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What's the Best Hair Color For You?

The beautiful hair color you wear should complement your skin tone, so take this quiz to discover your ideal shade

Your skin tone has been passed down to you from generation upon generation. But what you might not immediately realize is that the color of your skin determines more than whether you turn into a lobster in the sun or what box you check on the census. Not to blind you with science (insert funny '80s quip here) or anything, but the amount and type of melanin you have -- a natural substance which gives your skin, hair, and eyes their color -- not only dictates which makeup colors work best on you, but also what shade of hair color is most flattering.

Scroll down to take the quiz and find out what hair color hue you should wear.

Your most beautiful hair color will bring out the subtleties of your skin tone and enhance its natural beauty. Knowing this, we went to Joico Celebrity Colorist Beth Minardi, who has colored the heads of celebs including Kirsten Dunst, Cameron Diaz and Brad Pitt, to find out exactly which shades of hair color work best on various skin tones. Minardi says that "skin tone is extremely important and serves as a guide for the colorist," and generally a good rule of thumb when it comes to picking shades is, if you have cool-toned skin, your color should also be cool in tone and vice versa. If you have warm-toned skin, you should opt for a warmer-toned hair color.

Before starting the quiz below to determine which skin tone you have and thus which hair colors will look best on you, check out these quick at-home hair coloring tips:

* For the most foolproof and flawless finish, always choose a box that's within two shades lighter or darker than your current color.
* To keep hair healthy, apply color to unwashed hair. The natural oils work to protect your hair from damaging product.
* If you want to use a semi-permanent color, know that you can only go darker or hide grays. Semi-permanent hues won't lighten hair.
* There is a specified time for leaving the dye on your hair for a reason. Obey it or you could end up with two-toned strands.
* If you make a color mistake, don't try and fix it with another box of hair color. If it is a minor mishap, wash it 2-3 times consecutively with clarifying shampoo. If it's a biggie, bite the bullet and see a professional.

Source. totalbeauty.com

Light color tone

Color scheme

Prismology

Sir Isaac Newton is often credited with discovering the color spectrum by using a prism to break apart light. On this webpage, we use the very same technique to analyse the elements of the colors that we see. The following is a series of revealing images that are "prismized" which allows us to arrive at some enlightening conclusions.

Before beginning this section, you should know that the two primary systems of color are called: Additive and Subtractive. The Additive system is used when projected light is involved. When colored lights overlap, various colors are seen by the eye. Subtractive color involves the absorption of light. In this case, the eye sees the reflection of light. For example, the feathers of a yellow canary will absorb blue-violet rays of the sun and reflect red and green light. This appears yellow to our eyes.

In the images below, we are able to switch between color mixing systems by using offsetting backgrounds. (However, computer monitors always use additive color because of the projection of light.) Our goal is to determine the primary colors of each systems and see how they react under a prism. The interesting thing is that by placing a 'selected' color on a white background, you can see the 'subtractive' colors which make up the color. By placing the color on a black background, you can see the 'additive' colors. As you shall see, the prism can also be used to quantitatively identify the 'best' primaries.

What is Chromatic Black?

Chromatic black is a mixed paint color that looks black but doesn't contain any blackpigment in it. None of the pigments in a chromatic black mix have a PBk (Pigment Black)Color Index. Instead, a chromatic black is created by mixing dark versions of other colors, typically a red and green or blue and red.

Why Use Chromatic Black?
Given how easy it is to squeeze paint out of a tube, why would you bother mixing up a substitute for black? It's partly the fault of the Impressionists (such as Renoir and Monet) and statements they made about shadows not being black and how it should never be used (although most of them did at some stage or other).

It's partly because using too much black to darken colors easily results in muddy colors. This is especially true amongst beginners, so some art tutors find it easiest to ban black altogether. It's partly because black can be a very flat and dull color. And it's partly because a chromatic black is a more complex, interesting color, with a subtlety that straight black

Recipes for Chromatic Black

What pigments you use to create a chromatic black is not a question of right or wrong colors, but experimenting with various options until you find a combination you like. Start by mixing in equal proportions, but be sure to also try mixes that aren't equal, so you've a 'black' that leans towards a color.

• Basic Complementary Colors: Your darkest green + darkest red (check the paint tube labels to ensure there isn't any black in a color, for instance a cadmium red deep.
• Perfect Complementaries (according to Robert Gamblin): Quinacridone red + phthalo emerald.
• The Deep Purple Recipe: Your darkest blue + darkest red
• Art Teacher Jim Meaders: Prussian blue + alizarin crimson + and an earth color.
• Warm + Cool: Any two deep, dark colors with one warm and the other cool.

