DECORATIVE PAINTING TRENDS

What's hot, what's not.

There are many things that impact on decorative painting trends. In recent years, new products have burst onto the scene.... so many choices!! It's all great stuff! This gives tole and decorative painters unlimited opportunity for creativity! And you have just GOT to see the Color Trends for 2008 !

Plus it's also good to watch what's happening in home decor and fashion. These two have become so closely linked that it's now common to find fashion designers creating home decor lines and vice versa. And what influences design for the home? Well ...things like pop culture, movies, the environment, economics, world events and ethnic influences from the Orient, Central America and India. Here are some of the more popular decorative painting trends:

· Whether it's walls, furniture or home accents, paint will always be a popular and inexpensive way to change our surroundings. Faux finishes, murals and trompe l'oeil aren't just decorative painting trends anymore. They're mainstays.

· Working on a variety of surfaces is not only possible, it's strongly encouraged by the decorative painting industry. Gourd painting, glass painting, painting on paper and again fabric painting have all become popular. For each specialty surface, you can find a product line created for it!

· Strong graphics and geometry still plays a key role in the design world. Circles, swirls and stripes are in.

· As you probably know, retro with a modern twist continues to have a huge impact.

· Flowers are always popular. Large, stylized flowers are all the rage.

· Sky, grass, and the ocean ... big influences!

· Bamboo, rattan, reeds plus other organic materials and shapes continue to prevail.

· Home accessories that are handmade or look handmade are a great trend this year ... what could be better for us?

· Again, Americana, primitive and folk art will always be near and dear to many of us.

· We know penguin lovers have always been out there, but have you noticed it sneaking a little more into our painting? Could that have anything to do with movies like March of the Penguins and Madagascar?

· There's a growing need for people to relax and establish individuality through play ... for us, that's paint and whatever else we can find in our stash of other creative stuff! This often leads to texture, texture, texture... and moving parts .... hmmmm. Whether visual or tactile, texture can be found everywhere. Adding tags, fibres, fabrics, knobs, charms .... just about anything goes! Even our painting has become interactive.

· You'll also find lots of interesting stuff to add to paint. Want to pearlize it ... no problem; texturize it ... done! Thickening and thinning ... mere child's play.

· And speaking of kids, they're pretty savvy these days ... when it comes to general trends and color. You'll see lots of projects for kids to do. Afterall, they're the decorative painters of the future.

· Have you tried a Fandango, Whale's Tail, Wave or Needle Pointed brush ... what fun!

· Holidays and other seasonal themes are always popular. A constant in decorative painting trends is Thanksgiving, Halloween and Christmas. We could paint for Christmas all year round.

In the meantime, if you have questions or you'd like to share some tips and ideas, we'd love to hear from you. You may contact us here. If you want to see what else is of interest, feel to go to our Home page.