Natural, worn pieces

Just as buying a new outfit makes you feel fashionable and chic, adding a few decorating touches can bring your home up to date.

"You want to surround yourself with things you like, but you don't want your home to be frozen in time," says Pat Bowling, vice president of the American Home Furnishings Alliance, which each year sponsors the furniture market at High Point, N.C.

Just as fashion changes, so, too, do decorating trends. You wouldn't want to jump at every new thing that comes along, but finding new ways to express your decorating style helps renew the sense of pride you have in your surroundings.

January is the perfect time to look ahead toward some emerging trends and look back at trends of the past.

Here's what the experts say is popular now and what we can expect to see going forward.

The furniture

"The big trend is the reclaimed, recycled look," says Dirk Stallmann, marketing director for Steinhafels Furniture. "It's a distressed, rough-hewn sort of look."

Some of the furniture actually is made from reclaimed pieces, he says, while others are made to look that way.

"Some pieces are stained, some are painted and some are a combination," Stallmann says. "It's a look that offers a lot of character."

According to Bowling, many of the new collections that were previewed at High Point and that are arriving in stores now offer a relaxed and familiar feel.

"The names of the collections say it all," she says. "Homecoming, American Routes, Summerglen Drive. Those are just a few. There's a prevailing sense of Americana among furniture manufacturers, and what we are seeing is warm and homey."

However, Bowling says, for every trend there is a countertrend.

"There's never one theme that dominates," she says, "and the countertrend has a global European focus with roots in Spain and France. The finishes are dark, and there's a lot of detail."

The wood tones

"Dark espresso wood tones remain dominant," says Stallmann, "but we're seeing finishes that really are all over the map."

Bowling says finishes vary by collection.

"Stanley Furniture's Coastal Living collection, for example, uses a light stain on white oak. There's a contemporary, understated elegance to it even though it evokes a cottage sort of feel," she says. "Universal's Better Homes and Gardens line has a mahogany finish, and Kincaid's Homecoming Collection uses soft pine and walnut."

The colors

Color trends seem to depend on who is putting the collections together.

The Pantone Color Institute, for example, offers nine color palettes for 2011 that can set the tone for any decor. Each palette features a range of colors that work together to create a certain mood.

The palette names are Cottage Industry, Simply Stated, Style and Substance, Clarity, Fragments, Archetypes, Focal Points, Mixed Media, and Wit and Whimsy.

"Color is the catalyst that can . . .  define the space and create the magic and mood," says Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute.

Dutch Boy's professional design team has put together five color palettes for 2011 with the names Worn, Rebirth, Abyss, Functionality and Wonder. They emphasize natural colors, including weathered rusts, wholesome greens, soft roses and bare neutrals.

Sherwin-Williams has divided its color palettes by region. According to its predictions, "Neutrals continue to balance out bold hues via tried-and-true earth tones in the Midwest."

As for the colors shoppers will see in home decor, Bowling says, "a tremendous amount of color entered the marketplace last spring, and that trend will continue."

Home furnishings retailers are embracing color "as a fresh look and a way to draw shoppers in who haven't ventured into furniture stores in a while," she says. "Deep purple, teal, peacock blue and a few yellows and oranges will dominate, especially in overscale prints and fresh florals. And gray is coming through very strong."

She says gray alone, as well as gray-toned neutrals, is the trend.

The finishes

For lack of a better term, the interior finishes are the more permanent parts of the home that serve as a backdrop. They include flooring, countertops and cabinetry.

Homeowners often choose less daring options in interior finishes when building or remodeling because they have to live with their choices for quite a while. Even so, there are trends in these areas, too.

When it comes to countertops, granite remains the top choice for those who can afford it.

"It provides an updated look that adds major value to a kitchen or bathroom," says Joe Laszkiewicz, store manager for Nonn's Design Showplace in Waukesha.

"Black tones are typically used in contemporary homes, but there are lots of tans, browns, greens and pinches of burgundy for granite," he says. "You can even find granite in blue tones, though they're very rare and very expensive."

Laszkiewicz says that if a budget doesn't allow for granite, there are new high-quality laminates that do a better job than ever of replicating the natural look of granite.

As for flooring, hard surfaces such as wood and bamboo are strong.

"The only places we're seeing carpet is in bedrooms," he says. "But some people prefer the look of wood and area rugs there, too."

Laminate flooring also is gaining ground.

"It's getting better looking and requires little maintenance," Laszkiewicz says. "We're using it for kitchens, hallways, utility rooms and even living areas. Then, of course, the look is softened with area rugs that bring out color and reflect individual style."

He says runners are becoming popular on staircases, in patterns or plain carpet. As for cabinets, dark woods dominate here, too. "We've gone from natural woods just a few years ago to darker stains," he says. "Even almost black."

Mitered doors that allow fancier moldings and more detailing also are a strong choice.

If there is a constant, it's that maple continues as a strong wood option for cabinets.

"Some exotic woods are showing up," Laszkiewicz says, "but maple remains a favorite. People like it because there's not a lot of grain. It's a good wood, and you can do so much with it."