A quick way to see whether your chromatic black has a bias towards one color or another, is to mix a little into some white. You'll immediately see if the grey has a pink (or green, or something) tinge to it, or not. Alternatively, scrap a little bit smooth with a painting knife to reveal the undertone.

Ready-Made Chromatic Black:
If you don't like mixing colors and would rather buy a tube of chromatic black, as far as I know Gamblin is the only paint company that sells one. Gamblin makes an oil chromatic black using PG36 and PV19 (phthalo green and quinacridone red). (Buy Direct)

Example of Chromatic Black in a Painting

In the painting shown here, artist Jön Otterson has used chromatic black for shading and texture, as well as blended with other colors to darken or gray them. He said: "This is my favorite way to use chromatic black." It's not hard to see why: the colors harmonize beautifully, there's a color unity across the composition, and a range of tones.

Painting tip: Jön used drafting tape (similar to masking tape) for blocking out the tree trunks while he painted the background. If you want straight lines, tape is easier than masking fluid.

While the January 2010 Painting Project was about using chromatic black to dominate a painting, in 'normal' circumstances you'd use it as you would any other color, where suitable and as little or much as appropriate.

Color, Tone and Contrast

Before really diving into this topic, I want to take a moment to talk about your intent when taking pictures. When you’re taking a picture, ask yourself, “What is this a photo of?” Once you know the answer, whether it’s and object, a person, an emotion, a mood, etc., you can use the tips and tools in the Professional Photos section of the blog to help you achieve that intent.

In this post, I am going to focus on the main compositional elements—color, tone and contrast—and how you can use them to create the photo you intended.

Color
Color plays an important role in your overall composition, and understanding it can help you improve the quality of your photos. If you look at a color wheel, you’ll see a great guide to contrasting colors, which are those opposite one another on the wheel. One of the easiest color contrasts to play with are oranges and blues, and reds and greens, so think of these contrasting colors when you’re composing your kids in their brightly colored clothes playing in grass. It’s a simple formula, but having the contrasting colors really adds an aesthetic element to the final shot.

Tone
For this post, the definition of tone refers to shades from dark to light. Tone is important both when shooting in color and in black and white as well as with subjects that have a lot of black, gray or light in them. A great photo can be all one color, as seen in the Pro Shots photo below, with just tones from dark to light separating the texture and subject. Tone is often associated with mood, so if you’re trying to communicate a certain mood through your photos, explore the realm of tone to convey your intention.

Contrast
Contrast is best explained by its extremes. Extremely high-contrast photos have a lot of white and black and very little (or nothing) in between. Extremely low-contrast photos have no distinct white or black but instead an overall gray or even color scheme. What can contrast do for a photo? Well, Ansel Adams made his mark by mastering contrast and the tonal scale with his famous images. When you look at his photos, they “pop” thanks to the contrasting and tonal elements.

Contrast is one of the easiest things to check for with a digital camera. If your camera offers a histogram view, look for rises on both the left and right side of your histogram—this indicated that you have some contrast in your photo. If you see a big peak in the middle of your histogram but nothing to the right or left, then you’re lacking contrast. Remember, if you don’t have a histogram view on your camera, you may have one on your digital photo/editing software.

Chiaroscuro
Chiaro-who? Chiaroscuro is an Italian word meaning “clear-dark,” which is a fancy way of explaining the combination of color, tone and contrast to make really pleasing photographs.

Once you know what you’re looking for, Chiaroscuro is easy to recognize. A good example of this technique is a window-lit person, where one side of the face is well lit but the light falls off rather dramatically on the other side of their face and the remainder of the room, or a patch of foliage lit by the sun breaking through trees above but the remainder of the forest behind it is in darkness. Another great place to see examples of Chiaroscuro is in Hollywood, such as The Godfather trilogy.

Now that you know the elements for creating stunning compositions, we want to see what you can do. Share links to your photos in the comments section that exemplify color, tone, contrast or Chiaroscuro!

Photoshop Tips - Changing Color Tone South Dakota

Photoshop has come to be synonymous with photo editing. Indeed the name is sometimes informally used as a verb. For manipulating images, there is nothing like the options offered in Photoshop. Changing the color tone of your photos is one of the easier types of editing you can do in this application.

