Global Inspiration: The Versatility of Regional Design

Travel, television, and the Internet have made the world a smaller place. They’ve broadened our horizons and opened our hearts and minds to cultures where daily life is punctuated by intense colors, wonderful textures, and the tastes and smells of exotic foods—where the natural environment is an intrinsic part of the lifestyle, not extraneous to it.

The EyeDance Encanto Color Palette for 2010 is inspired by temperate coastal regions worldwide. Born of organic materials, it is amazingly versatile.

The sunny hillsides of mission-inspired Santa Barbara mixes earthy Mediterranean and sunset hues with orchards, vineyards, and ocean colors.

In Guatemala. Belize, and Costa Rica, brightly dressed shoppers fill village markets set against a backdrop of rain forests and volcanoes that rise up by the sea.

In Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, the tribal art of the Makah is painted in rain forest greens, muted reds and driftwood browns. These earthy colors contrast against the vibrant corals and purples of Pacific sunsets. This simple three-color palette takes on complexity and layered richness when the transient colors of the sunset are added.

Regional color palettes are inspired by natural surroundings. Specific shades and tints are often derived from indigenous plants, flowers and minerals. Their local flavor is captured by using colors in different intensities, combining them in varying proportions to one another, and applying them to various textures.

Tints and shades such as corals, blue-greens and gray-browns connect our interiors to the outdoors as effectively in the desert as on the coast. Whereas the corals and blue-greens are used sparingly in the southwest, they are predominant in the color palette of seaside homes.
Whether we live in a custom or tract home, there is a universal desire to freshen our interiors as color trends evolve. The EyeDance Encanto Color Palette can be adapted to large or small spaces, formal or informal interiors, and works in a variety of architectural and design styles to bring a creative edge to home décor.

Coming soon to EyeDance Gallery:

A new Wall Trends series inspired by

the Encanto Color Palette!