Home Help: Color forecast looks bright for 2020

Tip of the week: Home color trends

Interior design trends come and go, but your home's paint choices can be easily updated to stay in style. Some of the leading paint manufacturers have announced which colors homeowners will be gravitating towards in the coming year. 

The prediction is full of optimism, warmth and joy as we welcome a new decade and bring in colors that encourage feelings of calmness and self-nurturing.

Sherwin-Williams researched global trends from pop culture to design to add 45 hues in five palettes called Alive, Mantra, Play, Haven and Heart.

Both homeowners and designers are seeking warm colors that feel human and natural. These colors invite in an essence of wellness and self-assurance, according to the company.

For example, colors in the Alive group like Touch of Sand, Canyon Clay and Endless Sea aim to evoke a sense of rejuvenation, community and living well.

The Heart palette is a warm swirl of browns beiges and pinks includes hues such as Dark Clove, Cocoa Whip, Diverse Beige and Coral Clay.

Behr's 2020 color trends palette is inspired by natural elements such as sky, earth, water and plants and embraces exploration of the natural environment. The palette consists of 15 colors, one of which is Behr's color of the year, a restorative and revitalizing green hue called Back to Nature.

A bit more lively, Dunn-Edwards Paints' color trends report is an explosion of bright, deep colors. Greens from nature are essential to the palette with eucalyptus growing in popularity along with darker blue spruce, deep khaki and forest green as well as hints of olive and mint.

Oranges from terracotta to rust are prevalent and violet and plum are a suggested combination. Inky blues and denim continue to trend as well as a more electric blue.

One interesting surprise, while color is coming back, gray's time may be coming to an end. Sue Wadden, director of color marketing at Sherwin-Williams, told Forbes that people are tiring of stark and simple gray and are looking to add more color.

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Gardening

Divide those perennials

As summer winds down, it's time to think to the future — and bigger and better blooms next season. Dividing perennials not only saves money but keeps your plants healthy by keeping excessive growth in check.

Perennials such as hosta, phlox, daylilies, purple coneflower, black-eyed Susan and peony all benefit from dividing every three to four years. Some perennials such as bearded iris and ornamentals require special care when dividing because they have a tendency to die out from the center, according to the experts at Costa Farms. To divide these, cut around the centers and toss the dead tissue on your compost pile.

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Home buying

Sell and win with Amazon

Want to earn up to $5,000 in free stuff for selling your home? Amazon and Realology have partnered to launch a new home-buying service called Turnkey.

Here's how it works: Home buyers who use the Turnkey portal will be matched with a real estate agent from one of Realogy's subsidiaries, including Coldwell Banker and Century 21. Use that agent to close a deal on a new home and you will receive between $1,000 and $5,000 in goods and services. Those can include anything from deep home cleaning and handyman services to products such as Ring doorbells, Echo Dots and Sonos Beams.

For more information, visit amazon.com/turnkey.

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Home renovation

Tips for a basement kitchen 

Thinking about adding a kitchen to your basement remodel? If space is an issue there are plenty of design alternatives to experiment with. Examples include a thin, galley kitchen or a functional kitchenette tucked away under a set of stairs.

When it comes to necessary amenities, consider using smaller-sized appliances such as single-bowl sinks, a toaster oven and a mini fridge. The best part is, you won't have to run up and down the stairs to enjoy some refreshments.

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