Photoshop has come to be synonymous with photo editing. Indeed the name is sometimes informally used as a verb. As in: "I'll photoshop you into the picture so that it looks like you were also there..." For manipulating images, there is nothing like the options offered in Photoshop. Changing the color tone of your photos is one of the easier types of editing you can do in this application. The guidelines given below apply to Adobe CS3 edition of the software.

1. Open the photo in the application. Photoshop supports various digital image formats so this shouldn't be a problem. You can launch the program first then locate and load the photo or you can directly go to your photo image file, right click on it and choose 'Open with.' Choose Photoshop among the various possible programs listed in the contextual menu. This procedure applies to Windows-based PCs. You can actually simultaneously open several photos in Photoshop but you can only edit them one at a time. If you're editing more than one photo and want to apply a uniform color and tone change, it might be a good idea to write down the settings you will apply.
2. Lower the photo's color saturation. The particular photo you wish to edit should be displayed in the application's main window. Go to the toolbar menu on top and click on 'Image.' On the drop-down list, click on the 'Adjustments' option. Another list will appear beside it, this time choose 'Hue/Saturation'. The pop-up window that will appear will contain three items with sliders and input box. Move the slider under Saturation towards the left to decrease the image color. Alternatively, you can type a negative number in the input box. You'll see the real-time effect of the changes you make on the photo in the main window. Click on OK once you achieve the desired result. Decreasing color saturation prepares the photo so that the color tone you'll add later on will dominate the image.
3. Add a color tone. Once again choose 'Image' from the top toolbar menu and then 'Adjustments' from the drop-down list. From the secondary list, choose 'Variations' this time. This is found on the bottom of that list. The Variations window will appear. On it you'll see three sets of copies of the photo. We'll only be concerned with biggest set that contains seven copies of the photo taking up most of the window's space and the one in right pane that contains three copies of the photo. Six of the seven copies of the photo in the biggest set represents the various color tones you can apply, successively labeled 'More Green,' 'More Yellow,' 'More Cyan,' 'More Red,' 'More Blue,' and 'More Magenta.' Repeatedly clicking on one copy will increase the color tone it represents. The seventh copy located in the center is labeled 'Current Pick' and works as a preview. The set of three copies located in the right pane can be used to lighten or darken the chosen color tone. The copy located on top is labeled 'Lighter' and the one at the bottom is labeled 'Darker.' The one in the middle is again labeled 'Current Pick.' Repeatedly clicking on either 'Lighter' or 'Darker' will add the stated effect. Finally there is a small slider found in the upper right corner of this Variations window. One end of the slider is labeled 'Fine' and the opposite end is labeled 'Coarse.' This pushing the slider to either end adjusts how grainy the picture will be with the chosen color tone.

What changes you'll apply will ultimately depend on your taste. So the procedures stated above will actually involve a lot of experimenting. So that you don't get stuck with a result you're not completely satisfied with use the 'Save As' command to make a different edited version of the photo and keep the original photo in its initial color scheme.

Color, texture, pattern: Wallpaper is back in style

BY SUSAN SKORUPA • SSKORUPA@RGJ.COM • DECEMBER 26, 2009

As with any home decorating choice, the popularity of wallpaper waxes and wanes with the styles of the day. But while paint can be simple or dramatic, wallpapers can add texture, decorating experts say.

Wallpaper has three functions, said Gretchen Kinne, a designer at Reno Paint Mart on East Moana Lane.

"One is to texture the wall," she said. "So, we have texturals that you can order that give the wall dimension. There are grass cloth, paintable textures and all kinds of three-dimensional products.

"Second is color coordination. You can start with the paper before you pick your paint," Kinne said. "Perhaps floral, for instance, if there's one tone (in the paper pattern) with vibrant contrasting colors, then you can pick the paint."

Finally, if you've just finished decorating a room and it needs a little nuance or accessorizing, wallpaper can furnish that final touch.

Wallpaper selection factors include not just color and pattern selections, but texture, durability, materials such as bamboo or grass paper, cleaning ease and water resistance.

To start, determine what room you're papering and if there are any special needs involved, Kinne said.

"If it's a kitchen or bathroom, consider washable or scrubbable paper, or paper that's resistent to water or is vapor-fast," she said. "If it's for something like a day-care center or hospital, you'd want anti-microbial and nonflammable paper."

If the paper is for a "period" house, such as an arts-and-crafts style of the late-19th and early-20th centuries, there are designs available specifically for the era, Kinne said.

