Ann Arbor Undressed : December 2010

In home staging, we like to stick to a neutral color palette so that we can make the home that's for sale appeal to the broadest range of buyers.  However neutral does not have to mean boring.

I love to use pops of color (red, turquoise, orange, greens, blues) in throw pillows, artwork and decorative objects against the more neutral background colors (beige, grays, whites) in the furniture, bedding and walls.

Even so, I love to see what colors the major paint companies forecast to be THE colors for the upcoming year.  I like to use these colors for inspiration.

Benjamin Moore's color designers are forecasting vintage wine  as their Envision Color 2011's Color of the Year. 

Vintage Wine

2116-20   

According to Benjamin Moore's website: 

"First seen on the fashion runways of New York, Paris, and Milan, this rich hue with a deep brown base and a hint of smoky violet is just as magnificent in the home.

As an undertone in many of the latest wood finishes, leathers, and other textiles, vintage wine, and its lighter variations, will make a great paint color pick for many applications over the coming years.

From deep smoky wine to wildly pumped up fuchsia, purple promises to be a predominant color in home décor in 2011."

While I've never used purple or violet or wine-colored accessories in my stagings, maybe I will have to try it for my next vacant staging.

Forecasted Colors for 2011

 
In addition to their Color of the Year, the Benjamin Moore color team also comes up with a palette of colors they are forecasting for the coming year.  The color team reviews cultural, social, and political conditions and looks at how they affect fashion and design trends. Their analysis led to a central Balance theme with three related "style movements"-Soulful, Spirited and Dreamy.  Each of these style movements were then defined by six Benjamin Moore colors.

Soulful...

Communications technology has drawn the global cultures closer.  What may have seemed strange now appears familiar to us.  On the style front, this is visible in ethnic designs, pattern-on-pattern, and handmade decoration such as beading and embroidery. Colors that reflect this include Benjamin Moore's:

• Vintage Wine 2116-20
• Wasabi AF-430
• Amulet AF-365
• Casco Bay 2051-30
• Hush AF-95
• Etruscan AF - 355

Spirited...

By spirited, this means anything that makes you feel happy, joyful, playful. In fashion and furnishings it's reflected in designs featuring geometrics, stripes and cubes,  and dots and curlicues. Loud and bright colors are  balanced with gray, black and white. Benjamin Moore colors comprising this palette are:

• Royal Flush 2076-20
• Grape Green 2027-40
• Wrought Iron 2124-10
• Paper Mache AF-25
• Storm AF-700
• Lucerne AF-350

Dreamy...

 
From a design perspective, dreamy means transparency, sheerness, blurriness and softness.  The Benjamin Moore colors that reflect this style or mood are:

• Gray Mirage 2142-50
• Genesis White 2134-70
• Porcelain 2113-60
• Etiquette AF-50
• Kendall Charcoal HC-166
• Smoke 2122-40

Each year Benjamin Moore announces their predictions for the upcoming year in a booklet that's free and available through the company's extensive network of stores.  The booklet contains decorating ideas, photo illustrations, plus the forecasted palette of 18 colors for 2011.

© Copyright 2010 Designed to Appeal, LLC.  All Rights Reserved.

Share |

Google Docs are one of my favorite tools on the web and also one that I think gets overlooked by so many people. Since I no longer own a PC I don't have access to Microsoft Word & Excel, so when I want to create documents and spreadsheets to send to someone I always use Google Docs. Another thing I love about Google Docs is the fact that you can share them with others and collaborate together. One way we collaborate in Google Docs is for our weekly radio show. Since there are four regular contributors into the show, it is a great easy way to share what topics we are going to discuss, notes on our guest speaker and so much more. It's a great way for all of us to access the same info and share things with each other quickly.

The other big function of Google Docs that I think gets overlooked by so many is the form function. The form allows you to create a document that can be embedded into a website, blog post or just about anywhere else. It gives you the creator a simple way to collect information from readers who want to participate. For example, I recently ran a contest for a company where we wanted people to be able to register for the contest. Consumers could simply fill out the form with their name, email address and phone number.

All of the information was then stored in an excel spreadsheet that I could then use to determine winners, and also have a good set of leads to follow up on about possibly purchasing a custom WordPress Site. So you may be wondering, how do you create these forms and how can they be used for generating leads. Well, I am going to show you how to quickly and easily create a form, install it into your site and then how the answers populate. Watch the video below to see step by step how I create and implement Google Docs form builder:

Also, here is the Google Form I created in the video so you can see how one works live:

If you have any questions/comments, feel free to leave them below.

Originally Posted at: 210 Consulting- Social Media Advisors

 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

I am the Co-Founder of 210 Consulting- Social Media Advisors.  If you would like more information on any of the topics discussed in this blog, please contact me directly.  We specialize in social media training, online consulting, and the creation of your own custom WordPress site.

Feel free to subscribe to my blog to keep up to date with my latest posts of tips & tricks to enhance your experience on ActiveRain. If you would like, you can sign up to receive updates via email directly in your inbox.

Also, let's connect on these great social networks:

              

Useful Blog Posts:

Twitter Applications- 125 Twitter Tools To Make Twitter Easier To Use

How serious are those cracks in your driveway? They should be sealed to prevent water penetration but this is particularly important if you have freezing and thawing. Nothing can destroy a driveway faster that freezing and thawing. Cracks less than ½ inch should be sealed with a latex caulk, designed to bond with concrete, only after the concrete has been thoroughly cleaned. Also consider adding in backer rod before the caulking for the larger voids. This will reduce the amount of caulk required.

These efforts will help keep the water flowing down the driveway and into the street, rather than under the driveway. Check out this video for more!

Posted By: Chrissy Doremus, U.S. Inspect Blog