Earthy terracotta with a hint of tangerine tones describe the personal and unique versatility of the Sherwin-Williams Color of the Year 2024 Persimmon, according to Color Marketing Manager, Ashley Banbury. It’s brighter, bolder shade has been billed as approachable for any home that pairs well with natural tones in open spaces.

Most exciting is the 2024 Color Collection of the Year which offers 10 nature inspired shades that can all be mixed and matched. They include warm, earthy oranges, yellows, blues, greens and more.

The Color of the Year 2024, Persimmon, provides a great accent to an overall design scope. The bedroom features Utaupera (HGSW9088), Pearly White (HGSW7009) and Cyberspace (HGSW7076).

Shown in the full 2024 Color Collection, Persimmon’s versatility bodes well in any space in the home. This bunk bed space highlights its personality with a combination of Waterloo (HGSW9141), Cyberspace (HGSW7076) and Stardew (HGSW9138).

Rooms for work showcased with the Sherwin-Williams 2024 Color Collection, Friendly Yellow (HGSW6680) and Pearly White (HGSW7009) also complement Persimmon.

What’s your take on the Color of the Year 2024? I must admit that it took me by surprise, in a good way!

The post Color of the Year 2024 | Persimmon first appeared on Loretta J. Willis, DESIGNER.

Blue’s are back and I’m thrilled to announce that both Sherwin Williams Upward (SW6239) and Benjamin Moore’s Blue Nova (825) have selected colors of the year 2024 that have maintained there appeal throughout the ages. Both hues possess a solid historical application to your interior space, driven by the mood you desire to create. Sherwin Williams Upward, a “breezy blissful blue” invites you to “slow down, take a breath, and allow the mind to clear,” according to Sherwin Williams. Benjamin Moore’s Blue Nova, on the other hand, invites you to “Explore the extraordinary” by elevating the everyday, declaring that “this alluring mid-tone features an enchanting duality, capturing the spotlight with endlessly classic appeal.”

Style, function and emotional impact usually drive our decisions on choosing color for any interior space, which is why I love both Upward and Blue Nova. Both ensure inspiration and both will elevate your space of choice.

Color Marketing & Development Director, Andrea Magno depicts Blue Nova as a “celestial new star” and further describes the “midtone blue with a nice amount of red in the undertone, giving it that violet cast; the warm notes in this cool color is what gives it depth and makes it inviting.”

The Colors of the Year 2024 also inspire us to include other design elements in accessorizing a space; such as lighting, flooring, utility spaces and upholstery.

Speaking of design elements, lighting accents are one of my favorite color accents.

Wherever your inspiration originates from, its worth your while to take a closer look at the Color of the Year 2024 and its application for your home by visiting Sherwin Williams Upward and/or Benjamin Williams Blue Nova.

Happy painting this year!

The post Blue & More Blue! | Colors of the Year 2024 first appeared on Loretta J. Willis, DESIGNER.

How we live, work, play and heal are impacting interior design trends and the practice of design professionals in case you haven’t noticed. More importantly, according to ASID (American Society of Interior Designers), our notions of comfort and connection have blurred the lines on how we flow between these four areas of daily life. The ASID trends outlook previews eleven top trends that touch on how homeowners seek to have a homelife within our four walls that provide connectiveness, comfort and community. Several trends that have become a part of initial consultations with new clients can be vouched for in my design practice and should be included in future projects, as this trends outlook previews.

Comfortable and Connected Living | Achieved by creating gathering spaces such as kitchen islands that can be used for both dining and entertaining. The trends report also suggest using “large, glass bi-fold doors to open and extend living spaces onto patios.” According to a Houzz Study on kitchen renovations, homeowners are making their kitchens more open to interior spaces and to the outdoors.

Did you know that according to a new Pew Research Center study that 62% of Americans own a pet, and nearly all (97%) say that their pet is as much a part of the family as a human member? This has lead to an increased desire for homeowners to desire furnishings that are durable as well as pet-friendly.

Health and Wellness | Highlights in this trend include self-care, sleep science and design and a trend toward the concept of “sober-conscious driven by Gen Z and Millenials who have an increased focus on health and wellness.

Self-care is incorporated in design as we acknowledge that stress is the root of many illnesses and ailments; therefore, it has led to creating interior spaces that encourage relaxation seen for the most part in spa-inspired bathrooms, which are on the rise.

Good sleep is now being marketed as a luxury and essential to overall health and wellbeing. According to this trend outlook, designers “who are familiar with sleep data and how environments affect sleep will be at an advantage to address this issue in 2024.”

Hastens, founded in Sweden in 1852 is a sixth-generation family-owned company that makes the world’s most luxurious beds and mattresses. Their mission is to “change the way people think about and prioritize sleep, so that they can enjoy a better quality of life.