Arlene Carter, a consultant at Fuller Color Center on South Wells Avenue, tries to get a feel for the personality and preferences of the person she's helping to choose a wallpaper.

"Color and pattern, it all comes again to knowledgeable people," she said. "I try to get a feel for the person.

"It's good to go to somone who will take the time to talk," Carter said.

Renee Lauderback, one of Kinne's customers, is remodeling her house now to include wallpaper.

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"I was raised with wallpaper. We had it in almost every room of the house," she said.

"We got to pick (decor) for our bedrooms," she said. "Mine was orange shag (carpet), with fun wallpaper, a wild floral spead in hot pink and orange.

"As I matured, I went for colonial floral wallpaper. I love it," she said.

Now, she and her husband, Donald, are working with wallpaper, fabric and paint in their 1950s-era ranch-style house. They plan to paper bedroom and bathroom walls.

When shopping for wallpaper, bring to the store a color sample from walls, furniture or carpet or any item to be matched, Kinne said. A designer can help with pattern and color choices. Her company also can provide a list of local wallpaper hangers.

"We tell people to get more than one estimate," she said.

Many papers are prepasted, Carter said. Look for sturdier papers for kitchens and bathrooms.

Some paper manufacturers can provide samples that customers can take home and try out on a wall, she said. And professional wallpaper hangers can help determine how much paper to order.

Now the trend seems to be to bolder colors and patterns, she said. Black and white are big. Specialized coverings include grass cloth and bamboo and fabric of all types. "Green" products are breaking out with recycled products and wallpapers that don't give off chemical fumes.

"I think that trend will grow," Carter said. "We're seeing a little bit of that."

It's even possible to have a personalized design made, Kinne said.

"It's not cheap, but all art can be reproduced," she said.

Wallpaper prices in the hundreds of sample books Kinne stocks can vary from $30 or so a roll up to several hundred dollars a roll.

"Some (samples) will knock your socks off," she said.

Before shopping, think about the square footage of the room and draw it out, Kinne said. Remember that each pattern repeats and a little paper is lost with the application of each strip. Wallpaper patterns repeat over and over again and how the pattern is arranged will determine how the final project looks and how much paper it will take to complete it.

Decide what the wallpaper is going to highlight, Carter said.

"What do you want in (the room)? What will you showcase?" she said. "In the bedroom, maybe you're showcasing a bedspread and you do not want a paper to take away from other things. Lots of time, you just want the walls to complement something."

Choose contrasting color schemes for a more powerful effect

By Rose Bennett Gilbert - Creators Syndicate Comments 0

Published: December 19, 2009

Q: My husband and I both like the color gray, so I was glad to see that a number of the designers in a show house used gray on the walls. But they also used beige furniture and a beige-and-gray plaid rug.

Gray, graphic and anything but gloomy, a dining room almost vibrates with high-contrast, high-energy patterns. Photo courtesy of Joe Schmelzer, Filipacchi Publishing. - Creators

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It was very pretty, but a little too dull for us. What else would you suggest with gray?

A: Think contrast instead of coordinates. The latter must have been what the designer had in mind for the show house room you're referencing. Beige and gray fall almost together on the color intensity scale. Used together, they add up to a room that's practically monochromatic — even in pitch, harmonious and maybe sophisticated.

But frankly, this color scheme is a little dull to the eyes of those who like more energetic environments.

Contrasting color schemes, on the other hand, include high notes, sharp and clear, even clarion colors that sparkle against a quieter background. The pictured dining room is a lively case in point.

Both the walls and the ceiling are painted gray, presenting a stylish background against the designer's virtual medley of crisply contrasting black-and-white patterns. Curtains, the rug and the upholstery on the stool are related but not matching. Even the black-painted frames on the French doors help increase the energy of the room.

"And white urns and statuary inject wit," writes Jean Nayar, author of the new book from which we've borrowed this photo ("Staged to Sell -- Or Keep," Filipacchi Publishing). In the book, Nayar runs this dining room under the heading of "Glamorous," and indeed, the room lives up to the adjective.

It takes a deft hand (and a modicum of courage) to work with several different patterns, especially extroverts, in the same room. The secret? Colors should be alike, while the scale of the patterns should be different and high in contrast.

Q: Do I have to match the wood tone of my new kitchen cabinets to the oak floors in the nearby dining room? The kitchen opens through an arch and you can see the cabinets from the dining room.

