Chameleon Neutrals for 2010-2011

You read our previous post on the Return of Neutrals, now let’s look ahead to the Chameleon Neutrals for 2010-2011. Color expert, Michelle Lamb, shares with us her insights!

Remember, Michelle describes Chameleon Neutrals as those that shift and change based on the light source and surrounding colors. They work extremely well for bridging color and uniting design.

Whisper Pales: These are the lightest of the Chameleons for 2010-2011. This category includes:

• Veiled Purple, which can pass as a purple, mauve or complex brown
• Cosmetic Peach, a neutral that can suggest light orange or a flesh-tone beige
• Almost Cream, where a hint of yellow is balanced by a touch of brown
• Taupessence, a dry brown-gray
• Silent Fog, a warm-enough gray that sits on the edge of brown

Pliable Mid-Tones: Reminiscent of dried-flower bouquets and lace handkerchiefs, these colors have an heirloom quality, as though they came from a memory box:

• Drifting Purple, which leads a double life as a cool brown
• Restrained Mauve, a rosy brown that feels just as feminine as…
• …Blended Beige, a make-up foundation look-alike that almost disappears
• Golden Moss, an option that can go green, gold or even brown
• Nimbus, standing between gray and brown

Metamorphic Mid-Values: Embody the metamorphosis of one colored neutral to another:

• Novel Violet, a purple, gray or a brown
• Tea Leaf, which suggests dark caramel or burnt-sugar gold
• Hybrid Brown, another dry look that verges on gray
• Ingenious Olive, with overtones of khaki brown
• Flint, an ever drier brown that boarders on gray

Changeling Deeps: Not only the darkest-value neutrals in the group, but are also the most colorful:

• Murky Brown could pass for a dark burgundy because it has so much red…
• …Turbulent Blue can work as s steel gray
• Petrologic Green is another option for gray; it simply goes to the warm side
• Lamina could be green or golden brown
• Mineralite is definitely a gray – until it becomes a cool brown

These new, colorful neutrals allow homeowners to dabble with color while maintaining a neutral point of view. Safe and daring all in one!