?

Colour Trends

Today's colour trends focus on fresh, innocent, and elegant shades along with a greater selection of luminous, textured, and metallic options. Colour is heaven-sent, with a strong palette of blues. Look for Caribbean-inspired greens and blues, spa-themed blues, ice blue and greens to continue with great strength for the most fashionable rooms.

• Blue and Green. Influenced by nature, our blues and soft blue-greens enable us to bring the outdoors in. Greens are more confident, and many are blue based think glass, turquoise and sea-inspired shades of green.
• Red. Red is the new neutral. Look for red-based oranges and rust reds to appear in many of the top design and decor magazines and at the chicest spaces.
• Pink.If red is still a little too daring, try bringing a sexy little number home with pink. Revved up to be naughty and nice, this blush-inspired shade will do anything but make you blush when you show off your room. Pair it with creams, taupes, browns and grassy greens. If you want to bring some energy home, add a little red or pink to your life.
• Yellow. Bread and butter may be staples in the kitchen, but they have also become staples in our decor. Look forward to that same rich, warm and cheery shade of buttery yellow to be spread onto many of our walls this year.
• Neutral.Neutrals remain strong although so are warmer and enriched shades with more colour. Hopefully, this is a sign we are making a resolution to confront our colour phobias.
• Metallic. Brushed nickel and stainless steel are still favourite metals, but newcomer copper and oil-rubbed bronzes arrive straight from the mines to refine our homes. Watch for copper and bronzes married-off as an accent to stainless in appliances such as hood fans and bathroom fixtures. Diva note: Copper is wonderfully flattering to skin tones.

· Upholstery Trends

To bring a fresh face to an old favourite, traditional decor such as American and French country furniture will be covered in colours such as European orange, pistachio green and watermelon red. These fresh new shades bring new life to the old standbys. Reupholster your old furniture in one of these wonderful coloured toiles, pinstripes or tapestries to give yesterday's furniture a today look.

Think "Modern"

• Modern design will be stronger than ever as we continue to mix and match furniture styles within the same room.
• Shapes will remain geometric, especially square and rectangular.
• Look for glassware and vases to make architectural statements, as they will be independent enough to stand alone or grouped three or four together.
• Coffee tables will move closer to the floor their hemlines shortened to occupy less visual space.

Exotic, World Traveler

• Exotic textures and materials make themselves at home, on both furnishings and accessory items. Think bamboo trim, palm trees, pineapples, Asian motifs and woven banana leaves.
• One of the hottest looks this fall is the 'world traveler'. Ethnically-chic decor has the style of a seasoned traveler, so mix and match treasures from around the globe for the hottest home fashion this year.

Literary Style

Library rooms in both traditional and modern decor are the must-have accessory (just as the monogrammed accessory for apparel fashion). No need to panic if you don't have an existing library space or room to build one.

• Add bookshelves to an existing dining room.
• Add library style to a small unused corner with revolving bookcase tables or mini bookcases.

According to the National Association of American Home Builders, 54 per cent of consumers want a den/library. Today, there are plenty of affordable options to bring literary style to your home.

Need help decorating your hot property? Find a local, pre-screened Interior Decorator at casaGURU.

Emer Schlosser
		About the author:
		Always a fan of words in various glorious forms – novels, dialogue, lyrics, etc – Emer translated her passion into a writing career in 2005. She has since supplied gossip on celebrities to Canadian Press, interviewed individuals from the arts for Inside Entertainment, expressed her fondness for food for Cheese Boutique’s blog, & co-founded, edited and contributed to iheartthemusic.com. At the moment she’s taking the mystery out of Green Living and providing some great tips on Home Renovation, Decorating & Design and Curb Appeal to the members of casaGURU.com. casaGURU, “the homeowner’s home online”, is a free web community that connects homeowners and local house experts.
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