By Rosemary Sadez Friedmann from http://www.fineliving.com/fine/favorite_things/article/0,1663,FINE_1425_5396122,00.html Walls with color are hot. Plain vanilla walls are not. Accenting one or more walls in the room with bright, cheerful color is a good way to turn heads and get positive attention. Though this has all been done before, there's now a better way to punch pizzazz into this theme through custom painted patterns, which leads us to... Custom paint on walls is hot. Though wallpaper is not out altogether, a pattern painted on a wall is certainly gaining momentum over everyday paper. Unless you're very talented, the service of an artist will be required for these custom walls, but if you find a good artisan the possibilities are endless. Do you love your dog? Paint one wall in the bedroom or a hall wall with 'portraits' of that favored mutt. Does the bedspread have a particularly interesting pattern? Paint a wall or border the room with that pattern. A variation on this theme is to take the pattern and enlarge it. A plaid pattern from a chair, for example, can be painted on a larger-than-life scale on the wall. The effect is fantastic. Shutters are hot. Footprint-less carpet is hot. Fresh vacuum lines on a carpet make the entire room seem clean, but the first step taken on that pristine floor covering destroys the short-lived effect. Shaggy area rugs are hot. Remember the shaggy rugs of the '60's and '70s? Cut down to 'fun size', these shaggy little rascals fit in well under a cocktail table, at foyer entrance, under dining tables or in large bathrooms. Media rooms are hot. It is called a media room because the main focus is the television, but the use of the room remains multifunctional. And that's all that is in the crystal ball today. (Rosemary Sadez Friedmann, an interior designer in Naples, Fla., is author of Mystery of Color, available at Barnes & Noble Booksellers and Amazon.com.) What's hot and what's not in interior design these days?
Wall paper is not.
Heavy draperies are not.
The large, tropical, plantation-looking shutters fit in with just about every decor and are just as versatile as they are attractive. They come in several standard colors and are available as well in custom colors to match woodwork, the walls or any accent color.
Sculptured is not.
Shaggy wall-to-wall rugs are not.
Theatre rooms are not.
The room dedicated to viewing movies with a theater-like atmosphere is still a good idea for some, but its prevalence is fading. Those with very large homes might consider a theater room, but those with less space are going toward what is considered a specialized family room.
Highly functional appliances are hot.
Simple ones are not.
Fancy, hardworking stove tops with multi burners that heat up according to the size of your pot or pan are definitely on demand. Dishwashers that fit dishes and flatware in a more efficient manner and that truly clean the dishes are stipulated by today's buyers. Front load washers and dryers seem to offer more of what the consumer wants because they tend to do larger loads and do them more effectively.
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