According to McKinsey & Company, wellness is now a $1.5 trillion market globally and expected to grow 10% annually. Consumers will seek more natural and “clean” products and are willing to spend more on the products that improve their health, fitness, nutrition, appearance, sleep and mindfulness.

Quiet Luxury | Great news for designers according to this trend outlook; many consumers are hesitant to purchase trendy items in clothing and furnishings. Homeowners are preferring to invest in items that will have more longevity and relevance.

Home renovation trends bring validity to the ASID Trends Outlook for 2024 as a recent Houzz Study found that of the nearly 2000 respondents to a Bathroom Trends Study, 22 percent enlarged their primary (or en-suite), bathrooms during renovations. The added space was used to increase the size of the shower while upgrading with premium features including rainfall shower heads, dual showers, body sprays and thermostatic mixers. Some showers even include a free standing tub.

Sustainability Rules | Consumers and companies are keeping an eye on changing regulations in this arena and “many are demanding high-quality, low carbon workspace(s)” that will improve sustainability metrics. The same is true for homeowners who are gravitating towards sustainable choices during kitchen renovations, according to Houzz. Choosing sustainable options is long-run cost effectiveness according to Houzz, with environmental-friendliness as a secondary consideration.

Top design trends are moving in the right direction, incorporating how we live, work, play and heal!

Photography: Michael J. Lee | Architecture: Hutker Architects | Builder: Sisler Builders | Landscape Design: Horiuchi Solien

The post Top Design Trends | 2024 first appeared on Loretta J. Willis, DESIGNER.

Kitchens of the Year 2024 award winners have served up a ton of style showcasing classic and clean design with luxury elements that catapult the kitchen space into one of the most refined room in the home. Architecturally, the interior details speak for themselves with no room left for misgiving or regret. The kitchens of the year designs also resonant with the latest 2024 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study recently released by catching the vision of post-pandemic kitchen trends.

Interest in open-concept kitchens is returning following the pandemic, according to Houzz, but improving functionality is the driving force behind it. Homeowners want to make their kitchens more open to other interior spaces and to the outdoors, as well as enhance their entertaining space, often by a continuation of the decorating theme such as wall color and flooring.

Popular kitchen renovation trends include a more open-concept space that requires reconstructing the kitchen’s layout, upgrading systems, modifying kitchen walls and ceilings and flooring.

Kitchen design trends include bigger islands that are at least seven feet or longer. As for cabinetry, a pop of color is trending against a white kitchen with blue remaining a top pick for island cabinets (green and wood finish choices are picking up).

Backsplashes are reaching new heights as we’re seeing new heights in its application, often applied to the ceiling instead of the traditional height. The most popular backsplash material is ceramic or porcelain tile followed by engineered quartz. Natural stone (marble, quartzite and granite) is also a choice for homeowners.

Most homeowners replace all appliances when renovating with the option of choosing high-tech capability appliances. Wi-Fi connectivity is most popular, followed by touch-screen displays, smart-home connectivity and built-in apps and cameras.

Last, but not least, homeowners desire a kitchen renovation design with longevity in mind. A space that can accommodate aging household members while serving current needs and lifestyles.

Please feel free to take a closer look by visiting Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles, Kitchens of the Year 2024 Winners.

The Kitchen of the Year award winners are right on track!

Photography | Emily Followill | Marc Mauldin | Mali Azima | David Christensen

The post Kitchens of the Year 2024 first appeared on Loretta J. Willis, DESIGNER.

The beauty of blue is a great segue into Upward, the 2024 Color of the Year by Sherwin Williams. This tranquil color trends is an uplifting blue-gray color hue that encourages boundless creativity and classic comfort with a desire for personal progress and peace; to move up and rise above, according to Sue Wadden, Director of Color Marketing at Sherwin-Williams.

This signature hue was selected from a palette of thousands after a full year of research and gathering inspiration, idea swapping and color discussion hosted by a color forecast team and resulting in one hue that captures the cultural outlook and trends of the time. Upward also reflects a trend toward warmer colors, according to the experts, including the evolution of whites, now boasting a “delicate trace of blue.”

The beauty of Upward inspires us to “soar beyond the stars and write our stories among the constellations of greatness,” according to Sherwin-Williams color forecast team. Did you know that Blue represents change? Introduced in 2020 with the designation of Naval, SW6244, this Color of the Year has evolved “into a softer and more muted iteration in 2024.

Inspiration also comes from natural elements such as water, air and vegetation, supporting the effects of blue in a transformative theme in our lives. So often, we experience softer blue hues in a coastal or casually designed interiors that include so much more than walls. Manifesting itself in furniture, textiles and accessories, there truly is no end to its application in homes and furnishings.

Referred to as a transitional blue, Upward, SW-6239 (224-C1) is a complement to peace while inspiring endless possibility!

Photo | Emily Followill

The post Color Trends 2024 | The Beauty of Blue | Upward first appeared on Loretta J. Willis, DESIGNER.