Bold and BeautifulBold purples, blues, reds, oranges add eye-catching color to accent pieces

Electrifying shades of color are making a dramatic difference in home furnishing selections for fall. The bright, but highly saturated, colors are adding elements of excitement in rooms throughout the home.

Bold purples, deep reds and tart mustards that make eyes pop are adding punch to modern and traditional furniture shapes, styles and patterns. And wood pieces, from consoles to accent tables, are sporting shades such as chili pepper red and Caribbean blue.

Whether a homeowner or apartment dweller uses the tones everywhere or restricts them to accent pieces, furnishings in these colors are available in spades. Some of the better-known manufacturers making the pieces are American Leather, Barcalounger, Broyhill and Century.

"While neutral fabrics and finishes will always be a staple in home furnishings, there's a vibrant new wave of color that is making a statement this season," says Jackie Hirschhaut, vice president of the American Home Furnishings Alliance. "These are colors that are bold and refreshing and can change the look of a whole room."

Marian Chatfield, an the American Society of Interior Designers member and whose firm bears her name, says they are wonderful, but she see's them as accent colors. The designer suggests that homeowners try using the bold colors on pillow covers, small rugs and throws because that's a quick way to introduce those colors. They can be removed quickly if homeowners find the color difficult to live with.

Chatfield is using tomato red accents in fabrics and on wood pieces in several rooms of her home, which has an open floor plan.

While the red is very hot, colors with names such as amethyst and plum are garnering most of the attention across the country. If there is a poster child for the current color explosion, it's one of those tones.

"Purple is gorgeous. You have got to be a pretty strong person to do purple," says Chatfield. "I think a lot of people are afraid of a lot of color. I have seen a lot of pumpkin, copper and all sorts of terra cottas. Those and purple, you are going to see them around."

Homeowners shopping at Ethan Allen are choosing oranges, mustards, rusts and tomato reds as accent pieces, says the store's Trudy Mercy Brown, an allied member of the American Society of Interior Designers.

They are using those tones as punches of color on dining room chair seats, ottomans, pillows and valances in stripes as well as solids. Some also are choosing those shades on living room chairs, but not on large pieces such as love seats and sofas.

At Ethan Allen, red is popular, but homeowners have begun selecting rust tones more often than other shades that have become available this fall.

The store is not carrying purples or plums that furnituremakers and designers are offering, Brown says. That's because the South tends to be more conservative and purple is not what homeowners in Charleston likely want.

While some shoppers are buying burgundy or barn red painted wood pieces at Ethan Allen, most of what the store offers is black or cream. The painted pieces are coffee tables, bookshelves and dining room chairs paired with wood-toned tables.

Reach Wevonneda Minis at 937-5705 or wminis@postandcourier.com.