A: In a word, no. The word today is "blend," not match. Top interior and kitchen designers eschew what they call "matchy-matchy," decorating in favor of colors — including wood tones — that blend or contrast.

Need more proof? Click on www.hardwoodinfo.com. Then go to "Write and Request" for a free booklet that tells you how the professionals feel about matching things up. In a word, they say, "Don't!"

Rose Bennett Gilbert is the co-author of "Hampton Style" and associate editor of Country Decorating Ideas. To find out more about Rose Bennett Gilbert and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web site at www.creators.com.

CREATORS.COM

Cheerful color scheme sets tone for Denver's stunning Brass Ring luncheon and show

Catching up with the social scene
Joanne Davidson
The Denver Post

Winter's closing in, so, sure, many of the runway selections were outfits well-suited for snowstorms and evenings spent in front of a cozy fire.

But this is Colorado, where dark and dreary days are few and far between, so a cheerful yellow, black and white color scheme was the perfect choice for a bridging-the-seasons event like the Brass Ring Luncheon & Fashion Show.

"Wow!" was the word heard over and over as 820 guests filed into the Marriott City Center's main ballroom for the lunch and Saks Fifth Avenue style show that could raise as much as $225,000 for the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes.

Chairwoman Jamie Angelich spent a full eight months refining the design, color and detail that would bring the reaction it did. Eight months that also included the death of her mother and surgery on her back.
"It was a tough year for me personally, and there was a point when I felt it might be better to step down," Angelich acknowledged. "But then I realized that this was the outlet I needed to escape the reality of life. Planning Brass Ring turned out to be the silver — or yellow — lining for me."

She assembled a team of pros — including Cheryl Lebsock of Inviting by Design, Jesse Ketter and David Squires from DesignWorks and Mark Anderson of Rollins Professional Event Productions — to help execute a vision that tied together every element from save-the-date cards and the event logo to patron favors and table settings.

The favors — patent leather, yellow and black checkered coin purses that Marc Roth and James Pfister helped Angelich find at the Denver Merchandise Mart — were paid for by Adrienne Ruston Fitzgibbons, Diana Docktor and Marty Jensen. Docktor also coordinated the silent auction with Judy Korstad and will chair Brass Ring in 2010.

Hotel banquet chef Roger King did his part for the color scheme by suggesting a menu that began with roasted corn soup and ended with lemon cheesecake.
"The women who attend Brass Ring love to sit down to a beautiful table and have the service and the details and the little touches — and the hundreds of e-mails I've received since that day proves that."

Guests included Roxanne Vierra, who with husband Fred was a benefactor-level sponsor; Sharon Kamen, president-elect of the Guild of the Children's Diabetes Foundation; Frances Owens; Julia Peay; Loretta Kelce; Edie Marks; Kelly Storrs; Kimi Porterfield Brown; Lisa Williams; Doug- las Kerbs; Margot Gilbert Frank; Gretchen Pope; Arlene Mohler Johnson; Eunice Romano; Diane Sweat; Sharon Whiton Gelt; Dianne Eddolls; Kalleen Malone; Linda Bowen Scott; Ginny Messina; Freda Gold; Lisa Corley; Kit Leventhal; Trisha Hood; Dr. Bonita Carson; Ann Carroll; Sharon Rawls; Carol Roger; Victoria Frank; Helen Hanks; Patty Jenkins; and CBS4 meterologist Ed Greene, who emceed.

Coming right up.

Beaujolais & Beyond, a fundraiser for the French-American Chamber of Commerce, begins at 6 p.m. Thursday at Mile High Station. The $55 admission (call 303-695-7818) includes wine samples and food prepared by 20 chefs. ... Same night: Robischon Gallery, 1740 Wazee St., is the setting for a get-together hosted by Darby Donohue and the Denver Art Museum's young professional support group, CultureHaus. Guests will enjoy


Cole Finegan, Mark Falcone and Michael Van Gilder.
food from Gourmet Fine Catering while viewing works by John McEnroe and Jessica Stockholder; it's from 6 to 8 p.m. and admission is free, but co-chairs Michelle Losasso and Anna Mills-Robertson say that an RSVP to culturehaus.com would be appreciated.
Joanne Davidson: 303-809-1314 or jdavidson@denverpost.com; also, blogs.denverpost.com/davidson and GetItWrite on Twitter

Brass Ring full of color and sass
Winter's closing in, but this is Colorado, where dark and dreary days are few and far between. So the annual Brass Ring Luncheon & Fashion Show had elements of sunshine and sass as 820 guests viewed Saks Fifth Avenue clothing fit for snowy days and evenings spent by a crackling fire. Read more in Joanne Davidson's Inside Line, above.
Speeding toward fun
Speed racers of every stripe were in their element when the Riverfront Park Community Foundation hosted "Velocity," a dinner and auction benefiting the Museum of Contemporary Art/Denver. Joanne Davidson has more about the fast-paced gala chaired by Tim Gill, Scott Miller, Lu Law and Dr. Chris Law in her Seen First blog: blogs.denverpost.com/davidson.

