Check out the latest interior color trends

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Economic extremes call for color extremes. Check the predictions for colors at Color Marketing Group (CMG). This group has been predicting color trends with remarkable accuracy for over 45 years so I would say they can be quoted. The CMG forecasts color trends up to three years into the future for its members, many of whom need to plan ahead for products and materials. So what is CMG predicting for this fall and winter?Opposites attract. Ecological concerns mean fabrics are made with less dye, which gives them a vintage look. That's one side of the opposites. Bright, ethnic colors such as sunny yellows, true turquoises and warm oranges are also popular so that is the other side of the opposites. How do these two, seemingly polar colorizations mix? Jamie Stephens, executive director of CMG gives an example. "We are drawn to old-culture decor -- a Tuscan farmhouse kitchen -- but we want state-of-the-art appliances in that kitchen. So we are drawn to both vintage hues and new bright colors," she said.Look for lots of special effects this season with patterns and textures. You will see black-on-black beading, stitching or embossing and you will also see bright metallics with a matte graphic overlay.Purple is back! And it has moved from a blue-based lavender to a red-based purple -- almost a raspberry color. There is a convergence of red and purple that is high-energy. Reds and oranges are taking leading roles. Blue-based red in a sophisticated and complex shade is in. Remember the Summer Olympics in Beijing? The popularity of the Olympics brings us a passion for orangey red. And intense lipstick berry red with a touch of orange is being used as a great accent color.Gray has shifted from metallics to fabrics to paint to home products. If you're going for gray, keep that lilac idea in mind and opt for a lilacy gray. A truly classic gray, with no undertones is in vogue also for the season. And silver with blue undertones works too. So gray is in and you decide whether it should have a lilac undertone, a blue undertone or straight gray. Gray is a good color. Green has been the most used color in the last few years since environmentalism has been so popular. The new greens are moving toward shades that are grayer and bluer. That vintage look again. That graying look again.Soft blues are gaining momentum. Pale blues, spirited blues and inky navy blues will be seen this season. Are you daring enough to buy appliances in blue? A bold, new European-influenced blue is now available in laundry room and kitchen appliances.If you want more information, check out www.colormarketing.org. (Rosemary Sadez Friedmann, an interior designer in Naples, Fla., is author of "Mystery of Color," available at Barnes & Noble Booksellers and Amazon.com. For design inquiries, write to Rosemary at DsgnQuest(at)aol.com)