September 21, 2009
From the pages of HFN
Home Furnishings News for Industry Decision Makers
September Issue
Corporate Spotlight Feature
Also from HFN...
August 2009 edition
Letters to the Editor
Unknown Admirer
To the editor:
Say it isn't so. I cannot believe that HFN has succumbed to celebrity worship (Power 100, HFN,
July 2009). Outside influencers-you have got to be kidding. When have Jaclyn Smith or
Cindy Crawford earned the attention of all home manufacturers/retailers/designers/marketers
so that they could use their lines as inspiration or an indicator of what is to come, while
ignoring a true industry influence like Lea Eiseman, of the Pantone Color Institute. She is
the true celebrity as the "Rock Star' of color who has helped to shape thinking through her
color forecasts that are truly indicators of important colors to come and an enormous
help to so many people in every home and fashion related industry. She has commanded
very large audiences through her remarkably accurate forecasts, both at trade shows like
the Housewares Show, as well as constantly being quoted in the media for her insights.
I certainly hope that when you compile another list of those who should be recognized that
she is front and center again, as she deserves to be.
Name withheld upon request
Retailer
Los Angeles
September 18, 2009
With the waning days of summer I walk around my garden, absorbing the beauty of the
myriad colors I see. Like a squirrel storing the nuts for the winter ahead, I commit to memory
this beautiful spectrum that is just beginning to fade, but even in that fading process, a
new variation of reds, russets and purples come forth until finally the starkness of empty branches
will take over. But even then, there are the contrasts of shape, foliage and always, the color
of the faithful evergreens to carry us through until the purple crocus announces its presence
in January,
Here are some of my summer favorites...
The gamut of hydrangeas
The glorious dahlias
Echinacea
Roses
The colors speak for themselves!
September 14, 2009
Excerpted from Colors For Your Every Mood
Seeking Equilibrium: Homeostasis
Throughout our lives, we seek balance on many levels: spiritually,
aesthetically, emotionally, and physically (the ancient Chinese called it
the balance of yang and yin). Today our lifestyles and attitudes require
a perpetual balancing act between work and play, practicality and fantasy,
technology and humanism; seeking what is new while treasuring the old.
Above all, our homes are critical to our sense of equilibrium. For increasing
numbers of people, it is both work place and living space. Now, more than
ever, there is a need for home to be a safe haven; a place where we can
feel secure, nurtured, connected, and comfortable; a place to regroup,
refresh, and replenish. Color can be an instant equalizer and a "quick fix" in
helping us to achieve that ever-important balance in our busy often hectic lives.
Although we have no conscious awareness of it, our eyes search for
balance in our immediate environments. Having someone tell you that
your home is warm is always taken as a compliment because warm colors
are perceived as cheerful and welcoming. Excessive warmth, unrelieved
by a cool touch, however, can be too much of a good thing. Too many cool
colors with no suggestion of warmth can have a chilling effect on our moods
as well as on others entering our home. And being told that your home is
cold would definitely not be taken as a compliment!
Perhaps you have had your colors "done," and you were told to decorate
your home in the same colors that you wear. If you were placed in a warm
palette, you might have been told to decorate exclusively in warm colors. If
cool colors were chosen for you, then you might have been told to decorate
only in cool colors. This is not necessarily good advice especially if it came
from a color analyst who got her certification from a home-maintenance
product company after an "intensive" one hour training session!
As far as color is concerned, beware of the words exclusively, only, never,
and always. These are very judgmental and may be outmoded, at least as
far as you are concerned. If you prefer either warm colors or cool colors for
your clothing as well as your living space, then by all means use what pleases
you. But remember that using warm colors exclusively can make you feel
uncomfortably overheated, and using only cool colors can make you feel that
the atmosphere is uninviting and sterile.