Black Friday will start early for local retailers

No matter how you color it, the Friday after Thanksgiving has taken on a recession-tinted hue this year that's elevated it to be-all-and-end-all status for anxious retailers.
Pre-dawn openings, once marveled for their moxie, seem late now.

At the Legends at Sparks Marina, Black Friday will start the night before with entertainment and giveaways priming shoppers for two hours before a collective midnight opening of the 47-store complex.

Other retailers already have begun advertising "Black Friday Now!" and "Doorbusters" sales in an early grab for consumers leading up to the day the industry hopes will put them in the black -- hence the name.

For now, officials are optimistic, pointing to the tradition that has become Black Friday with shoppers waiting in lines overnight at some locales for doors to open.

"These are the diehards, they plan for this all year, to come on that day to shop," said Sally Nordgaard, director of marketing and business development at Meadowood Mall. "Will they be looking for bargains? Yes, but I think the stores have plans for that."

Whether it all works amid a 21/2-years-long slump in taxable sales in Washoe County is another matter.

"Retailers will take extraordinary promotional measures, and that may generate higher volume of sales, but does it mean the good times are here again? I doubt it," said Tom Cargill, economist at the University of Nevada, Reno.

"All it may do is shift purchases that would have been made a month later," he said. "There's a malaise, a lack of confidence, in this country that doesn't translate into a very good environment for retailers. It's getting mean and lean out there."

As the area's newest retail destination, the Legends at Sparks Marina brings with it a first -- billed "Midnight Madness" with promotional giveaways and store discounts -- as its Black Friday foothold.

"It isn't a secret that people are still tightening their purse strings and evaluating budgets," said Lisa Bates, Legends marketing consultant.

Others who have been through the Black Friday drill before are banking on successful schemes from previous holiday seasons in their bids for shoppers.

High Point highlights

The recently ended High Point Furniture Market offers a glimpse of what consumers will be seeing in local showrooms and retail stores in the next four months or so.

Last update: November 10, 2009 - 12:15 PM

SMOKE AND SPARKS
The economic downturn hasn't snuffed out the desire for glamour and glitz. The High Point furniture market revealed a smoky palette of grays, from pale, barely there to almost white, to deep charcoal tones brightened with accents of shimmer, sheen and diamond-like details. Marge Carson, known for large-scale upholstery, showed that jewelry isn't just for wearing. Pavé buttons and crystal embellishments adorned everything from sofas and chairs to pillows and throws. Likewise, many furniture makers are adding sparkle to their wood pieces by using similar details on hardware.

HOT AND COOL
• Color trends seem to have come from opposite ends of the spectrum. Hot orange prevailed in several showrooms; Global Views grabbed attention with its orange leather chairs and stunning display of objects, including large glass vases filled with mini-carrots against a bright, squash-colored wall.

• Pale blue-greens paired with white or cream dominated many showrooms, sometimes used with brown. Silver metallic finishes were abundant; some were slightly warmer, moving toward gold.

• Pillows from Ann Gish carried sophisticated shades of amethyst to soft purple with pleats, crystals and lots of detail.

ECO LOOKS
Driftwood lamps, fossilized wood tables and eco-friendly fabrics were on display. Fashion leader Hickory Chair showed onyx table tops. Aviva Stanoff, a New York designer, displayed beautiful pillows with natural objects embossed into the fabric, but they looked more formal and silky than earthy.

ULTRA COOL
The Phillips Collection's "ice cube" bench is lit internally. Also shown: Tables that look like rocks but were clearly manmade.

STRANGE MOTIFS
Every few years a new motif pops up. While roosters and wine labels have been around for years, they've been joined this year by the octopus, represented in fabrics and art. Patterns, when used, are either boldly graphic or subtle tone-on-tone looks, with appearances by very few florals.