Color Trends of the Year: Copper, Brass, Bronze
Designer fabrics incoporating woven copper and other metallics.High-resolution version of this photo.
Most of us like to keep up with trends in materials, colors, fabrics and finishes, and we generally take our styling cues from the experts - the colorists, designers and marketers who make it their business to know what is "in" and what is not. Metallic colors have surfaced as this year's most important interior design direction, with copper, bronze and brass hues high on the list, according to these reliable color trend indicators.
The rich metal earth tones are gracing new products available now to interior designers and their clients at the high end of the market and are expected to be prominent in retail stores later this year.
Copper and the varied colors of copper alloys such as brass and bronze "invite a nurturing feeling, and in the stressful times we're living in, the need to embody warmth resonates with a lot of people," says Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, which gathers color trend information worldwide.
A more customized use of coppery colors is also on the scene. "New technology has enabled the use of materials in innovative ways. For instance, more copper and bronze are now woven into textiles," says Eiseman, who has seen the trend firsthand at décor shows in the USA and Europe. She also points to the modern, stylized use of hammered copper for decorating accessories like picture frames and house wares.
Corroborating the style is award-winning interior designer Charles Pavarini III, whose projects span the East Coast and Southwest. "The trend is toward sheer fabrics that have metallics threaded through them," he notes. One drape on display at Bergamo Fabrics in New York City contains 23% copper.
Pavarini's signature touch is using brass nail heads with an antique finish on furniture and as designs on leather chests. "When I design custom furniture, I incorporate a metal banding strip. It adds depth, glint and shine to the piece. It also makes objects look more artisan, more handmade. We all like to have a little history in our interiors." Bronze-finish hides woven into leather upholstery are also part of his repertoire.
Copper and bronze colors highlight fabrics, tiles and other home accessories.
High-resolution version of this photo.
Pavarini creates window treatments comprised of single strands of metallic balls, and metallic shower curtains. He also uses copper as a border strip inset into wood floors, which gives the impression of a copper "frame." "When you see metal in the décor, it establishes a level of design, and elegance," he explains.
Oil-rubbed bronze bathroom fixtures that patinate, or change color as they age as a result of contact from hands and through natural oxidation, create an "aged look that is a nod to the past," says Pavarini. He quickly adds that, unlike him, not everyone likes fixtures that change color, however.
Deborah Zimmer, color and decorating expert for the Paint Quality Institute, states that metallic colors are also popular in paints this year. "It's really about the hard textures of that type of surface, coupled with consumers' love of naturally occurring materials incorporated into their living space, including marbles, quartz and a glimmer of copper. Metallic finishes on the walls are a fabulous complement to an interior design."
Rohm & Haas, a sponsor of the Paint Quality Institute and major supplier of raw materials to paint manufacturers, recommends a color line called Mineral, Sprits! in its newsletter, Color Trends 2006. This range of tints echoes minerals and earth tones found in nature.
"Brass tones are so warm and homey, they invite people in, as well as glamorize a setting," says Zimmer. She notes that brassy colors are strong and do not need to be on all four walls in a room, but can be effective as an accent even on one wall. She has seen sensational use of copper colors on dining room ceilings, and notes that these colors are also now being used as a highlight on moldings and other trim.
The bold, bright color of polished copper cookware has never gone out of fashion for the kitchen. Now, that functional beauty is establishing a strong foothold in the most luxurious living rooms nationwide. Cu
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Also in this Issue:
- Tag, You're It - Tomorrow's ID Is An RFID
- How Green Is Copper?
- Color Trends of the Year: Copper, Brass, Bronze
- HDTV + Copper = Maximum Effect
- Copper Can Help Contain Flu