Our innate longing for balance welcomes the soothing touch of green plants
in a warm room, just as a large vase of red tulips brings a cheering warmth
to a too-cool interior. This need to maintain internal equilibrium or a sense
of balance (called homeostasis) is a natural phenomenon that is inborn, a
purely physiological reaction. To prove this to yourself try the following
experiment:
Concentrate on a fixed red object for about ten seconds. Look away at
a piece of plain white paper, and you will see the complimentary shade of
green. This is homeostasis in action--our body's ability to provide relief to
our eyes and restore our sense of balance. We need only to take a cue
from our own restorative powers by turning the color temperature up or
down, allowing one color to dominate and the other to support.
September 11, 2009
GREEN
If you were playing a word association game, what would be your immediate
response to the word "green?" Would you visualize the brilliant blue-green of a
tropical ocean, a verdant bed of velvety moss, silver-green willow branches, the
lush deep green of a pine scented arbor, the sophisticated sparkle of emeralds, or
the sickly yellow-green associated with nausea and mold or slimy scary creatures?
As the range of green is enormous, so are the possibilities of positive or negative
associations.
The Gamut of Greens
Perhaps it was Kermit the Frog who best understood this complex color when
he so aptly stated: "It's not easy being green!"
Responses to green run from high praise to pure disgust. Why the extreme
divergence of opinion on greens? Perhaps it's because, of the 8 million to 10 million
colors discernible to the human eye, the widest range distinguishable is in the vast
variety of greens. The color of many edible plants (or at least their leaves), green
was the first color to appear on earth and very necessary to human survival.
Want to know more about green? Check out Colors For Your Every Mood
September 8, 2009
What Dogs and Cats Really See on TV...and Elsewhere
Helena Sung
Posted July 23, 2009
Have you been looking for another way to enjoy time with your pet? Consider
watching television as it is not just humans who can enjoy a flat screen TV.
"Turns out quick thinking cats may actually prefer high end flat screens." This
according to Dr. Alex Melrose a Veterinarian from New Zealand.
"Despite a popular myth, dogs and cats do see color -- just not as much as
humans can. Dogs can pick out the color blue, but "red, green and yellow
all appear similar." Cats can detect a fuller range of colors in the blue, green
and yellow spectrum, says Dr. Melrose, but see very little reds."
"If you recall from biology class, the human eye has light-sensitive cells
called "rods" that help us see in dim lighting and "cones" that enable us to
see color and detect fine detail. Dogs only have two types of cones at the
backs of their eyes, while humans have three types of cones that are packed
at 10 times the density at the back of our retinas -- hence our ability to enjoy
the rainbow of colors."
"Now that you know how dogs and cats see differently than we do, what
can you do to enhance your pet's television-watching experience? "Turn
the brightness [on the tv] down," says Dr. Melrose. "And pick out shows
with lots of fast-moving action scenes where everyone's wearing lots of
blue stripes."
September 4, 2009
examiner.com
Seattle
Expressive art and your child
East LA Child Care Examiner
Rosemary Akhavan
September 2, 2009
“I have always encouraged my clients to allow their children to express themselves
freely through color and art or craft projects. You might think that everyone would
do so, but think about your own color like and dislikes and/or stereotyping. Do you
pass that on to your child? Just as the author states, children should be allowed
free reign without fear of judgmental comments concerning colors or color
combinations”.-Lee
The following is an excerpt from "Expressive art and your child"
"A study conducted by Marcel Zentner in 2001, of the University of Geneva indicated
that children associated colors to emotions differently than adults. The adult’s
favorite color universally was blue, whereas, children preferred the color red. Adults
were consistent in associating certain colors to emotions: Happy was yellow, Sad
was black, and Angry was red. In contrast, children chose a wide range of colors
to associate with each facial expression. Happy tended to be red, and Sad tended
to be blue, however, no color was chosen to represent Angry. One significant
correlation that Zentner did find was that children associated bright colors with
Happy, and dark colors with Sad. So parents, remember not to be critical of your
child’s color choice, although children have been found to associate color with
emotions, they do it differently from adults."
