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Williams Co., thinks part of the al- lure of grey is that it works well with everything. She explains, "Grey is so versatile. You can go cool with it; you can go warm with it. It goes with just about everything." She also sees grey as a great choice for bridging black and white. Sandra Luttchens-Van Allen, cor- porate trainer for Omega Cabinetry and a member of the Color Market- ing Group, agrees: "Grey is going to be around for a while. It's in the top fve of our custom fnishes, and with good reason. Black shows fngerprints and dust – it's so unforgiving – and people are tired of so many browns. Grey is more practical than black, and it's easy to live with." CREAMY WHITES But while grey has grabbed the lion's share of the press in recent times, there's still plenty of interest in clas- sic whites, creamy of-whites and a variety of wood tones. "White, especially painted white, has dominated cabinetry paint sales for kitchens and baths the last three years," says Reep, who adds, "It is a signifcant seller in every market in the U.S." However, she sees a trend away from bright white, with more interest in whites that have a hint of grey, such as KraftMaid's Chai paint, which she says speaks to the clean and modern trend, but with a touch of warmth and softness that works well with wood tones. Luttchens-Van Allen also sees "more shades of of-white coming into play," and believes the ultra-modern stark whites are giving way to cream- ier shades of white. Woodman believes there will al- ways be a demand for classic black and white, but he agrees that whites are going creamier, while blacks are moving away from jet black to more of-black shades. He also sees a mix- ing and matching of gloss and matte to add visual interest and give these classic colors more pizzazz. Andersson points to a growing interest in classic colors that ofer a textural experience – for instance, she cites the "voyage" trend, with more people drawn to colors that "are all about outer space or underwater." She notes, "Silestone came out with a beautiful series of surfaces: Arc- tic, Atlantic, Orion – the look is very sophisticated but otherworldly at the same time. The whites in that series are vein-y and beautiful; one is chunky, one is sort of like a man- made marble." All, however, have the textural interest that seems to be all the rage right now. As far as wood tones are con- cerned, Andersson says, "In the kitchen market, we are going from very dark to medium, where in furni- ture, there's a move from darker colors to medium or even lighter colors. Since furniture infuences cabinets [especially with the growing interest in open-plan kitchens], I think we may see some of those lighter furniture pieces impacting cabinets toward lighter fnishes." Andersson also sees contempo- rary styling from Europe infuencing the move toward lighter wood tones, noting that some of the Scandinavian looks seem to be gaining interest in the U.S. However, she admits that the dark espresso tones "have a lot of mass market appeal," explaining, "It's a risk to move away from that, and a real risk to move far away from that. For that reason, I see medium tones as where we're going next, and then the lighter woods and super-natural tones and fnishes will be the next stage, where the wood can be the star." As far as metal tones, Woodman sees a growing interest in warmer fnishes, such as French golds, which are richer than brass. Luttchens-Van Allen agrees that there seems to be more interest in brushed fnishes and the use of gold tones to warm up the space, especially with warm whites. And, while Andersson says satin nickel and polished chrome are still the hottest sellers, she has seen an uptick in the warmer metals as well. A POP OF COLOR But, while neutral colors work well in today's clean-lined kitchens, an im- proved economy and more optimistic consumer mindset seem to be driving interest in brighter pops of color. According to Woodman, "People like the idea of an all-white kitchen, but then realize it's too stark and sterile, so they put color back into it, something to give it the morning jolt, something that makes them happy. Or maybe they go with an island that has high contrast or a high chrome content, or just movement and texture – a 'statement' island. There's some pattern fatigue, so they're just putting more color – a red island, a cobalt blue appliance – not the whole space, but something that goes boom!" He continues, "We're seeing some sharp, bright pops of color come in, like a bright red – a very vibrant red without being fre truck red. People want to inject a spark of energy, a jolt from which to jump of, and that's very important right now." Luttchens-Van Allen agrees that consumers are becoming more will- ing to use color as an accent, such as "some of the gold tones and orange tones that add some warmth to the space…a little bit of retro, but re- freshed from there." Andersson sees blue as a trending color right now, noting, "What we've seen is a little more interest in blue than we've seen previously, ranging in shades from grey blue and very neu- tral blue to bold, almost sapphire blues and bright Carolina blue. It's primarily the grey blue or toned-down versions, while the bolder ones would be more modern, stylized, better for an urban setting, or going for that Italian con- temporary section of the market. You might see it on the range, or maybe the upper cabinets, or the inside of the cabinets. In fact, 25% of the colors in our palette right now are blue. Outside of grey, the blue color family is what stood out the most for us." Woodman believes that modern cuisine is one of the things that's sparking the trend toward color right now. "People look at their cookbooks and want their kitchen to be a cool sci- ence lab, it can't be sterile, and I think that's part of why they're introducing color into their all-white space." As for the bath, Woodman main - tains, "The spa is being redefned to what makes that particular person feel good. It's gone more blue than green – less aqua, more blue. We're seeing very rich colors, whether it's cocoa, brown or blue. That said, they still tend to balance it with white because we still defne white as clean and healthy." However, he adds, "Again, it comes back to contrasting sheen levels and textures. It's impossible to talk about colors without talking about texture." Looking ahead, Reep is convinced the younger buyers will continue to drive color trends in the future. She notes, "Younger buyers like color and are fearless with color in expressing their style. So look for our homes to be more colorful in the coming years." November 2014 ForResidentialPros.com | 45 Photo: DuPont® • The Pearl Grey countertop acts as a bridge between the whites and browns in this kitchen. • Grey continues to be the hot color trend right now, both for its subtle elegance and its ability to work with nearly any color scheme. Photo: KraftMaid Cabinetry • This mushroom shade – 'sort of grey, sort of beige,' according to CMG Past President Mark Woodman – is an up-and-coming neutral, which works as a bridge with greys, browns and even some greens. Photo: Mark Woodman, CMG